She saw her then.
Akira.
And behind her… the sorcerer.
Lara's breath caught. Even without his hood, she knew that face.
Bits of memory flickered through her mind like broken glass.
"It's you," she whispered.
The sorcerer tilted his head, eyes cold and curious.
"Moonguard," he said softly. "Awake at last."
Lara looked around the room.
Rough stone walls.
A single high window barely letting in light.
Chains hanging from iron hooks, swaying gently.
Rotting straw on the floor.
A cracked basin, a wooden bowl with scraps of food.
The female guard in leather stood near the door. The nervous girl hovered beside her.
Lara pushed herself up on her elbows, her muscles shaking.
"Let me go," she said. "Or I'll burn this whole place down."
The sorcerer laughed — a quiet, cutting sound.
"Burn?" he echoed. "You can barely stand. And you threaten me?"
He walked closer, step by slow step, until his shadow covered her.
