Kendra smelling salts

Kendra squatted beside Trask, uncapping the bottle and waving it beneath his nostrils. She recalled how her name had been the first word to register. "Trask," she said. "Trask, wake up. We're in the temple, Trask. You have to get up. Trask. Come on, Trask. "

  He did not stir. Kendra took another quick whiff from the bottle. Her eyes immediately teared up and her sinuses burned. How could he sleep through that sensation? Wiping away tears, she returned the mouth of the bottle to his nostrils. He showed no reaction. "Trask! Trask, come on, get up. Trask, dragons! Hurry, Trask, wake up!" She prodded his cheek. She pried open an eye only to see it languidly roll back. She shook him. She shouted. Nothing elicited a response.

  Kendra continued to speak and shout persistently. When Tanu returned with Dougan, Trask still had not stirred.

  "Is there a trick to this?" Kendra asked.

  "It took a good twenty minutes to awaken you," Tanu said. "Time away from the fumes must be part of the equation. Once you get Trask awake, I'm sure the others will rouse faster. "

Chapter 25