The first thing Claire noticed upon waking was the piercing, constant throb in her head. When she first attempted to open her eyes, the pain was almost unbearable. Taking several slow cleansing breaths she tried again and blinked several times to assure she was in control of her lids; slowly the fuzziness cleared.
She found herself in a red-lit cavern. Carved into the walls were shelves full of the same dark ingredients she’d been staring at in Teisha’s hut.
Eerie shadows danced on the rock walls, cast by a fire that stifled the already hot air. Over it, a cauldron bubbled with an overly sweet smelling brew. She could not see the contents, but she could hear the rolling bubbles popping and see the steam rising from the black depths. Her stomach turned as her lungs filled with
