At first the blue was one solid wall. Painfully bright, it pressed at him from all around, and all Yugo could do was make himself very tiny and wait for it to crush him - or go away.
But after a moment the pressure yielded. Yugo began to distinguish threads in the shining fabric of wakfu that was surrounding him, tangled and snagged. Just at arm's length a huge knot was throbbing with light, and a smaller one, barely visible, hugged close to it.
He reached for them.
"Yugo?" A familiar voice asked.
He opened his eyes, but squinted instantly from the physical light, no less brilliant than the wakfu radiation. A warm, slender palm brushed at his hand, clenched on something rough.
"How are you feeling?" Asked Eva, smoothing out his blanket.
"Eva?"
She smiled. "I chased Alibert off, so he'd get some sleep. He's been watching you since we came back."
"When?" Yugo tried to prop himself up on his elbows, but they wouldn't hold his weight, as if his arms have been hollowed. Eva supported him.
"Here's a pillow. The day before yesterday. Can you remember what happened?"
"There was a battle..." Yugo gasped. "Is everyone...?"
"Everyone is fine, including that hot-headed boyfriend of mine" she said warmly. "But as we were getting back, you fainted, remember? Almost fell off Phaeris's back."
Yugo stared at the blanket in silence. It was a sadidan, greenish-gray blanket of nettle fiber.
"Adamai slept through the first day, as well." Eva continued. "Phaeris says it's normal after spending so much wakfu."
"So we're back in Sadida?"
"We're back in Sadida."
"Everyone must be so mad at us..."
"Mad? Whatever for?"
Yugo swallowed. "Quilby... didn't he destroy anything here?"
"No, just vanished along with the dragons and the Eliacube."
The dragons. "How are Adamai and Grougal?"
Eva smiled, but before she started talking, the door rapped open.
"Yugo!"
And suddenly he was drowning in an ocean of warmth, kitchen smells and brilliant wakfu.
"Oh, Yugo, you're finally awake!"
"Let him breathe, Alibert." Eva joked,
but he did suddenly feel light-headed.
"Yugo?" Yugo!"
"Mmmm... what?" he fluttered his eyelids and among the dark spots saw Alibert's face, drawn with worry. His hands were resting on Yugo's shoulders.
"You're still not feeling well?"
Suddenly, he felt cold.
"I'm fine." He said in a tone as soothing as he could muster, but instead of hugging him again Alibert simply sat on the edge of the bed, glancing anxiously at Yugo.
"You asked about the dragons." Eva broke the heavy silence.
"Grougaloragan turned very jumpy, he won't leave Chibi's side."
Alibert nodded. "Keeps growling even at me."
"Adamai" Eva went on " slept for a day, then sat here with you, and now... Alibert, where did he go?"
"Said he couldn't sit still and needed a walk."
"We have to look for him." Yugo tried to sit up, but his elbows buckled and he fell onto the pillow.
"We'll do it, Yugo." Alibert chided gently, tucking him in.
"We will, you focus on getting better."
"But Adamai-"
"Is completely safe in the forest of Sadida." Eva said. Her wakfu shone with such brilliance Yugo squinted on reflex.
"What about Amalia? Is she angry?" He mumbled.
"She still is, a bit" started Eva, but Alibert interrupted.
"Hush... let him sleep."
I'm not sleeping, Yugo wanted to protest, but this was his last concious thought.
White surrounded him. Like swimming in a lake of milk, Yugo thought, but corrected himself instantly. No, it's all solid stuff under my feet, I think. He gave it an experimental stomp.
"Aah! Ow... a cloud with storeys?"
Cautiously, he groped at the surface he landed on, exactly as white as everything here, just (ow...) firmly material. For the time being, at least.
I'll wait, he decided. If it dissolves and I fall, it'll hurt a bit less if I'm sitting down. He hugged his knees and rested his chin on them. No, that's uncomfortable. Moving his head, he got his knees under his chin. Better, but still not it. But I'll go all stiff, sitting like this, he thought and stretched his legs out, supporting himself on his arms in order not to fall backwards. He whistled a melody. The sound drowned in silence.
"Echo!" Yugo shouted, but, listening intently as he was, heard no echo. "Echo, echo, hey!"
He pulled his knees up. There was a bit of thread sticking out of his trouser leg. He pulled at it. It broke. He kneaded it into a little ball, then straightened the ball out, crumpled it up again, even smaller, finally rolled it on the white surface.
"No" the ball slipped from under his fingers and away into the whiteness. "Wait!"
On all fours he chased the little ball.
"Come back! Where are you? No..."
A tear rolled down his cheek, burning like fire.
This time Yugo knew what to expect. He didn't wait for the blue to dim, but opened his eyes at once.
For a moment he "saw" both the tangled web of wakfu and the matter that was attached to them: living boughs overhead, a flowering plant in the window, a slim figure of a dragon in human form, hiding a particularily bright wakfu node.
"How do you feel, little king?"
