Ember came back to herself in fragments.
The smell of antiseptic herbs.
The low murmur of voices beyond the door.
The steady, grounding beat of a heart that was not her own.
Pain throbbed through her chest in a dull, persistent ache, like bruised ribs that hadn’t fully set. Every breath felt deliberate, measured. Careful.
She blinked slowly, vision swimming before it settled.
Maelis.
She was sitting beside the bed, one hand clasped tightly around Ember’s, the other braced against the mattress as if she’d been holding herself upright through sheer will alone. Her face was pale, eyes shadowed, jaw tight with restrained emotion.
Relief flooded Ember so fast it hurt.
“Hey,” Ember croaked.
Maelis’s head snapped up instantly. “Easy—don’t try to sit up.”
Ember ignored that, shifting sl
