Chapter 48: Grappling Gauntlets
Irwin woke to shouting, and the first thing he felt was pain. His lower arms and legs were cramping up, while his back felt like he'd had a beating the day before. He groaned and rolled over, hearing the shouting intensify.
I should have drank before sleeping, he thought. His mouth was dry as sand, and his lips cracked.
"-get him! You are not allowed to just-"
The door to his room slammed open, and Irwin shot up, causing his muscle pain to increase. Daubutim stood at the door opening, looking around until his eyes fell on Irwin. They widened, and Irwin saw surprise, anger, then fear in his friend's eyes.
"Orwin, are you alright?" Daubutim said as he rushed forward.
"Yes, yes," Irwin said, surprised at how ragged his voice sounded.
Daubutim knelt next to him and inspected him. Slowly the anger and fear faded.
"Why did you stay here?" he asked, a slight accusation in his voice.
"It was too cold to go back yesterday," Irwin said as he forced himself upright, propping his back against the wall. "So, Trimdir was nice enough to let me sleep here."
"As I told you," an angry voice came from the door.
Irwin looked up to see Trimdir standing there, glaring at Daubutim. The noble boy looked up and met the gaze with what Irwin thought was surprising calm.
"Yes, you did. But my father told me never to trust people you don't know if lives are on the line," Daubutim stated calmly.