Amara’s POV

Light crept in softly. It was the kind of light that didn’t belong to hospitals or city buildings. It was natural, gently filtered through wood and smoke and something old. I felt it before I saw it, that quiet glow behind my eyelids, that warm brush of morning against my skin. But when I moved, even slightly, a dull pain bloomed in the side of my head.

I winced, instinctively reaching up, and groaned.

Everything hurts. My legs, my neck, my skull... especially my skull. ...