Eli
I wake with my head splitting in two.
Not the dull ache of a hangover, not the throb of a fight gone wrong, this is sharper. Like someone drove an axe through my skull and left it there, blade still lodged.
When I try to move, I realize why everything feels wrong.
I’m slung over someone’s shoulder like a sack of meat. Arms tied behind my back, rope digging into my wrists until my fingers tingle. My legs are bound around my thighs and at the ankles. A gag’s been shoved between my teeth and held in place with tape, making my jaw ache.
I twist, kick, bite down uselessly, but whoever’s carrying me doesn’t slow. His shoulder is a wall of bone and muscle against my gut. My stomach lurches with every step. The bastard smells of damp fur and rusted iron, and I don’t need to see his face t
