Vect began to hear voices, barely, talking. He wasn't sure what but he heard them all the same. He tried to open his eyes. They felt so heavy. As he struggled to open them he groaned slightly as he felt a throbbing in his head. The voices ceased as his eyes opened slightly, and he began to see the shapes of wooden planks, rafters. He was looking up at a ceiling of one of the cabins at the camp.
"Where am I," he said in a raspy voice, his throat dry.
"In one of the bunkhouses we've set up as a hospital," replied an amused deep voice, Gratz.
Vect began to get himself into a sitting position until a stab of pain hit him and he laid back down. "Ow," he grunted.
A hand worked it's way onto his back and began to help him sit up. Vect tilted his head to see Sara's worried expression as she helped him into a sitting position.
Surrounding his bed was Sara, Jack, Edran, and Gratz.
"Thank you. What happened?"
"You got lucky is what happened," said Gratz. "An inch deeper and you would have lost your life."
Vect then became aware of the bandages wrapping his chest and abdomen, a dull throbbing coming from beneath them.
"Why'd you ditch the sword or thrown it like earlier," asked Edran.
"It got stuck and I didn't have time to pull it free."
"That was reckless! You are far more important than some-."
"Speak another word and I'll have you removed from my family's service," sneered Vect, adopting very authoritative tone. Edran quickly shut up. "Now get out!"
Edran gave a stiff bow and turned on his heel and left out the door. Once gone, Vect sighed, "I'd be lying if I said that didn't feel good. How bad was it?"
"5 broken ribs, deep cuts that nearly penetrated one lung and a concussion from when you hit that rock when you fell."
"You know what I meant."
Gratz looked down slightly. "83 dead, 10 that were in critical, including you and everyone with minor scrapes and a few that might leave some scars. I've treated everyone for lycanthropy save 1, your friend Lelu. For some reason the medicine isn't curing the affliction. She is in another cabin right now."
83 dead. 83. Nearly half the camp's population. "Anything else?"
"A majority of the deaths are from the first and second year students. Only 10 survived from the first year."
"Who?" Vect felt his heartrate increasing.
"Alda, Beverly, Lelu, Sara, Jack, you, Salazar, Hector, Ban, and Julia." After a moment Gratz continued, "I should leave to see to the others, sorry for the bad news. You should be able to get up by tomorrow if you apply your healing salve tonight," he pointed to the jar of green paste by his bed before leaving out the door. However someone else entered in his place. The tall dark skinned merchant, Faran Rakin, stood at the doorway, his expression somber. "Am I intruding?"
Vect shook his head, deep down though he wanted the man to leave and so he could mourn for the dead.
"I owe you for saving me. In my culture we swear our lives to those that save us and become their guardians, their servants. But there is much I am bound to if you will, I offer my most precious possession to you as a substitute in my stead."
"You don't owe me anything, Faran Rakin. I did what anyone should have done," Vect put on a reassuring smile hoping Faran wouldn't look into it any further.
"It is kind of you to say so, but to honor my tradition will you please accept my gift?"
Vect nodded slowly after a few moments of thought, not wanting to insult the man.
From his robes, Faran Rakin withdrew a cloth wrapped object and presented it to him.
Vect slowly unwrapped it to reveal a shining brass oil lamp, mostly plain looking save the sapphire on one side and emerald on the other. "You have my thanks Faran Rakin," said Vect as he bowed his head.
As soon as Faran left and shut the door behind him, Vect put his head in his hands and began to sob. After a several minutes, he picked up his head, water running down his cheeks, he took a ragged breath. "How do you do that? Cover up so well I mean," asked Jack.
"Lots of political training and grooming at a young age. With you guys I can drop the act, and show how I feel," Vect rested his head against the headboard of the bed. He rewrapped the lamp and set it on the table next to him.
"Ebron is examining the sword you were using. Evidently during the battle it had begun to change to silver."
"I saw. How is Beverly holding up?"
"She's angry that she's stuck in a recovery cabin. A werewolf had given her a good clawing towards the end. But I can tell she's hurting," said Sara.
"She threw a knife at you," stated Jack.
"She can be angry and sad at the same time."
Vect smiled slightly at being able to hear his friends bicker at one another. His eye lids began to grow heavy and he let himself slip into sleep as the 2 argued.