26
Heather woke to the sound of the wind in the trees, a heavy sigh building to a roar before fading again, like the rhythmic rush of the ocean—at least, that’s what she had always been told the ocean sounded like. She’d never been closer than a week’s travel from its endless blue horizons. A sudden memory flashed before her of her uncle leaning down to hold a shell to her ear, her thoughts wiped away in an instant as the waves came to life inside her mind.
‘You’re awake.’
Heather opened her eyes to see Daemi standing above her, all three packs at her feet, an impatient expression on her face.
‘We need to move. We’re still days away from the capital, if we can even find our way out of this place.’
‘Where’s Frankle?’ Heather asked sleepily as she sat up.
Daemi pointed to her left and
