Mara's POV

The first thing I noticed was the silence.

Not the empty kind, but the kind that settled differently—heavier, unfamiliar. The air felt colder. Thicker. The ground beneath me no longer vibrated the way it had before.

They had moved me.

I didn’t need to see to know that much.

My eyes were still covered, the cloth tight against my skin, pressing darkness into me. My wrists ached where they were tied, my legs stiff and numb from being bound for too long. Every movement sent a dull pain crawling up my limbs.

I swallowed, my throat dry.

I hadn’t eaten since they took me.

My head tilted slightly...