บท 24: Whispers of a Promise

"He's waking up."

"Find that man. Bring him here quickly!"

***

I opened my eyes, surprised to be alive.

Above me, the wrinkled face of an old woman peered down, studying my face as I slowly blinked my eyes, adjusting to the sunlight flooding through the windows. Her brown eyes searched my face, full of concern.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

I tried to sit up, but I fell back down immediately, groaning. My entire body felt sore and weak. The woman frowned at once, clutching my head as I squirmed in pain, trying to shake her off.

"You musn't move," she said. "Your body hasn't fully healed yet."

Despite her warning, I brought my hands up and grabbed hers, trying to get them off my head. She gave me a stern glare and let go, stepping away from the bed I lay in. I turned my head to see where she had gone, only to see that she had dropped down into a chair directly beside the bed and was now staring at me wordlessly.