Yugo blinked before focusing his eyes on the guest's serious face.
"Phaeris?"
The dragon nodded.
"How do you feel?"
"Dragons heal fast. We are quite resistant."
"Meaning, bad." Yugo put his arms behind him discreetly, but found he still had no strenght to sit up. He gave out a soft sigh.
"Phaeris assures you, little king, he is well."
"You haven't... erm..." Yugo bit his lip, glancing at Phaeris.
"When Eva came here, I felt her wakfu, and it was really odd. As if... there were two girls in one place, but one was tiny. Er..."
A smile flitted through Phaeris's face. His hands were resting unmovingly on his knees.
"Yes, Phaeris has noticed. You, young king, have spent such a large portion of your wakfu you have become overly sensitive to its emanation. This shall pass in time."
"So she's always had this other node?" Yugo asked, astounded.
"Not always." Phaeris shook his head slowly, in obvious resignation. "In our time we would hold the ceremony immediately, but miss Evangeline refused to speak on the subject."
He sighed. "What world have we found ourselves in."
Yugo's head started swimming.
For a while he tried to look at the flower in the window. When the dizziness passed, he said "Phaeris... mmm?"
The dragon looked Yugo in the eye.
"What sort of king was I? Back before..."
"It had been an honour to fight alongside you." Phaeris declared.
"No, but-" the door slammed open.
"Yugo!"
"I'd prefer to examine my patient while he's still breathing, milady." In the whirlwind of wakfu Yugo reckognized the voice of an eniripsa.
"Oh, Yugo, at last!" cried Amalia. "How could you? Pass out like that? Have you any idea what we've been through? Oh, Yugo!"
Her shrills, her brilliant wakfu, the heavy perfume she wore gave Yugo a headache. Closing his eyes, he focused on the warmth of princess's hug.
"Yugo?"
"Mmm?"
"Let him have a nap, Amalia." Said Alibert's voice from the door and her embrace yielded.
"'m not sleeping" muttered Yugo. It was rather pleasant, with his eyes close to see everyone in the room, Salix, busy at the table, Phaeris, still like a statue, restless Amalia, Alibert, and held in Alibert's arms...
"Chibi?" Yugo opened his eyes. The baby cooed.
"Really, invite the whole island, won't you." Salix grumbled. "Let me through, please, sir dragon."
Phaeris stood up obediently, letting the eniripsa poke and prod at Yugo.
"As I keep saying, the patient needs quiet. How do you want him to get better, if he can't even rest?"
Slim fingers closed around his wrist, lifted it and held for a moment. He flinched.
"You're staying in bed for a while, no mistake. Longer, if this herd of noisy gobbals keeps you from sleeping."
The healer glared at Amalia, who turned up her nose.
"Phaeris shall be back later." The dragon nodded first at Yugo, then at the others, before leaving the room.
"One reasonable person." The eniripsa stopped in the door to tap her foot once, twice, then left with an irritated sigh.
"Finally, the nag's out." Amalia muttered.
"She's right." Alibert said, perching on the bed. "We'll only stay a moment, I promise."
Yugo gave him a wan smile. Even without Phaeris and Salix the wakfu in the room was too bright and exhausting.
"Stay." He asked. Amalia patted his hand.
"Sure. Long as you want. We'll tell you everything that happened, okay?"
"Okay." Yugo pulled his hand back slowly. The princess radiated wakfu, suddenly making him feel as if he was standing by a spring on an unbearably hot day. Remembering the noxines, he shuddered. Better not risk it.
"...so everybody was making an awful row, but father said-"
Absorbed in Amalia's words, Yugo didn't notice the weight on his knees, until chubby, warm little hands touched his palm.
"Ah! Oh..."
The princess, who lost her train of thought, blinked, Alibert smiled behind the mustache, and baby Chibi gurgled happily.
"Yes, that's a great joke..." Yugo gently pulled his hand away from the tiny fingers. "Really funny."
He saw reproach in Chibi's chestnut eyes.
"I'm too tired to play, sorry." He said, looking away.
"If you're tired-" Amalia began, but Yugo was quick to interrupt her.
"No, go on. So what happened to that dhrellek?"
"What dhrellek? Yugo, you could have told us you wanted to sleep!"
She stood up abruptly, tossing her hair, and put her hands on her hips.
"You're such a baby sometimes, really. Come on, Alibert."
Alibert stroked the top of Yugo's head and he, with a thousand blessings to whoever came up with the idea of eliatrope hat, answered with a faint smile. What he really wanted was to hug his dad and never, ever let go.
"Get better, son."
The enutrof picked up Chibi, who started yawning. "Well, you should go to bed, too. This must be the first time you follow Grougal's good example, isn't it? Say 'bye, bye'."
The baby gurgled softly.
"Bye." Said Yugo, stifling a yawn himself.
"Goodnight." Alibert closed the door with a click.
