Damon woke slowly, as if emerging from a heavy dream. The heat of the fire still illuminated the cave, but something was different. He blinked a few times, adjusting his vision, until he realized.
The weight on his body had disappeared.
His first reaction was to instinctively look for Ester, but he soon found her. She was there, her back to him, sitting before the fire. Fully dressed again. Her rigid posture, tense shoulders, and absolute silence betrayed more than any words could.
For a moment, Damon remained still, simply watching. The fire cast shadows on the wall, and her figure seemed even more unreachable than before, as if she had rebuilt in a few hours all the walls he had spent the entire night melting down.
He forced his voice, still hoarse from sleep. "...What happened?"
Ester didn't turn around. She remained motionless, as if the simple act of looking at him was too dangerous. Her voice was controlled, almost cold, but there was a slight waver she couldn't hide.
