My whole body felt heavy and empty when my eyes snapped open.
“Oh, you’re alive,” Eira’s mocking voice echoed in my mind, her tone laced with amusement. “At least you’re alive.”
I tried to scoff, but my head felt like stone. I couldn’t remember a thing. My body ached, every muscle burning like I had been dragged through fire.
When I shifted to sit up, a hand steadied me. Words rushed at me, but they sounded distant, muffled, like I was underwater.
“Zahzah.”
The name still struck me. That was what only my family called me. Who….?
I blinked harder, forcing my vision to sharpen. A smiling face beamed at me, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
“About time,” Maliah grinned, clutching my hand as she perched on the bed beside me.
I looked around, finally recognizing the familiar scent of c
