This is something I haven't done before, so it's an experiment. Hope you enjoy it.


Murmurs surrounded me. They were loud, almost too loud. It was hard to take.

Shut up. Please.

More murmurs panned around to my left and right. If only they would have just stopped. And then they did. It was quiet for so long. It was a beautiful silence.

Thank-you.

I tried to breathe a sigh of relief only to discover there was no need. The darkness seemed to understand and did it for me. Peace at last.

A woman's voice broke the peaceful silence of the black that surrounded me. "Have both of you lost your minds?"

"Of course not. Why would you say that?" A defensive male's voice followed. I could hear him scoff, though I knew he wasn't as close as she was; his voice sounded further away.

"Take a look at who you've brought back with you. Here of all places!" Her voice was shrill, if I had bones I could feel it would have grated on them. Annoyingly at that. I didn't care though. I tried to pull against the darkness towards the speakers. Pull away from the blackness that had infected my mind.

Where am I? Why is she so terrified? Is it me?

"What of it?" A third voice brought me away from my thoughts. He was closer. I tried to reach out to him. Feel him. Only I felt nothing. "We couldn't just leave him there." He sounded sad, almost. More so mad than anything. I didn't care. He was my saviour, I owed him everything; I could give him nothing but my blackness.

Thank-you, saviour. For bringing me back. Wherever back may be. Am I back?

Not that I cared at all. Her voice floated to me again, closer. Almost as close as my saviour. "Do you two have a death wish?" I cringed in my mind, seemingly unable to feel my body. If I even had a body. Death. What a word. I attempted to remove myself from my black tomb, it pulled harder. I couldn't stop it.


There was shouting. Lots of shouting and heated words. Somewhere off in the depths of the manor I heard Mother in an argument with somebody. I did not want to know who. I did not care to know who. I hoped she would be okay.

I love you, Mum.

I ran. I don't know why; I don't even care why or how I knew. I just felt right. I felt a nudge at first, as if something was attempting to push me along. I gave in to the feeling and ran as fast as I could. Thankfully the sensation of being pushed continued even well away from the manor. After only a short while I grew weak and exhausted. The force continued to push me, and I fought the urge to look back. I knew, somehow, they would be there. They would kill me.

My curiosity got the better or me. I looked back, there were no faces.

A shout. A flash of green. And then nothing.


I screamed. I tried anyways. The voices continued as if nothing had happened. I assumed they could not hear me. I could hear me though. I was in pain, or as close to pain as I could get in the blackness.

"What exactly am I supposed to do for him?" Her voice was quieter now. She sounded sad, her voice was almost watery. I wanted to tell her it would be okay.

Can a voice be watery?

"Fix him up like you do for us!" Replied the scoffing man, in the most as-a-matter-of-fact way I had ever heard. I think. He was further away, I was happy for that. I didn't like his voice.

The closer man spoke next. "It isn't that simple."

Why not? Fix me up and send me on my way, please. I don't like it where I am. Let me out of here. Fix me.

I pleaded, but still they did not hear me. "Thank-you! God. This obviously isn't some simply broken bone or a bruise. He needs to see a healer!" Finally. I needed to see a healer. I wanted to call out again but I decided not to. It wouldn't be any use. Instead I listened. I had to be careful not to let the darkness take me again. I needed to know what was wrong with me.

"You know that isn't possible. Most of them are on his side. The other ones are dead." The closer man, my saviour, spoke. He sounded exhausted. "You also know why it is we got you trained when we could."

What happened to the poor healers?

The lady spoke again. "Besides, I never even said that I would help him." She sounded further away, and I listened to her shuffle away. I wanted to reach out and make her stay. Her voice was nice, it helped with the darkness.

My saviour spoke again; I tried focusing on him as the darkness again began to pull me away. It worked, but I did not know for how long.

"Oh come off it!" The scoffing man shouted at the female. He was closer this time. I didn't like it. He began to pace, I wanted him to trip and fall.

"He's right. You couldn't be that cruel even if you wanted to be." The closer man spoke as he shifted beside me. I couldn't feel him. I heard it. He seemed uncomfortable, it made me sad. "You took the oath when Healer Samin trained you. You know you can't deny him treatment." I smelled blood, I think, but it could have been a trick of the black.

Is that my blood? Or his?

No matter. The woman's voice rang out again. She was closer. "I know." The woman sounded defeated. It made me sad for her. For myself as well. Soon enough the blackness began to creep up on me. I was no longer fighting it. But the scent of something sweet tugged me back from the growing darkness. It was her! She smelled like apples. Apples were better than blood and I tried to focus.

"I don't know enough to help him out of..." She paused and sighed again. "Whatever this is. But I may be able to make him comfortable until something happens." I tried to smile, but my face was lost. Somewhere in the blackness, it was, with the rest of me. Whoever I was, that is.

I feel death.

I tried to scream. I only sobbed.

The woman spoke again. "I suppose it is all up to him now." The scent of apples lingered in the dark a moment. I tried to grab onto it. I needed it to stay. But then it was gone.