Katelina opened her eyes. The darkness that greeted them was very like the blackness that she saw with her eyes closed. She blinked just to feel her eyelashes brush her cheek and be sure she was really awake, though the throbbing in her legs told her she was.

She and Jorick were jammed inside a wooden box like a couple trying to spoon on a too small couch. Jorick lay half beside her and half beneath her. His legs were tangled with hers, and his long hair tickled her face. She ...