Dragon Fire - Book 2 [discontinued due to rewrite]

Chapter 17

Rain began to pelt down over the next few days. Blankets of water fell from the roofs and ran into gulleys cut into the into the rock, before draining out into the Deadlands.

A chilly wind blew through the cracks in the huts and Marcie shivered constantly despite the many blankets Cassia had piled on her. Her hands even got so cold she couldn't help Cassia polish the Jet and lay, miserable and frustrated staring holes in the ceiling of the hut.

She raged inside her head, Dara offered what comfort he could but then kept quiet when it had little effect. Her pack sat in the corner of the hut, her bow and quiver propped next to it, taunting her with its disuse.

Two days was all she could handle. On the third, she pulled herself into a sitting position and threw off the pile of blankets. She glared at her bound leg peeking out from the too short dress she was forced to wear. Clenching her stomach muscles, she attempted to lift her leg straight up. It was stiff and a jolt of pain shot from her knee to her hip, she smothered a scream.

Eyes watering, she made a second attempt, this time, turning her leg first one way, slowly, then the other. The leg responded but her knee felt stiff and began to ache, her hip twinged but she was sure that was more from disuse than injury.

Cassia had popped out for a moment, and Marcie was sure she would have thoroughly disapproved of her actions if she knew.

Shivering due to the absence of the blankets, she tried to bend her knee again. It rose jerkily, sending bursts of pain all the way up and down her leg that left her gasping.

She eventually bent it fully then carefully, turned, lifted it by the thigh and rested the foot on the floor, she brought her other foot (undamaged) to rest next to it and basked in the sensation of the floor boards, she scrunched her toes and giggled at this tiny victory.

Dara rose to the forefront of her mind, drawn by her long absent glee.

Palming the crutches that Cassia had left propped against the bed, she held them firmly and attempted to put weight on the leg.

Nope.

Bad decision.

Won't be trying that again.

As soon as the black shroud of pain had lifted from her eyes she sucked in deep breaths and picked up the crutched from where they had fallen.

This time she lifted herself with her healthy leg and stepped with only the lightest pressure on the unhealthy one. And was able to make a single lurching movement across the room.

By the time Jeff walked in a few minutes later, Marcie was covered in a sheen of sweat, swearing angrily under her breath as she finally completed one full limping circuit of the small hut.

He stopped in the door way, his arms full of wood for the fire and grinned at her, she gritted her teeth at him.

When Cassia came back, Jeff was helping her back into bed, as she had found herself utterly unable to do it herself.

But she was grinning from ear to ear, pleased to finally be noticeably on the road to recovery.

As if sensing her new found freedom of movement, the weather cleared the very next day, the gulley's were still rivers and the chill still cut through the meagre dwellings but the skies were blue and Marcie managed to limp outside to sit in the yard by herself (with Cassia watching her every move like a hawk)

The children were restless from being cooped up for days and so took turns using her crutches to propel themselves across the yard, laughing themselves into hysterics.