As Temeraire bursts out of the ground in the center of the oasis, Kenneth Quinn comes awake, gasping for breath, hand clutching at his chest
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Cho hears the noise, and she's not sure why, but she knows it's no one she's expecting. Not Cedric. He wouldn't dare come back... would he?
She's up, she's walking... she's gaping. He's awake. Just the one. Cho looks back into the demon room. No, just the one.
She hurries over and kneels down next to him, shushing rather uselessly. "Hush. It's all right. Just lay still. You've been-- asleep. Tell me what's wrong. tell me where it hurts." She needs Guy. She needs Guy right now.
Cho shakes her head. "No, it isn't. We moved you somewhere safer. No one knew what happened. No one knew why you were all just..." There's water, and Cho tells him to just lie still while she gets him a stone cup full of it. "Here, drink something. Do you know what happened? Do you know why you were in a coma? Why you've woken up now?" Anything at all they can use to help the others.
"It was an enchanted sleep," Quinn tells her, mildly irritated.
Oh, water.
He hesitates, before he drinks. The parch of his throat won't kill him. He knows that well enough. The torture, the pain of dehydration without the release of death.
He closes his eyes as he drinks. Silently absorbing the liquid.
Wishing it was something stronger.
"I told you," he repeats. "It was an enchanted sleep."
Cho frowns a little. "Yes, I did hear you just now. I'm not actually deaf, just confused. I've also got a dozen people not waking up and no idea why, so you'll excuse me if I'd like to understand what's happened." When the cup was empty she refilled it. "You look like you're in pain. Do you need a doctor? I can have someone come look at you. I'm... here to help." God, did that ever sound cheesy.
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She's up, she's walking... she's gaping. He's awake. Just the one. Cho looks back into the demon room. No, just the one.
She hurries over and kneels down next to him, shushing rather uselessly. "Hush. It's all right. Just lay still. You've been-- asleep. Tell me what's wrong. tell me where it hurts." She needs Guy. She needs Guy right now.
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"I know," he says, and chooses not to answer her next questions.
It's still the desert. He can feel the slight dry tang in the air, the gritty hint of sand. He hates the desert.
"This isn't where I fell asleep." It's not a question, but it is a prompt, expecting a response.
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Oh, water.
He hesitates, before he drinks. The parch of his throat won't kill him. He knows that well enough. The torture, the pain of dehydration without the release of death.
He closes his eyes as he drinks. Silently absorbing the liquid.
Wishing it was something stronger.
"I told you," he repeats. "It was an enchanted sleep."
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