SOMETHING WAS TUGGING at her ankles, and her back hurt. Her back hurt a lot. Sayen opened her eyes to see a jungle canopy passing overhead, the blue sky visible in patches between the leaves and branches. She lifted her head to look forward. Two men were dragging her, holding one of her ankles each. She was being pulled down a track.
Her undershirt was pulled up, and the rough track was scraping the skin off her back. She felt like she was being shredded. She struggled violently and ripped her ankles out of the Shadows’ grips. In a moment, she was up and running again.
But she didn’t get far. This time, they were ready. Within seconds, she felt another explosion against her back.
The next time she came around, she was lying on her front. The second thing she registered was pain from all
