Free Avian (The Dragonrider Chronicles) by Nicole Conway Page B

really cold against my skin. He pulled my eyelids open with his fingers, and I could see him looking down at me with concern.
    “But, Daddy—” she started to protest.
    “I said go!” he yelled.
    I couldn’t see anything when he let my eyelids close again, but I could hear the sound of footsteps leaving the room. The bed flinched, and I could hear Sile’s ragged breathing near me. It almost sounded like he was… crying.
    “The gods will never forgive me,” he whispered shakily. “I gave her my word and now I’ve failed her.”
    Time passed with those words echoing across my mind.
    The pain didn’t let up for an instant, although I seemed to get used to it enough that I could think through it somewhat. I wanted him to explain. What had I done? And how had he known I could do it? Would I even survive this? I had so many questions, and no way to ask them. The pain sizzled over my body like someone was skinning me alive. It even made my bones ache right down to the marrow.
    Once, I thought I heard another voice nearby. It wasn’t anyone I recognized, though. It sounded like an older man, and I could vaguely feel him poking at me, like he was examining me.
    “Sixteen you said?” I heard the stranger ask. He must have been the doctor. “A bit late, but I’ve seen this before. These halfbreeds are a strange sort. It’s that elf blood, you see. It throws off their growing patterns. The gray elves don’t mature slowly like normal human children do. Instead, it happens all at once. As best we can tell, it’s much like an insect bursting from a cocoon. Sudden, rapid change that takes an incredible physical toll. Just imagine every part of you being stretched at once.”
    There was an uncomfortable silence. The room felt heavy. Even though I couldn’t see, I could sense everyone was looking at me.
    “Those gray elves are a notoriously tough breed, though,” the doctor continued. “Their bones are like metal, and wounds to their flesh tend to heal much faster. So their pureblooded offspring can handle such a radical change. But having human blood in the mix weakens these halfbreeds too much. Think about it. How many adult halfbreeds do you see walking around? Not many at all. So few of them survive this.”
    “Is he going to be okay?” Beckah’s voice asked. It sounded like she was sitting very close by. Vaguely, I could feel her hand holding tightly onto mine.
    There was another tense silence. I wanted so badly to answer, to sit up and assure everyone that I was fine. I just needed to rest and then everything would be okay. But I couldn’t.
    “Lieutenant Derrick, you’re a good man, so I’ll be perfectly honest,” the stranger answered. “I’ve only ever witnessed this once before. So few of them even survive to adolescence at all. His body probably won’t be able to stand the pain. But even if it could, he is starving for nutrients as we speak. All children need food to grow, and what he’s going through is basically years of physical maturity packed into a very short amount time. He’s already thin and has obviously suffered from some malnutrition. He will probably starve to death in the next day or so. You should… make the necessary preparations. I can send word to the minister for you. He doesn’t like presiding over the burial rites for elves, but in your case, I think I could convince him to make an exception.”
    Beckah started to cry. I wanted to yell in protest. I was alive. Couldn’t they see that? I wasn’t even dead yet and they were already planning my funeral!
    “Isn’t there anything we can do?” Sile sounded determined.
    The stranger sighed. I heard footsteps going toward the door. “You could try forcing him to eat, though in his current state, I’m not sure it would help even if he ate constantly over the next few days.”
    “Thank you, doctor.” Sile and the man kept talking as they left the room. Soon I couldn’t make out anything else they said.
    Suddenly Beckah put