Pan awoke, squinting against the brightness of the room. All at once, he noticed how dry his mouth was, the dull thud beating a constant tattoo somewhere inside his skull and the sensation of nausea churning in his gut.
“Close the curtains,” barked a voice he recognised as his beloved Seronisis’. “Incompetent fool!”
His lips transformed into a weak smile as his eyelids closed against the glare of mid-afternoon light.
“How are you, my darling?”
Pan felt the king’s lips upon his forehead, then upon his lips.
“I have a surprise for you,” said the king. “A very special surprise. Look who’s here. Look who has come all this way to see you.”
With a great effort, Pan opened his eyes and then slowly turned his head in the direction the king was looking.
“Mother,” he said, his voice no mo
