Xenia woke up in darkness, surprised to see that the sun had gone down and the moon shone in the sky. She looked down to realize that someone had dressed her, and her wounds had already healed.

“How long have we been down?” Xenia asked Nova.

“A while, I believe,” Nova responded. “Like I said. It is not something I recommend doing. It takes a piece of you every time.”

“Right,” Xenia nodded. “Then I guess we have to hope it was enough. For now, we focus on rescuing my mother.”

Xenia exited the bed and nearly stumbled onto the floor. She grabbed the bedpost to steady herself. She knew...