Darkness slowly thinned into gray.
Daisy's head ached. Her tongue felt thick. Something cold and wet touched her lips.
“Miss Daisy. Please. Drink a little."
The voice was soft, shaking.
Daisy swallowed.
Water slid down her throat, cool and clean. She coughed, then forced herself to swallow again.
“Good girl," the voice said. “Slowly. Don't choke."
She opened her eyes.
The light above her was dim. Iron bars cut her view into narrow lines. A familiar face hovered behind them—a pale, worried face with a small scar near the chin.
“Nancy?" Daisy whispered.
Nancy's brown eyes filled with tears at once. “Thank the Moon Goddess," she breathed. “I thought… I thought you wouldn't wake up."
She fumbled with the lock, hands shaking. The key scraped, then turned with a click. The cage door c
