When Kaia's eyes finally opened. The sky was dim with the fading sun just peeking over the west horizon. It was a much different light than the predawn haze that had shone over the battlefield. She had been unconscious for almost the entire day. Confusion and disorientation clouded her mind as she lay there for a moment, blinking up at a blanket of trees that shaded here and blocked out most of the sky. She coughed suddenly choking on the remainder of ash and dust that had filled her lungs. She sat up wheezing and with her eyes streaming she spotted a water skin lying on the ground close to her. She seized it and greedily gulping at the liquid. Suddenly she choked again, realizing it was not water, but in fact a sweet heavy liquid that tasted like some sort of wine that she had never t
