Seris:
I woke to the sound of ticking.
Not the sound of clock hands singing time to sleep. No, this was organic, wet. Ticking like a pulse masquerading as a metronome.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The hair on my arms stood at attention. I reached instinctively for the dagger by my side—only to find a small warm hand pressed flat against my chest.
Ariane's hand trembled, pinning me to the bedroll we shared.
When my vision cleared, I found she wasn't looking at me. Her breath was caught mid-exhale, like she feared even letting loose that breath would be enough to doom us to whatever held her attention like this. Her eyes were wide, alert, almost glassy. Fixed entirely on something just beyond the flickering firelight.
Then, I heard her voice—not with my ears—but inside my skull, ringing through
