The void embraced Mailah like cold water, rushing up to meet her with a sound like breaking waves. She felt herself dissolving, her consciousness scattered like drops of rain in an ocean storm.
Then, like a fish breaking the surface of a deep lake, she gasped.
Air flooded her lungs in a painful rush that felt like swallowing fire. Her body convulsed, every muscle seizing as if she'd been struck by lightning. Water—or something that felt like water—seemed to pour from her mouth and nose, though when she tried to wipe it away, her hands came back dry.
"Easy, easy," a voice said, warm and reassuring and blessedly real. Gentle hands pressed against her shoulders, easing her back against what felt like silk sheets. "You're safe now. Just breathe."
