58
Astolpho awoke, disoriented and dizzy, to the sound of someone retching outside his tent.
He lay motionless for a time, waiting for his head to at least partially clear.
The sound of someone coughing and vomiting continued. Astolpho pitied whoever it was.
But he had no memory of how he came to be here, flat on his back and covered in a blanket inside this dimly-lit tent. Or why his body ached from head to foot as if he had fallen off a horse and then been trampled underneath it. His eyes were still having trouble focusing. He had never felt so weak in his life.
Nor so desperately thirsty. As if someone had set a fire inside his throat.
But from the continuing sound of it, whoever was outside his tent right now was obviously suffering more than he was. Astolpho needed to help if he
