Chapter 176: Slow Bleed

Elira

Time dripped away from me like blood from the new wound in my shoulder. I couldn’t tell exactly how long I had been held here—it might have been mere hours, or possibly long, agonizing days—it all blended together into one single, endless ache. The cold air was damp and heavy with the smell of rust and pervasive fear. My wrists were tightly chained once more, the cold, unforgiving metal biting deep into my skin until I could feel nothing but the constant, ...