this is an excerpt from my book...
Clureax sat bolt upright, gasping as a sudden pain from her arm clouded her mind. She leaned forward trying to steady her dizziness. As the pain subsided, a dull headache replaced it. She sat perfectly still waiting… waiting for what? She suddenly realized that her dream had not been disturbed by the pain in her arm; rather the pain in her arm was consequential from her waking up so suddenly. There had been a noise.
Clureax stiffened when she heard the noise a second time. Instinctively, she moved her left hand down her side to rest warily on the hilt of her sword since her right arm had little to no strength to even lift the sword. But where her sword should have been she found only the clasp of her belt that held the scabbard for her sword. She silently scolded herself. A good soldier never left camp without protection. She sat rigidly still, waiting and listening. The silence dragged on, and then Clureax jumped to her feet, fighting the whirling scene, struggling to maintain her state of consciousness. She vaguely remembered staring at a tall figure with dark hair and simple clothes. He stood without his sword and held himself in a manner that stated that he wasn’t bothered by a weaponless and weak girl. She hazily remembered being scared. She was defenseless. Everything went black.