I woke up to the sound of someone screaming.

  No…

  I was screaming.

  I shot up and threw the heavy blankets off my chest. It was cold out, causing my skin to prickle up. I grabbed the blankets as quickly as I threw them off and turned myself into a cocoon of sheets and blankets to ward off the cold. Running my hands through my hair, I took a deep breath and got a hold of myself.

  The horrible woman wasn’t here. I was okay. She couldn’t hurt me anymore. My skin prickled and itched all over, so I scratched my scalp, then made my way down my neck and arms. It was possibly the best feeling I’d ever felt.

  Wait…

  Both of my arms were working!

  I held my hands in front of my face. Tears welled up in my eyes. Wiping my face with my hands, I crushed the impulse with the sheer magnitude of my masculinity and began laughing. Not crying. Definitely not that. The water on my face was from the cold air. Obviously.

  I was so confident I’d never move both my arms again. But here I was, moving them both. The bandages still clung to my arm, but they weren’t so caked with blood today. Only small brown lines snaked their way up and down my arm. I lifted my arms above my head, then back down. I didn't have full range of motion, and my arm was still mostly numb, and the skin felt tight and itched, but I could move my arm!

  The next time I saw her, I’d give her wrinkled old lips the biggest kiss of my life. She saved me. Maybe hell wasn’t so bad after all?

  Exploring further, I wiggled my toes and moved my feet. My right foot still hurt but not nearly so badly. Same with my right knee. My left arm was fully covered in bandages, which smelled like flowers and antiseptic, but there was only a little blood staining them now. I wiggled my toes, then my fingers. I bent my knees. I rotated my torso, my arms, my neck, my head. Everything worked. At least kind of.

  I could feel tears well up in my eyes again. I blinked them away, but they were stubborn. I really thought I was done. That I'd never be able to do anything ever again. How the hell would I enjoy heaven if I had a broken body?

  Thank you, freakishly strong magic nun.

  With a deep sigh of relief, I looked around my moonlit room. Everything was as it had been, except the incense on the desk had gone out at some point. I could just make out the edge of the moon through the window, which bathed the space in a soft silvery light. It was beautiful.

  Someone had placed a glass of water on my end table. Reaching out with my left hand, I willed my fingers to grasp the cool glass. After a few failed attempts, I finally managed to pick it up and brought it to my lips. The water tasted amazing. Cool and refreshing and so pure. I finished it in a few gulps, then placed the empty glass back at the end table.

  A soft knock on the door sounded in my room. My heart leaped out of my chest.

  Please no. No more. The evil mistress of pain and healing was back for more. Was there a torture schedule or something?

  "No thank you!" I said louder than I meant to.

  The door opened, and a woman of maybe twenty-five or twenty-six walked into the room. A small candle illuminated her pale, freckled face, which was narrow, with high cheekbones and almond eyes slightly too large for her face. Her robes, which were shapeless and brown instead of white and blue, were a size too big and hung awkwardly off her body. She was short, maybe standing around five-three, and her black hair was pulled back into a braid. She was beautiful but in an ethereal way, like some fairy princess.

  "La plorulo veki?as," she said with a smirk. "Kiel vi fartas?" Her voice was sweet and melodic, with a noticeably different accent than the woman from the day before. Without waiting for me to respond, she approached my bed, placed another glass of water on the small wooden nightstand, and pulled the covers away from my arm.

  “Um, can I help you?”

  She smiled but didn’t respond. She began running her fingers up my arm, closing her eyes as she did. Scarred from yesterday's experience, my arm jolted away from her involuntarily.

  "I'm okay, really."

  Her eyes opened, and she gazed into mine. Hers were deep blue. "Ne timu. Mi estas ?i tie por helpi vin."

  I had absolutely no idea what she was saying, but her tone was so sincere and sweet that I couldn't help but relax.

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  She nodded when I did and placed her hands back on my arm. A soft white glow, barely perceptible even in the moonlight, began to emit from her hands. Whatever the light was, I could feel it seep into my skin just like with the older woman the day before. Unlike the light from the other woman’s hand, this girl’s light felt good, even if it made my arm tingle and ache. However, whatever she was doing felt softer, more gentle. And that soft smile never left her face.

  “Bone?” She asked. At least, I thought it was a question. It was inflected like one.

  “That feels nice.” I smiled back.

  Letting my body sink into my pillows, I closed my eyes for a few minutes, but I found I couldn't keep them closed for long. It wasn’t miserable, but the pain was enough to be distracting. Also, she was a very pretty woman sitting on my bed. Her hip and leg were pressed against mine, and I hadn’t seen a pretty woman since…

  My heart pinged. I didn’t know why, but I felt lonely. I had no idea where I was, but I had a feeling I wasn’t anywhere near home. My pretty cheerleader not-girlfriend filled my mind’s eye. Would I ever see her again? I hoped so. But it wasn’t the time for that. I shook Devon out of my head.

