Chapter 51

Recovery was slower and more frustrating than Arianna had anticipated. Elena proved to be a tyrant when it came to medical protocols, refusing to let Arianna do anything more strenuous than sitting up in bed for the first week.

"You fractured your leg in three places," Elena said when Arianna complained. "Your ribs are still healing. You lost enough blood that you should be dead. So no, you cannot attend settlement meetings in person. You can do it from this bed or not at all."

So Arianna held court from her recovery room, with settlement elders and administrators filing in throughout the day to brief her on pack...