Gretel was holding Carmel’s head up by her hair.
“What are you doing?” she asked again.
“I was meditating?”
“What?”
“Meditating! I am a yoga practitioner. I meditate to center myself. I am trying to cope with the pain of my hands and feet being bound. My muscles are cramping.”
Of course, that wasn’t the reason that Carmel had been meditating, but it was true that she was extraordinarily uncomfortable. She was constantly having the wiggle her fingers and toes to get the blood flowing to them and her large muscle groups were complaining as well. She quietly had been flexing isolated muscle groups to keep the pain under control.
Gretel’s face softened for a moment. She was warring with herself, obviously. “I don’t think I can trust you to untie you.”
Carmel sighed. “We are in the midd
