[Nikolai]
I woke to cold stone against my cheek and the acrid taste of copper in my mouth.
My first coherent thought was that I hurt. Everywhere. My wrists burned where the cuffs had bitten into flesh, my muscles screamed and my head felt like it had been split open and poorly reassembled.
My second thought was that I was holding something or other... someone.
I forced my eyes open, blinking against the dimly lit cell, and my vision slowly focused on the figure curled against my chest.
Isolde?
My third thought was one of panic.
The woman in my arms was covered in wounds. Bruises spread across her arms in ugly purple-black patches. Her lips were split and swollen, her skin riddled with scratches and bite marks. I realised with growing horror, that the taste of copper in my mouth was