  Returning to the present, I noticed once again the pretty fairy woman’s body pressed against mine. She didn’t seem to notice, but I certainly did. I tried not to look at the woman. Looking everywhere but at her, I looked at the symbol on the wall, softly glowing in the moonlight. I looked out into the dark field. I looked at the ceiling. But, my eyes slowly returned to her. I didn't want to be weird, but my curiosity got the best of me.

  The girl was definitely around her mid-twenties, with fair, clear skin and bright blue eyes. She had light freckles that ran down her long, thin nose. Her hair was jet black and immaculately kept. So much so that it shined in the moonlight. Her hands were thin but strong, with long fingers and shiny, buffed nails. More than anything though, it was her smile. It was so pure and genuine.

  The woman adjusted her body as she worked, turning her torso toward me, working her way up my arm and into my shoulder. As she worked, she closed her eyes, brows furrowed in concentration. Beads of sweat appeared on her brow. She coupled her healing with some type of massage, working the... magic, I guess, into my muscles. Her robe fell away from her neck, causing the moonlight to highlight the curve of her collarbone, the muscles in her neck, her delicate jaw, her thin brows… and her long pointed ears.

  "Your ears!" I shouted, pointing with my free arm. "Why are they pointed!?!"

  Her blue eyes grew wide and her face reddened. She covered her ears with her hands.

  "Mal?entile! Mi estas amiko elfulo de Istaera, de Nolei. Ili estas miajn orelojn, kaj ili estas normale! Bruto!" The woman stood up in a flash and, fishing in her robe's pockets, pulled out some sort of shawl and wrapped it around her head, covering her ears. When she finished, she put her hands on her hips and scowled.

  She looked like she was about to lecture me, so I reached out and grabbed her hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you." I didn't know why she reacted that way, but I clearly messed up. I searched for the word the older woman kept saying the day before when she was torturing me. I was pretty sure I knew what it meant. She only said it a hundred times while breaking me. "Pardonu. Pardonu. Sorry. I didn't know it was insulting. I was surprised. Pardonu."

  The girl's expression softened, and she sat back at the edge of the bed with a huff. “Bruto.” She swatted at my arm before sitting closer. Taking my hand back in hers, she began to work on my arm again. She softly intoned some sort of chant or words, and the soft light emitting from her hands grew brighter. Much brighter. It didn't feel good anymore. I began to squirm, then groaned, then writhed.

  "Okay, that's enough now. Thanks. Thanks much. That's great. All done."

  She didn't let up, working her light into my muscles with the same vigor the larger woman had the day before.

  "Pardonu. Pardonu! PARDONU!" I shouted loud enough that my voice echoed in the small room.

  She gave me a mischievous smile, whispered, "Nedankinde," and the white light began to dim. A moment later, it started to feel good again. I decided I'd never trust her, or bring up her ears, again.

  "Yeah, funny. You really got me. Haha So funny." I glared at her.

  "Haha," she said back, a shit-eating grin on her face. "So funny," she parroted in her melodic accent and giggled. Her laugh sounded like music.

  For the first time in however many days, I genuinely smiled. Then we both laughed together.

  “Vi ne konas. Nedankinde, plorulo,” she said as she worked my arm.

  “Pardonu.”

  She smiled as she continued her work, her eyes meeting mine from time to time. I felt like I made a friend. I rested back into my pillow, letting her do her work.

  Some time later, she finished, and my arm felt the best that it had felt since the storm. Since I nearly died. Actually died? I had no idea.

  "Thank you." I said sincerely, pushing the thought away.

  "Nedankinde." I assumed that meant you're welcome.

  I pointed at myself. "Alex."

  "Naya."

  "Pleased to meet you, Naya." I meant it. I didn't know how long I’d been there, but it was nice to connect with someone, even if that someone had pointy ears, impossibly blue eyes, glowing hands, and may or may not be an angel.

  She smiled down at me, the smile reaching her eyes. She lifted her hands from my arm, stood, and walked to the foot of the bed. Reaching under the covers, she placed her hands on my right foot. The same good, itchy, achy feeling crept into my foot, then spread up my leg and into my knee. It was rough but bearable.

  "So, um, where am I? Is this some sort of hospital?" I asked, knowing I wouldn't understand a word she said. It was just nice to talk.

  Her eyes fluttered open. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again. "Ili ne kredis, ke li travivos. Vi estis tre vundita, kaj mi pasigis multajn noktojn ?e via lito. Mi dankas, ke vi vivas. Forta vi estas." She smiled softly, a subtle sadness filling her eyes. "Ne ?iuj vivos." Her blue eyes peered into mine a moment longer. She seemed like she wanted to say more, but a distant noise outside the room ended the moment. She stood up, brushed her hands on her robe, and walked back to the side of my bed.

  "Vi devas ripozi." She placed her hand on my head as she spoke.

  I didn't understand her, but there was a flash of light, and I was wracked with a massive yawn. My vision swam.

  "Bonan nokton, Alex." She smiled, squeezed my hand, then turned to leave the room. I was asleep before the door shut, dreaming of beautiful fields, sheep, and black-haired elven maidens.