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Chapter 25
The first thing I felt was pain.
Not sharp. Not sudden.
The kind that sat deep in my bones and refused to leave.
My eyes fluttered open slowly, the ceiling above me unfamiliar. White. Clean. The scent of herbs filled the air, bitter and sharp, making my nose sting.
I tried to move.
A groan slipped from my lips.
"Easy."
The voice was old and tired, but not unkind. I turned my head slightly and saw the healer standing beside the bed, her gray hair tied back tightly, her eyes studying me like I was a fragile object.
"You collapsed," she said. "Your body couldn't take the strain."
My hand moved instinctively to my stomach.
The healer noticed.
"The child is alive," she said quickly. "For now."
A shaky breath escaped me. Relief and fear tangled together in my chest.
"For now?" I whispered.
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she dipped a cloth into a bowl of water and pressed it gently against my forehead.
