[The Tempest trilogy: Book 3] After the fateful battle for Bifröst, Zoya lost everything, including her will to fight. However, the war with Nightingale and the Yeomen is not over yet and Zoya soon realizes she has what it takes to settle them for g...
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Konstantin calls a doctor who does a brief check-up. Apparently, I'm fit enough for a short walk. After my old friend discreetly exits the room, I change from the hospital gown into a gray tank top and soft cotton shorts. When I'm done, Konstantin enters again.
"Careful when standing up," he warns me. "Your body has to get used to them. It won't take long, but you may feel a little clumsy at the beginning."
Supported by his massive arm, I try to stand up. He's right - the new legs feel unfamiliar and without his aid, I'd probably fall on my face. It feels like the first time I tried to walk on the Valkyries. However, the difference is that now I know how to walk, so I don't have to learn it all over again.
The man escorts me to the hospital hallway, as friendly and pleasant as the room I woke up in. Some people recognize me and greet me - lots of them are Castaways injured during the battle for Bifröst. Some of them gasp in awe when they see my new legs.
I greet them back with a friendly smile, even though I don't have many reasons to smile. The partially healed scratches on my body still hurt like crazy, but the emotional pain is many times worse. I keep seeing Ryan everywhere I go. For a brief moment, every young doctor in glasses is Ryan who somehow survived and came back to me. But the reality is unbearably painful.
"I was wondering, where are we?" I ask.
"The Castaway hospital in Narvik, Norway," Konstantin replies. "Not far away from Bifröst. Most of the Castaways injured during the battle went here. Fortunately, they were equipped for such cases of emergency. But still... the casualties were severe. The Wardens are weakened like never before."
"How many died?"
"Trust me, Zoya, you don't want to know it now."
By the time we reach the large hospital canteen which looks more like a dining hall of a four-star restaurant, I can walk on my own. I can finally appreciate the perfect balance and weight of Lady Equilibria, almost like every step was preprogrammed and the proths were helping me with every slightest move I make. It's almost like I'm flying. I imagine how it feels to run with them... or to fight.
Everything takes time. I'll try that out later.
It's around lunchtime - the canteen is filled by people. I see families, couples and friends reuniting and my sinking feeling grows even stronger. I wish I could hug Ryan just once more, tell him how valuable he was to me, both as a Neoclash partner and as a friend.
I'm constantly on the verge of crying; I'm sure it will take only a tiny impulse for my emotional barrier to break. I still feel rather numb, though. Like I couldn't fully comprehend the fact Ryan is dead and will never come back. I'm still in the denial stage. What comes next? Anger?
"Here they are," Konstantin points at one of the large tables suitable for bigger groups. Three Castaways are sitting at it. I slowly approach them and observe how did the battle affect my friends.
