The sound of crackling fire echoed faintly in the cave. Liora stirred.
Her body felt like it had been trampled. Her limbs were heavy, her head foggy, and her mouth tasted like dust and copper. Her back ached from the hard ground beneath her, and as she blinked slowly awake, she realized something wasn't right.
She tried to move—only to find her wrists and ankles tightly bound.
Her eyes widened.
Thick wines wrapped around her limbs in sharp knots, biting into her skin. She couldn't even shift her position. Her entire body had been tied in a side-laying posture, like a discarded doll.
Instantly, a wave of caution settled over her.
Someone else was in the cave.
She could hear them breathing. The heavy, uneven rhythm of someone moving just a few feet away. Her heart pounded, but she forced herself to remain calm. Panic wouldn't help.
She tried calling her system mentally.
System? she whispered in her mind. Are you there?
No response.
Just silence.
