[i]Althalus[/i]

Relief flooded through him when he finally saw Mar slithering towards him. Albeit, she was giving him a look that made him feel grateful for his bedridden state. If he hadn’t been injured, she might have been driven to actual violence. He gave a sigh of relief and lowered himself back to the bed, cursing quietly. As she approached with the wailing child, he gave an apologetic shrug, seemingly unabashed. “Sorry. It’s not every day you wake up, having passed out from fighting a demon, unsure if the two things you care about most are actually alive.” Shifting slightly, he winced. “Please don’t try to hit me. While I must confess that I absolutely love the way it keeps my reflexes sharp, I somehow doubt that I’ll be able to move much without going into spasms of pain.” He grinned at her. Then, dropping his grin, he turned to more serious questions.

“What in the name of all of the Gods happened though? I distinctly remember, before passing out, seeing guards fighting against a bunch of demons. And lightning…I remember lightning. It was supposed to have been feast night. You know, safety, camaraderie, saying hello to all of the guests, playing nice with all of the ambassadors, etc. What happened to all of that? It went from ‘safety’ to ‘fighting for our lives’ very quickly. Something I’m accustomed to, admittedly, but can’t really say I enjoy it. In fact, the less I pursue that activity, the better.” Movement out of the corner of his eye made him look over to see Sam walking over with a concerned frown on his face. “Hmm. Either I look far worse than I should, or you’ve worried Sam over there enough that he thinks you’re going to smack a bedridden patient. Not that I would blame you, all things considered. We’ll never have to worry about hearing her if she’s distressed, will we?”

He gave an amused nod towards the still squalling Lyn.