Lena woke to the sound of water.
Not rushing. Not crashing.
Dripping.
Slow and steady, like time counting itself.
Her eyes fluttered open.
The sky above her was pale gray, stretched too wide, with no sun and no stars. A soft mist floated close to the ground, cool against her skin. She lay on smooth stone, etched with faint lines that pulsed gently beneath her back.
She tried to move.
Pain answered.
A sharp ache bloomed along her side and shoulder. She sucked in a breath and hissed. “Okay… still alive.”
Barely.
“Lena.”
The sound of her name snapped her fully awake.
She turned her head.
Kael was lying a few feet away, flat on his back, chest rising unevenly. His face looked paler than she had ever seen it, shadows smudged beneath his eyes.
Relief crashed through her so hard she
