The darkness was all that welcomed her.
When she finally fluttered her eyes open, she found herself in a world stripped of color and shape. Not a single sliver of moonlight escaped the heavy drapes, and for a heartbeat, she felt a flare of panic, the disorientation of the blind.
She reached out to her left, her hand sweeping across the silk sheets. Cold. Empty. The space beside her hadn't held warmth for hours.
As her eyes slowly adjusted, the shadows began to separate and solidify.
Across the room, silhouetted against the tall, arched window, sat a dark figure.
Alpheo.
He was hunched forward in a high-backed chair, his wide shoulders curved like the gnarled branch of an ancient oak. His elbows rested on his knees, his head bowed over a silver cup held loosely in both hands.
"How long have you been awake?" she whispered, her voice barely a breath, terrified that a louder sound might shatter him.
