The dark inside the cabin felt thicker than the night outside.
It pressed against the walls like a living thing, heavy and close, swallowing the corners of the room. The only light came from the narrow gaps in the shutters, thin slivers of torchlight that cut across the floor like blades. I sat on the floor with my back against the bed, one hand resting on Darius's chest so the bond would stay quiet. His breathing was shallow but even, each rise and fall a small victory. The stitches held. The bleeding had slowed to almost nothing. That was the only mercy the hour offered.
Lina kept watch at the single shuttered window, peering through a knothole. Her silhouette was sharp against the pale light, her body tense. Torchlight moved in restless circles beyond the wards, the shadows of men and
