Chapter 8 – Shattered Strength
Templar
Zed awoke to blinding light. He felt strange—lightheaded, dizzy, almost nauseous. What…where am I?
Struggling to sit up, he was rewarded with a bolt of pain striking through him. Gasping, he fell back on to the bed sheets. "Zed," a distant voice called to him, "try not to move."
Through half-lidded eyes, he saw a marvelous figure before him. She sat leaning forward on a chair, clothed in pure white; her violet eyes wide open, observing him with bewilderment and concern, and behind these emotions a detached, curious interest. He could feel her marmalade breath brush past his face; see where her sweat made her blouse stick to her skin.
She was beautiful, absolutely unbelievable. The sunlight streaming in from the window sparkled in her eyes and shone on her dark, luxurious hair. He wanted to feel her, really feel her. Zed wondered briefly why she hadn't looked like this earlier, in the morning, but the images were there, fresh and clear, and he hadn't noticed.
Then reality came crashing in and he saw her expression change, startled, a second after his eyes opened—a sharp intake of breath as if about to speak, the quick shake of the head, the swift glance away and back. Her face recomposed itself, with a look that said, "No, I couldn't possibly have seen that." Roia smiled with relief and straightened, shaking back her hair. "You're awake," she said.
"Yeah" Zed answered, sitting up with a grimace. "Sorry about that. My head isn't feeling too well right now, I must've been a bit disoriented." Running a hand through his hair, he asked, "How long have I been out?" Roia tilted her head back, thinking. "About two days," came her response.
Suddenly Zed started. "Noa!" he gasped, memories of the events days before flashing through his mind.
Roia laid her hand over Zed's, her eyes downcast. "Noa's gone," she said quietly. Zed felt his strength ebb out of him. Gone. Again. Because of me.
"I have to find him," Zed muttered, pushing away the blankets and rolling away from the bed. He took a tentative step toward the door, but his legs failed him, and he collapsed into a heap on the floor. "Zed, what are you doing?! You're in no condition to walk, much less find Noa and rescue him!" Roia snapped. "Bullshit," growled Zed, and tried again to stand.
Red sparks swam before his eyes and Zed fell again, the dynamism of anger gone from his limbs. Distantly, he heard Roia crying out his name. Then his brain shut down and he heard no more.