Pain.
That was the first thing Faelyn became aware of.
Sharp, burning, all-consuming pain.
Every part of her body screamed. Her arms felt like they'd been scraped raw with sandpaper. Her legs throbbed. Her ribs ached with every shallow breath. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
She tried to move.
Couldn't.
Panic surged through her, cutting through the haze of pain.
Her eyes flew open to absolute darkness.
Not the darkness of a moonless night, where shapes could still be distinguished. This was complete, suffocating black. Like being buried alive.
She tried to move her hands again. Something held them tight. Cold. Rough. Biting into her wrists.
Vines.
The memory crashed back. The cave. Being dragged. The screaming.
'Oh god. Oh god, I'm still here—'
She tested her limbs carefully. Wrists bound. Ankles too. Something wrapped around her torso, squeezing tight enough to make breathing difficult. And she was... suspended? Hanging in mid-air?
