Avian (The Dragonrider Chronicles) by Nicole Conway

her arms around me. She buried her face against my neck and I could feel her shaking as she cried. “I won’t let you die,” she said. “So don’t you dare give up, you hear me?”
    She got up and left the room, and I was left there wondering what was happening to me. I had always hoped and prayed that I would grow some. I had anticipated getting a little taller, especially since my father was practically a giant compared to most other men. I had expected my voice to get deeper, or that I would at least fill out to look less like a skeleton. But nothing could have prepared me for this. Now, I was just hoping I would survive.
    Each day that passed felt worse than the one before it. Instead of getting better, the pain seemed to get worse and worse. Everything ached. My stomach felt like it was grinding against my spine. I was so hungry I couldn’t think, and so thirsty that it hurt to even breathe.
    Every time I started to lose my will to go on, Beckah was there. I always knew it was her because I could recognize the feel of her hands. She forced me to eat by prying my mouth open and pouring something like soup down my throat. I don’t know how often she did it. It seemed almost constant. And each time she finished, the effects were immediate. I felt a little better for a few minutes. My stomach didn’t ache so badly, and I got some relief from the agony in my bones. Then the pain would return with a vengeance.
    I was living in a nightmare. The doctor’s words kept gnawing at the back of my mind. He had said I wouldn’t survive this. He even told Sile to go ahead and prepare to bury me. I didn’t want to die. Not yet. But it was getting harder and harder to remember anything other than suffering.
    As more time passed, my mind started to fray. My thoughts were less clear. I couldn’t tell who was touching me or feeding me anymore. I couldn’t feel anything except the pain.
    Mavrik gave me some relief in my darkest moments. He sent me images of us flying at the academy; memories that sometimes found me in that dark place. I could sense his concern, and it brought me comfort to know that he hadn’t left me to go through this alone. After a while, though, I couldn’t even make myself focus on that either. I was numb inside and out. I started to lose my will to go on.
    I started to hope I would die, just so the pain would finally stop.

seven
     
    It was peaceful when I opened my eyes. At first, I thought I might be dead. I could faintly hear the sound of the surf in the distance. I could smell the salty ocean wind coming through the open windows. The air was cool against my skin, and everything felt calm.
    The pain was finally gone.
    At first, I just assumed I was dead. It was the only thing that made sense. That is, until I realized I could take a deep breath, and nothing hurt. I could wiggle my fingers and my toes. Slowly, I started trying to raise my head up to look around. My body was stiff and sore all over, like I’d been run over by a herd of horses. There wasn’t a single part of me that didn’t ache. My joints felt like someone had poured sand into them. My head throbbed when I looked into the glare of the sunlight.
    But I could do it—I could move. I could think. And even that intense soreness was nothing compared to the pain I had been in before.
    Then I saw Beckah curled up on the bed next to me. She was slumped back against the headboard, sound asleep, with a half-finished bowl of soup in her hands. I could tell by the look on her sleeping face that she was exhausted. There were dark circles under her eyes and her hair was frazzled. She probably hadn’t let herself rest in days. Or had it been days? I wasn’t sure. My sense of time was distorted. Everything had felt like one long nightmare.
    I sat up slowly, and reached out to carefully slip the bowl of soup out of Beckah’s grasp so she didn’t spill it in her sleep. Suddenly, I noticed my hands. I stared at them, and it was surreal.
    They