ROUGH, uneven stone walls pressed in tightly at first sight that greeted Thalia when she opened her eyes. Darkness clung to the narrow space, broken only by the faint glow seeping through a heavy iron-barred gate standing just ahead. She tried to push herself up from the cold stone floor, but the sharp pull of a long, heavy chain halted her movement. The metal scraped against the ground, echoing ominously through the chamber. Panic flickered in her ocean-like eyes as she followed the chain to where it bound her, realization crashing over her. When she staggered closer to the iron gate, fear crept over her skin, tightening her chest as the weight of her confinement finally settled in.
Her last memory, returned in fragments, was in her chamber, the sudden presence of an intruder, and the br
