Pain came in waves.
Sometimes sharp.
Sometimes dull.
Sometimes so intense Elira couldn't tell where her body ended and the agony began.
The world drifted in and out around her.
Voices echoed through darkness.
Footsteps.
Commands.
Shouting.
Then silence.
Then pain again.
When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself staring at a stone ceiling.
The Hollow.
She was back inside the fortress.
A healer's room.
The scent of herbs filled the air.
Candles flickered nearby.
For several seconds she simply lay there trying to remember what happened.
The meeting.
The pendant.
The arrow.
Her mother.
Nikolai.
The memories returned all at once.
Elira immediately sat upright.
A mistake.
Pain exploded through her shoulder.
She gasped.
"Easy."
The familiar voice came from b
