Rowan's eyes opened to gray morning light.
For a moment he didn't know where he was. His whole body ached in ways he didn't remember earning, and his throat felt raw, like he'd been shouting for hours. He was lying on the cold stone floor near the shrine's entrance, a folded cloak beneath his head.
He sat up slowly. His arm throbbed, the mark beneath his skin dark and still, no glow left in it at all.
"Easy," Lira's voice came from nearby. She was sitting a few feet away, knees pulled to her chest, watching him with an expression Rowan couldn't quite read. "Don't move too fast."
"What happened?" Rowan's voice came out cracked. "Last thing I remember is the fight. Soldiers everywhere. Then nothing."
Lira didn't answer right away. Her eyes flicked toward the mountain path beyond the shr
