Chapter 37: Unto the Heavens
Waking was…a struggle. Whatever Meteion had done, whatever it was that had made breathing impossible, seemed to linger in his chest but he refused to remain unconscious, not when the last thing he had seen was Thancred charging at Meteion. Forcing his eyes open and his body to move, he struggled first to his elbows and knees then to sitting back on his ankles. His fingers ghosted over his book but just the pull of aether to cast Physick seemed to be enough to clear whatever remained. Pulling in a breath with far more ease, the interior of the ship - once again illuminated - came into focus around him. Immediately he set his gaze upon the last spot he had seen Meteion and Thancred but found neither.
In fact, Thancred was nowhere to be seen.
Meteion had taken him, hadn't she?
A hand settled on Echo'a's shoulder. Alphinaud's voice chased after the contact with a cautious, "Echo'a?" Echo'a blinked, finding he had been staring at where he had last seen Thancred. He turned his gaze to Alphinaud. "Are you alright? Uninjured?"
"Meteion is gone as well," Y'shtola pointed out in response to…something. Echo'a hadn't been listening. "Mayhap he awakened first and gave chase."
Were they talking about Thancred? Whatever he had dispelled seemed to return of its own accord, pressing against the front of his chest hard enough to compress his ribs and limit his ability to breathe deeply. But it wasn't actually; the deep breath he forced his lungs to take flowed uninhibited.
"I'm not hurt," he softly assured Alphinaud as he let the breath go.
Alphinaud offered him a hand as Mappingway spoke up. "Uh, everyone?" He took it and was startled when Alphinaud hauled Echo'a to his feet, not giving him the chance to stand without actually allowing Alphinaud to help. "It appears we're at our destination." Echo'a glanced at the displays as if he could make anything off of them from that distance. "This...this is Ultima Thule."