Etien jolted awake, like he'd been yanked out of a dream he couldn't remember. His whole body felt off, heavy, numb, like it didn't quite belong to him. He blinked up at the ceiling, the familiar canopy above his bed. It should've been comforting. Instead, it felt... wrong. Disorienting. How long had he been out?
He sat up fast, eyes scanning the room. Sunlight still poured in through the windows. Was it still daytime? Had he only been unconscious for a few hours? But then why did he feel so wrecked, like his bones had been hollowed out, just from Glen's poison?
Dragging a hand down his face, Etien let out a long, shaky breath. He had to find Bastian. Someone had to explain what the hell was going on. The last thing he remembered was Glen ordering Lyria to track down Kael Lenoch, her own brother.
A reckless move. One Etien couldn't stomach. Lyria had barely recovered from her last ordeal, and now Glen was sending her off again? After everything that happened between them?
