The Pain

Coll still wasn't sure how his trek through the woods ended, whether he had reached the front lines before the pain from the poison grew to great, or if it was his screams that had drawn a patrol of men to him. All that mattered was that the mages had made him coherent long enough that he could explain what had brought him back from his scouting without the rest of his men. He remembered that much when he awoke next, of telling his sister of the trap that lay ahead of them before the pain dragged him down into the dark depths of unconsciousness again. Blinking to adjust his sight to the sudden lance of light that came into his eye with a presence that was painful beyond imagining. His mouth opened to let out a scream of pain but nothing came from it, for the vocal cords had been damaged so badly that they refused to function again before healing. Instead of a scream a sharp exhalation was issued. That was still enough to draw the healer mage over to his side with a curse. Coll heard voices as a shadow fell over his sight blocking out the painful light. "I thought you said that he would not awaken for another day at the least! You fool, he is awake now, and now I have to use what little strength I have regained to repair the damage and send him into sleep once again. Next time be sure you dosage your potions correctly!" A strange coolness passed through the shadow that covered his eye into his body and once again lured him off to sleep. When he awoke next, the pain of the previous time was fresh in his mind and so he lay there with his eye closed mentally running over what he could feel, and what he did not. Realizing that his throat and mouth were dry he opened his mouth to test his voice. "Water.... Water...," the broken croak that filled his ears startled him, and even those two soft words caused new pain to burn his throat. He felt a hand prop up his head, and the rim of a cup pressed to his lips. Greedily he drank, especially after the cool liquid began to soothe the burn of his throat. After he had emptied the cup and the unseen hand had taken it away he slowly opened his eye just a crack dreading the pain that came the last time he had dared look out upon the world. The room was darkened, as an interior room in a castle, with now windows would be. Encouraged by the fact that what light was in the room did not seem painful he opened his eye yet wider, and chanced moving his head to see who else was there. The brown cloaked man was unfamiliar to him, but held himself in the perpetually stooped stance of a monk which would explain the plain room he was in and the deathly quiet. "Where... Where am I?" "Shhhh... quiet, your voice still has not healed. Your troop has brought you here to our monastery for a while, they could not provide the quiet or the darkness your body needed. You were poisoned with kryanilth you know." A shudder runs through Coll's body as he hears that, and his eye closes as he falls back upon the bed. Kryanilth, a posion made with magic from the mages own blood. Its progress could only be slowed, and not stopped as long as the mage still lived. "Before you ask, no they have not been able to find, and kill the mage yet. Your healer is better than most he was able to slow down the progress enough so that you have three months to live. You'd best be up and about soon, for you've already lost a week in recovery, and will most likely lose another or two before your well enough to travel." Without another word Coll pushed himself up out of the bed he laid on into a sitting position. With joints protesting and muscles screaming in protest he made it to his feet. "Get me my clothes, armor, and weapons man, and have a horse saddled. I'll be going now." "Impossible you can't even stand...." The man's eyes grow wide and he drops the clay cup in his hand to the floor where it shatters. With a surprised nod, he turns and hurries out of the room. A hour saw Coll dressed, mounted and on his way back to the front, and though he had not shown weakness in front of the monks his face was deathly pale as he rode.