His body felt slick with sweat and his heart was beating hard. There was a painful ringing sound inside his head and everything around him was blurred. He blinked several times. The surface of his eyes stung with each movement of his eyelids and his clarity of vision did not improve. He tried to sit up but, as soon as he moved, it felt as if the room had been picked up by a giant and tossed, tumbling into space. The movement also triggered a spike of pain in his right leg. He flopped back down against the soft pillow with a groan and closed his eyes. Even with his eyes closed the tumbling sensation remained. It made him feel nauseous. What was happening? Was he sick? Memories of the short trip through France began to flood back. The explosion. The pain. He was injured. Was it bad? Was he blind? Deaf? A surge of panic began to build inside him. ‘Calm down, Elian. I am here.’ ‘Aurora! What happened? The world is spinning out of control.
