TWENTY-SEVEN
The shock of icy water hitting her face woke Rora up with a sputtering gasp.
She struggled to breathe against the impact of the cold. Coughing and choking, she tried to lift her head to see where she was, but darkness surrounded her, and she… she couldn’t move her hands.
Pulling on them, she felt something wide and metal around her wrists, holding her in place. And when she tried to move her heavy feet, the jangling sound of a chain came from the floor. The wall at her back was cold, it scratched on her, tormenting her skin, creating a cascade of prickling pain over her exposed back.
Blinking down at herself, Rora let her eyes adjust to the lack of light and managed to get a rhythm to her breathing. She was n***d, cold, in the dark. Her feet were locked in leng
