Elena’s POV
The scent of ash and smoke made the pounding in my head even worse. Something smelling of copper was caked in my hair. A rough rope was tied around my wrists and ankles.
I woke to the feeling of my body swaying, neck aching from my head lolling backwards. Cracking my bleary eyes open, I first saw the forest floor moving above me—then I realized that I was upside down, hanging from my wrists and ankles, which were bound around a thick post.
Someone was carrying me. No—two people, one on either end of the post, toward a blazing fire.
The heat from the fire bit against my skin as they carried me closer, and I realized that I was completely nude.
Panic gripped me.
They were going to cook me over a spit. Roast me like a pig.
“Hey—wait—HELP!” I screamed, writhing against my b