Yugo was wandering in the milk-like mist. He could see nothing in front of himself, and behind himself, either, although when he stretched his hand as far as he could, his own fingers and fingernails seemed unnaturally distinct, as if there wasn't any mist at all.
Maybe there isn't, he thought and reached for his hat, but hesitated. He might still need it. Having decided that, he sat down on the surface underfoot to take off his shoes.
"Hey-ho!" The shoe, thrown with all Yugo's strenght, landed... well. It was clearly visible. Staring intently at the shoe, Yugo started counting his steps.
"One hundred fourty eight, one hundred fourty nine, one hundred fifty, one hundred fifty one. That's it? Wonder how far I'd have to go to stop seeing it."
He started backwards, counting out loud.
"One hundred. One hundred and one, one hundred and two, one hundred-"
Suddenly he lost count and dropped the shoe he was holding. Frantically, he spun around.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
The whiteness was silent.
Yugo clenched his fists. "Going nuts."
Turning back in the direction he thought he came from, he saw no shoe. It was a bright orange colour, which should stand out here like a sore thumb in here. He slowly turned around.
"But... where is it?"
There was the sound again, the same he heard before, but louder, clearer.
"Who's there?!"
Silence.
"Take the shoe if you want! But show yourself! Please."
The silent, unmoving white surrounded him from all sides.
Yugo started walking. After a while he heard the sound again, but didn't call out, he simply walked in the direction of the sound which resembled sobbing more and more.
There is someone here besided me, he thought, probably longer than me, and that's awful, but when we put our heads together we can come up with a way back home. We'll be friends. Wonder what colours this person likes? They'll love it in Sadida, it's so green there. What is 'green', anyway?"
The sobbing was gradually louder and louder. Yugo hurried.
Patience, he thought, I'm coming. We'll escape, to Sadida, back home, to green trees and fresh bread and, I don't know what else, but I promise.
"I promise!" He shouted, and the weeping stopped. "No... don't get scared..." Yugo whined. He sat heavily on the white surface.
"I won't hurt you..."
A tear rolled down his cheek.
"Yugo!" Yugo!"
The threads of wakfu were tangled, pale and trembling. Yugo turned his head and moaned when light stung his eyes.
"You were crying in your sleep." Eva said.
He blinked.
"Your eyes are green..."
"Well, yes." Eva gave him a gentle smile. Raising from her knees, she picked a canvas-bound book from the floor to put it on the night table, then she sat on the edge of his bed.
"Here, I'll help you with this blanket. It needs changing anyway, you're all sticky with sweat."
Yugo moved his hand back, or tried to, but, turned out, the blanket was knotted on his writs.
"Hey!"
"Sorry..."
"Yugo. If you don't want to be touched, say so."
"I'm sorry, Eva."
"I said you didn't have to be."
For a moment she studied him in silence. He looked down.
"What if I hurt your baby?"
"...what?"
"Phaeris said I needed more wakfu, and you... Thought I imagined it, but there's sort of two of you, and I know-"
"Yugo." Eva pressed his hand to the blanket with hers. "Calm down."
He glanced at her from under his fringe, but she held firmly.
"I sleep all the time and wake up even more tired." He whispered.
"Umm, I see that." Eva straightened up, not letting go of his hand.
"Why would you hurt my baby?"
Yugo stirred. "I don't want to!"
"So what's the problem?"
"But if? Not wanting to? You saw the trees wilt when Nox sucked their wakfu out-"
"But you're not sucking wakfu out."
"How do you know?"
"Well, look around. We're in Sadida, where even the walls are alive. See anything wilting?"
"But what if I'd have to tough them to-"
"Yugo. I'll ask Phaeris, if you like, of bring him here so he can tell you himself, but I'm absolutely sure you are not stealing wakfu from anyone or anything."
"I'm not sure." He muttered. "What are you doing?"
Eva moved a bit closer to put Yugo's hand on her stomach. She pressed it, very lightly.
"Eva-"
"Shh. See?"
The fine threads of wakfu were interweaving and untangling in two nodes, a large one and a tiny one, hugging the other, distinct, but connected. Yugo watched wakfu flow, watched the tiny knot grow, almost imperceptibly, bigger and more separate from the larger one each moment, somehow not diminishing it at all. He sighed.
"She's so tiny... You're really not scared?"
"Of you? Not even a little."
With a smile, Eva let go of his hand.
"Of course, if I'm wrong, there's always the possibility of putting an arrow in your eye."
He smiled. She leaned forwards to tousle his fringe, just a little, like a concerned older sister.
"I'll have them run you a bath. And maybe get some sleeping herbs, because I expect you to be up and about when my baby is born."
"Thank you."
"You'll be an uncle, Yugo. No excuses." She stretched, still slim and even prettier than she used to be.
"I'll be right back. Try and rest a little."
"What's this book about?" Yugo asked with a glance at the night table.
"Rykke Errel, I took it from the library. Want to read?"
Yugo reached for the book. It was heavy, but he managed not to drop it.
"Thank you, Eva."
"Don't mention it."
