Stolen Lives: A LitRPG/GameLit Novel (The Underhill Chronicles Book 1) Keith Ahrens (best e reader for epub txt) 📖

of my pallet, he stops, contemplating the MRE tray I’m still holding up, then knocks it out of my hand with contempt and leans in extra close.

“You know, Son,” he starts in a low, intense tone, “most people have the good sense to stop chewing when they put their foot in the mouth, but not you, huh? You think you’re a funny guy, shooting your fuckin’ mouth off and disrespecting folks you don’t know?” His breath is hot, and little bits of spit fleck my face.

“Wait a sec, you got it all wrong here—”

He quickly cuts me off. “I don’t give a shit what you think happened, what I know happened is that you attacked and insulted a close personal friend of mine, and the only Healer we got! Maybe you like being broken and stupid, but the rest of us need her. Get with the fuckin’ program, man up, and then apologize to the lady.”

I lean back and take a deep breath to reply, but he cuts me off again. “By the way, idiot, elves are vegetarians. That’s another thing you need to apologize to her for!”

So, I do the only rational thing I can and burst out laughing. “This is fuckin’ insane. She grabbed me while I was sleeping, and I only reacted! Right now, I offered her what little food I have left, and you think I insulted her? I don’t know you people or any of the weird shit you got going on around here. I’m flailing in the dark and not getting any help from any of you! Why don’t you throw me a line here and get me up to speed so this shit can stop happening?!”

Haynes grabs me by the front of my shirt and hauls me up off the pallet, a snarl on his face. “Why, you little bastard…”

I grab his wrists and scream as my leg bends and flops in an unnatural way, drowning out the rest of his threat.

“STOP!” Thorn shouts, her voice commanding. Haynes and I freeze as I feel sweat beading up on my forehead from the pain. Des is on his feet, an uncertain look crossing his face. Reluctantly, Haynes lowers me back down, and we both release our grips. Thorn steps forward and gently pushes Haynes aside, her soft boots making no noise on the dirt floor. She kneels next to my cot and lowers her hood while loosening her veil.

She gives me a steady look; her blue eyes have a soft glow, calming even, and stray wisps of her strawberry-blonde hair fall across her face.

“I’m going to examine your leg now. It will hurt a bit, but I trust you’ll refrain from reacting… poorly.” She speaks to me like someone would to a skittish dog.

I know she is only trying to help me now, so I don’t object. She reaches into her bag and produces a brass tuning fork.

I groan to myself because I know what’s coming next. She taps the fork on the side of the pallet, and a pure note hums through the air. This is an old diagnostic trick used before x-rays were invented. When the fork is humming, a person presses the single tine against the bone they think is broken. The vibrations from the note transfer through the skin and into the bone. The waves then vibrate the broken bones against each other. The examiner must watch the patient for a reaction. Most people will flinch or pull away from the very unpleasant sensation of their bones vibrating together.

When she positions the fork close enough to the break, I make a sharp, involuntary gasp. My stomach drops a bit, and I’m suddenly a little nauseous.

She concentrates, and the tuning fork glows with a soft golden light as the note gets louder. The vibrations worsen, and a new sensation of heat is added.

“This will hurt a bit more before it gets better,” she says, “but stay strong.” The vibrating note begins to change in pitch and intensity. The new sensation feels like the vibrations are forming thin vines, wrapping in and around the bone. The whole area starts to get hot, and I break out in cold sweat as the pain increases.

“We sometimes forget what it's like to be new here, to be lost and alone, friendless in a strange land…” she says so softly that I have to concentrate on her moving lips to hear and understand her words. “At one time or another, we've all been where you are, yet sometimes, we can forget that we need each other to survive this place.” The heat grows in intensity, and the sound vines wrap tighter and tighter. The pain is becoming impressive.

She continues, “We don’t always have to like our allies, but we do have to respect them and help guide them through the dark times. Your dark times are only the beginning, but ours have lasted for years upon years.” Her voice is almost hypnotic. A distant part of me realizes I’m panting from the pain, and my leg feels as if the bone is molten metal, pulled tightly together by burning wires. “Strange creatures and Fey, pain and war, and other unknowns are in your future until we can all break free… or until we die.” Her voice fades to a distant whisper, and without warning, the note ends. The pain, the heat, the vines—all vanish along with the note. Relief floods through me and induces a bit of vertigo from the sudden loss of pain.

Thorn looks a little paler now with dark circles visible under her eyes. A tired smile is on her face as she rocks back on her heels and stands in one smooth motion. “Now, try to put some weight on that,” she directs me.

Haynes steps forward and offers me his hand. “On your feet, soldier.”

I hesitate only for a moment before I decide that trust is called for. I grip his wrist as he grips mine, and he pulls me to my feet.