*Ava*
The clanging of iron wakes me. My eyes snap open to thick blackness, and the damp air that clings to my skin like a cold, heavy shroud. The scent of mildew curls in the corners of the cell. My body aches from the hard floor beneath me, every bone and muscle stiff and sore.
Somewhere in the depths of the night, exhaustion dragged me under, but now, waking, I don’t know how long I’ve slept.
I lie still for a moment, straining to catch my breath. Somewhere far beyond these walls, I imagine the Tagus River flowing, and clutch that thought tightly. I may still have a chance to get back home.
The scrape of a key in the lock shatters the silence. The heavy door groans open.
“Up.” The bark of a guard’s voice bounces off the walls.
Hands seize my arms and haul me upright before I can fi
