30
In The Chamber
Vague noises, almost insubstantial in their subtlety, invaded the black silence that had engulfed him. A murmur. A hint of a word. Just barely enough to register, but not enough to be convinced it was real.
A tingling sensation ran through him, a reminder that there was a body out there somewhere, and that body had senses that were just starting to come back online. The tingling intensified, becoming almost painful, and the murmurs increased as well until they were incoherent shouts.
Dull red invaded the black, and eyes that seemed like rocks forced themselves open a crack. Brilliant light forced them shut again, but the damage had been done. Whatever last remnants of sleep had been within him fled that glare, and Julian roused himself fully.
His muscles ached,
