The cell gates opened.
Adina flinched, instinctively curling tighter into herself. "Please," she whispered before even looking. "Please, not again. I swear, I'll—"
"Adina." The voice was sorrowful, filled with pain.
Adina lifted her head, blinking past swollen eyelids and dried blood, and her breath caught.
Thessara.
She struggled to sit up, "Y-you're here." She stammered, eyes darting around fearfully. "T-the warriors. They'll—"
"They're asleep. I bribed a maid who brought alcohol for them. I slipped in some sleeping potion," the woman said, her eyes falling on Adina's whole body.
"Oh dear gods," she whispered, her voice trembling as she stepped in. "What have they done to you…"
She crouched beside her, hands hovering like she didn't know where to touch, afraid any contact would hurt. Her gaze landed on the burns, the purple blooming across Adina's arms, the blood crusted around her mouth, and her fingers began to shake.
