***
King Nazar awoke slowly, and the first thing he knew was pain. Every part of his body felt like it was set aflame by the very flames which scorched the deepest pits of hell. His thirst was greater than he’d ever remembered, and his head swooned from the blinding light of the sun streaming in through the open window.
When he tried to move, pain shot through his shoulder like a terrible arrow, and he grunted as he fell back onto the bed.
“Careful, your Grace,” Ophelia’s voice came from somewhere above him. “You mustn’t stress yourself too much.”
“W-what happened?” he asked.
“The creature took a nasty bite out of you,” she said. “But not to worry; I’ve stemmed the infection and staunched the flow of the venom. You should be fine once you recover from your wounds.”
He grunted once
