Chapter 597

The first sensation Conner felt as his brain began the arduous climb back to consciousness was a dull, throbbing ache under his left shoulder. The second was a soft warmth wrapped around his right hand. For some reason his fogged-out mind could not fathom, this sensation made him want to smile. But even the tiny amount of energy and control needed to smile was beyond his strength, so he just lay there in his black cocoon, focusing on the gentle comfort flowing into his hand, absorbing it, relishing it, using it to block out the pain in his shoulder. He had no sense of time, no recollection of what had brought him to this peculiar state, but very gradually his awareness of himself increased, until finally he knew he was lying on his back, head raised, on some soft surface he guessed must be a bed. His eyes were not yet ready to open, so instead he listened for some hint of where he was and what had happened. He became aware of a faint, rasping hiss he eventually identified as his own