ACT IV: Fire and Denial
Chapter 31
Rayna
I woke to the sound of water.
Not a faucet or a shower—more like a small stream, steady and soft. For a second, I thought I was back in the mountains. Then I opened my eyes and saw the ceiling.
It wasn’t the plain white of the Council suite. It was pale green, with tiny pinprick lights embedded in it like someone had tried to fake sunlight. Vines—real ones—trailed along narrow shelves that ran around the room. Leaves brushed the glass of a high window. Something fragrant and sharp hung in the air. Mint, maybe. Or something pretending to be mint.
I blinked and pushed myself upright.
The bed was simple but comfortable. There was a monitor stand beside it, a cart with neatly arranged instruments, and a rolling stool. Across from me, half the wal
