Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bound
Someone tore her clothing from her. The violent act roused her from unconsciousness. A minute passed, then another as she tried to come to grips with this new reality.
It was cold. The early morning fog clung to her bare skin like ice water, leaving a wet sheen. Atty tried to move, to cover herself with her hands, but her body wouldn’t obey.
She managed to open her eyes. One eye was clear, but the other was hazy, with flecks of red floating before her face. But she was able to see she had been stripped naked and was bound by heavy ropes to a pole.
No. Not a pole. To one of the bell’s posts.
She was in the middle of the inner compound, not far from her home and the main lodge. The bell tower rose above her. She was tied to the right front stanchion, with her
