“Domitilla!”
The name tore through the silence like a jagged blade, shouted in a gravel-thick voice that struck deep, heavy with authority and emotion. I knew that voice. It belonged to a man---a man I recognized.
Other sounds followed in its wake distorted gasps, a choked rasp, and a high-pitched, mournful cry that scraped against my eardrums. All of it grated at me when all I truly craved was silence. Sleep. Oblivion. I was too exhausted to move, too wracked by pain to open my eyes. So I let the noise recede, withdrawing into the comforting void.
“You have to drink!”
The command landed like a thunderclap, jolting my body with unwanted force. I didn’t like it. But someone pried open my lips and tipped something thick and warm down my throat. It was oddly sweet, syrupy even, and it sco
