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His head had never throbbed this much in his life. Lukas opened his hand, then realized his fingers only twitched where they lay beside his head, so he tried again. This time, he managed it, feeling cool steel wiring beneath his palm and his cheek. He tried to sit up and flailed in sudden panic when he couldn’t feel his legs. But then the pain overwhelmed that fear; the blood rushed back into his legs. They were crumpled awkwardly beneath him, and he realized he’d been tossed into a cage.
Slowly, his vision blurred, and he managed to push himself up and lean back against the tiny, cramped prison in which he’d been locked. It was cold and hard against the back of his head. The bright lights of the room swirled and spun around him like wheeling carrion birds. It took longer than he woul
