I haven’t seen Kieran since he left my room three nights ago. I thought that would be the end of it.
Instead, the nightmares are getting worse.
They’ve plagued me for months, ever since I helped Astra escape. But lately, they’ve intensified. New images bleed into the old ones. Recent blood mixing with ancient guilt.
I wake up gasping, sheets twisted around my legs, heart racing like I’ve run for miles. Every single night. Sometimes twice.
By the time my shift with Astra ends and another guard takes over, I’m practically swaying on my feet. I need sleep. Real sleep. Not the fractured, terror-filled hours I’ve been having.
That’s why I find myself heading toward the healers’ compound instead of my room.
The compound is massive—a sprawling collection of buildings where the sick and inju
