Page 174 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

Eduard

Afamiliar hand gripped Eduard’s wrist, giving it a gentle squeeze. He opened his eyes to see Cecil leaning over him with a concerned expression on his face. “What time is it?

“Early, sir.” Cecil glanced worriedly to the side, so Eduard followed his gaze.

Sawyer was sitting at a small desk beside the bed. He was sleeping on a stack of books, paler than Eduard had ever seen him, even after he’d been attacked on campus.

“How long have we been out?”

“Almost a day,” Cecil answered. “I tried to convince the young master that it was normal for magical creatures such as yourself to go into a healing sleep, but it brought him little comfort.”

Eduard sat up, his head spinning slightly.

“I’ve brought you something to help restore your strength.” Cecil handed him a small glass filled with one of his smellier concoctions. Eduard had learned over the years to never question the contents. They always worked, and that was what mattered.

He tossed back the fluid, gulping it down while pretending it didn’t taste like death itself.

“The young master has refused to eat. He did have one of my restorative shakes, but hasn’t accepted anything since.” Cecil rubbed his hands together worriedly.

“The others?” Eduard asked. He could see Draco and Andvari curled around Henry in the bed beside him. They were pale, but breathing easily.

“Healing, sir. Andvari’s wounds were the most serious, as you know, but Master Henry was extremely weak after his display of magic followed by his gift of blood.”

Henry’s wrist was wrapped in a white bandage which stood out starkly against Draco’s chest. Andvari’s chest was healed, his skin re-knitted and as good as new. It would have taken a lot out of him though, even with the aid of his and Draco’s blood. If they hadn’t been there…

Eduard slid his legs over the side of the bed and managed to stand without toppling over. Cecil’s potion worked its magic as he walked slowly over to Sawyer, with Cecil hovering beside him.

“It’s okay, Cecil. Thank you for looking after him.”

“Of course, Master Eduard.”

“I presume you’ve prepared quite the feast?”

Cecil’s mouth twitched in an almost smile. “Yes, Master Eduard.”

“We’ll be ready for it in a few hours. I’m going to get this stubborn fool into bed and make him take a nap. The others should be awake before long and we’ll want to have a nice meal.”

“I’ll be ready.”

“Thank you.” Pearl was curled against Sawyer’s feet and she looked up at him pitifully. “Take Pearl with you. She needs a break as well, I’m sure. Go on, girl. Let Cecil take you outside.”

Her ears perked up at the word. She looked nervously up at Sawyer for a minute, then lumbered to her feet with a big stretch. Cecil followed her from the room, closing the door softly behind him.

“Silly man,” Eduard said. He ran his hand over Sawyer’s head, chuckling over the state of his hair. It looked like he’d been running his fingers through it over and over, the strands sticking up at all angles. He had a stack of papers in front of him, scribbled notes that weren’t in any semblance of order. Arrows pointed to words, which circled around to other points on the page. “Sawyer.”

Sawyer opened his eyes and bolted to his feet in one jerking motion. “Eduard!”

He flung himself into Eduard’s arms and Eduard closed them around him in a tight hug. Sawyer trembled against him, nearly overcome with emotion. “I’m fine, sweetheart. We’re all fine.”

Sawyer raised his head and looked over to the bed.

“They’re fine. Sleeping is what we need to heal. I should have explained that to you.”

“Cecil told me.”

“But you didn’t hear it from us, so it was hard to believe.”

Sawyer shrugged, then buried his face against Eduard’s chest again. “I was so scared.”