118 It Was All Over

I woke up in the infirmary with a bandage wrapped around my neck. Al was holding my hand so tightly that it had gone numb.

When he saw me stir that same frantic look as before filled his eyes. "Katie? Are you okay? Can you speak to me?"

"Al," I groaned. My neck did hurt but I hadn't received damage to my vocal chords. "What happened?"

"Sigmund is dead. Duke Orla killed him when he was seconds away from killing you. You lost quite a bit of blood and needed to have stitches. The doctor promised me that you wouldn't have a scar as long as you keep the wound clean."

Tears filled his eyes before he continued. "I'm so sorry. I was completely useless and couldn't protect you. If the duke hadn't been there—" He cut himself off, too emotional to finish that sentence.

I was confused. What was he doing there in the first place? "Why was he there?"