Chapter 50: Book Two: DREAM

"HEY. HEY, Wil, c'mon, wake up."

Wil swatted blindly, realizing too late in his sleep stupor that he'd done it with his right hand. A low hiss skidded through his teeth, and he curled the now throbbing hand--thank you, Brayden--to his chest. He dragged open hazy eyes. Shut one. Squinted.

"Are you all right?" Brayden's tone was all urgent disquiet. When Wil only blinked in muzzy irritation, Brayden's face pinched up with worry, and he took Wil by the shoulders to roughly sit him up. "C'mon now, say something, do *one thing* I ask, all right? I'm drowning here."

Annoyed, Wil shrugged out of the grip. "Get off, will you? 'M *sleeping*."

And why was he annoyed and not afraid? Where had his reflexes gone, damn it?

A balled-up something came at Wil's nose--another handkerchief? What the hell?--pressing a little too roughly. Wil tried swatting that away too, but Brayden shook his head.

"Just calm down. You're bleeding."

And if that wasn't the dumbest contradiction Wil had ever heard.