missing, or had subsequently fallen out, and the line of his jaw indicated at least two breaks . . . the litany of damage continued all over his body and Mihn guessed it was only the hours they had spent escaping Ghenna that had allowed the healing to start before they reached the Land.
The puppy gave an excited squeak and began stalking Isak’s bowl. Mihn sat back, to watch Isak and see whether he would notice or react. Isak remained staring into space, unfocused, but as the puppy wriggled its way towards the bowl he did at last move an arm to impede it.
Mihn held his breath, hoping this was not coincidence. The puppy tried to squirm out from under Isak’s arm and he twisted his body a little — maybe not properly, as if he had noticed the prospective thief, but enough to shield his food.
‘Good,’ Mihn said lightly, ‘you are going to have to keep an eye on that dog, or he’ll snaffle every meal I make the moment your back is turned.’
Isak didn’t respond, but Mihn hadn’t expected him to. His goal was to keep talking normally to Isak, waiting for the words to filter in and remind him of human interaction; he knew it would work eventually.
‘Come on, you,’ he said to the puppy, who gave an excited little bark. Mihn scooped up the dog up and set him on the ground. The bowl of scraps was devoured in half a minute and once it had finished Mihn played with the puppy, all the while keeping one eye on Isak.
After a while Mihn noticed Isak beginning to move — he was feeling around himself on the bed. His eyes remained unfocused as he stared at the flames in the stove, but his hand was definitely moving with some purpose, albeit in an uncertain, jerky manner, as though he was searching for the puppy. Mihn was sure he had grown used to have it sleeping pressed up against his body; missing its presence was a good step forward . . .
Eventually Isak’s searching fingers reached the soup and ended up planted firmly in the bowl. Mihn felt a flicker of disappointment. The soup wasn’t hot enough to scald, but it wasn’t the result he had hoped for. As he watched, Isak slowly withdrew his fingers and, oblivious to the soup dripping onto his blanket, held them up in front of his face, as though trying to work out what to do with them. Tentatively, he brought the fingers up to his mouth and pressed them to his lips.
Mihn scarcely dared breathe as Isak licked the soup from his fingers. For the first time, his gaze left the flames and he looked at the bowl. He still looked glazed, but there were signs of effort in Isak’s face, a small spark of animation that gave Mihn heart.
‘That’s it, Isak, the bowl is just there if you want to eat,’ he called softly, rising and going to the bed. He gently guided Isak’s hand to the bowl and cupped his fingers around it before helping him to draw it towards his face. Isak was still lying on his side. When the edge of the wooden bowl bumped against his lips his tongue flicked out, as though expecting more soup.
‘Just lift yourself up and drink from the bowl,’ Mihn encouraged him.
Whether or not Isak heard the words, he did start to move, turning his body until he was almost face-down in the bowl. He started lapping awkwardly at the soup like a dog.
‘Well, that is not ideal,’ Mihn continued brightly, ‘but however you want to start, my Lord. A week with a puppy has taught you something at least — and your table manners were never that impressive anyway.’
Isak positioned his elbows more comfortably under his body and continued to lap at the soup, hands curled protectively around the bowl until it was all finished. Mihn replaced it with the one he had been about to eat himself, and that too was devoured.
‘That is more than you have eaten since’ — he hesitated for a moment — ‘since you came back. How about we try for the privy tonight as well? Wiping you down is not my favourite activity.’
Isak was wearing only a long, open-fronted robe and a knotted piece of cloth that served as a nappy more than preserving his dignity. Mihn’s experience with babies was extremely limited, but he assumed they had no regard for when they messed