Emily woke up slowly at dawn, dragged out of sleep by a dull pounding at the back of her head.
It wasn’t sharp enough to make her groan but it was there, a reminder of the night before, of tears she barely remembered shedding and pain her body had not forgotten.
Her limbs felt heavy, like she had run for miles without stopping. Even lifting her head felt like effort.
She stayed where she was, sitting on the edge of the bed with her feet touching the floor, staring at nothing in particular.
Morning light filtered in through the window, and for a moment she wondered if she could miss the training today to help her body heal a bit.
The thought almost made her smile, until reality settled back in.
Eleanor would not even give an ear to such a request.
Emily rubbed her face slowly, then l
