Reaver

Chapter 6

Everything felt numb from my senses to my body. It was still heavy leaving me unable to move momentarily as my mind floated in the mindless abyss as I struggled to clear it.

My mind was hazy around the edges but free of the dark weight of evil magic inside that tried to possess it. It was an odd feeling to have that weight gone. Never realizing how much it had actually weighted down on me.

It was an odd experience, but not an unpleasant one, to mentally feel weightless as a feather.

Slowly I peeled opened my eyes against their will and blinked slowly against the sudden brightness of the light above that was streaming into an open walled room. The style seemed to be Grecian in design. A style one lost to the times of age. Few ruins in this style still stood today.

Where the hell was I? Wherever it was the place pulsed with old magic in the air. It was like a light hum on my skin, like the buzzing of a hummingbirds wings.

I squinted against the light as I glanced around this strange new place. It was like nothing I head seem before. It wasn't like the fall at all or the Blood Forest. It was warm here almost moist, tropical with vines of colorful flowers wrapped around grandly carved marble pillars of the rooms open wall.

I was laying on a raised marble platform similar to a bed, back laying amongst pelts of silky warm furs. Where this should have been uncomfortable, it was surprisingly plush. I enjoyed this.

With a small growl of pleasure, I flexed my fingers into the fur, wiggling a bit under the covers. Such luxury.

My body slowly warming up felt the tickle of the fur upon my bare spine. Now that was not normal.

My eyes snapped open once more as that thought sank in. It was touching my bare, venerable mortal skin!

I was naked under these covers.

Setting up quickly I summoned forth a thin layer of scales to cover my body and breathed a sigh of relief. The scales formed with a faint silver light covering me from the top neck to the tips of my toes.

Feeling better protected I let out a sigh and rolled to my feet. I had grown used to wearing clothes instead of rags and scraps.

Sad to give up the warmth of the furs I had enjoyed for the merest of moments, I started to rise. I would stay longer if I could, but I had worries and questions I needed to answer.

That happened to be a bad idea however.

As soon as I put weight on to my feet I pitched backwards unbalanced, arms flailing to try and catch something. But they found no purchase.

Closing my eyes knowing I was too weak to stop from falling, I waited. My strength was no better than that of a newborn babe at the moment. I closed my eyes tighter waiting for the impact of the marble floor to come crashing.

It wouldn't hurt to much, as my scales would absorb the impact, but getting back up was going to cause me some issues.

The image of me flopping around on the ground like a fish out of water came to mind. I groaned.

A pair of thick arms suddenly closed around my slim waist like iron clasps out of nowhere.

Eyes snapping out of surprise I saw a somewhat familiar face expressing disgruntlement. It made his angular face sharp and foreboding.

"Be more careful," a man muttered harshly in my ear.

A thrill chased down my spine at his voice, for it was a voice I knew.