My eyes flick open. The sun hits me full on, but after my eyes adjust, I see that I’m in a sitting position leaning up against a rock. My hands are tied tightly behind my back, and my birthmark is practically on fire.
Ru’s tied up next to me, slumped over with his forehead touching his knees. His hair is a tangled mess, and dark, sticky clots of red cling to it. Blood.
“Oo! Oo, ayk uh,” I say as I try to rock myself closer to him, the words mangled as I discover my mouth is all numb. The rope tying my hands is attached to the rock by a metal ring. I writhe against it, but the rope is thick, and I end up with friction burns on my wrists, a surprisingly welcome pain, detracting from the blazing of my birthmark. I struggle some more, accidentally falling over to the side, lightly hitting Ru
