Kael had been walking forever. Each step was heavier than the last, as if the earth itself was attempting to pull him down. Sweat soaked his clothing, clinging to his skin until he could hardly breathe. His respirations were ragged, choppy, like running up an endless mountain.
It wasn't that he had poor stamina—anything but that. He was famous in his last life for his endurance. He had been a sportsman, a skier, a man who could push his body to the edge of exhaustion and still crave another run down the mountain. But this. This was different. Unlimited ground. No ski lift, no shout of the crowd, no adrenaline to mute the agony. The only thing was the relentless pounding of his boots on gravel and dirt, and the unyielding weight of his own body holding him back.
And worse yet, he hadn't even showered and changed into clean clothes.
