Ren woke up to the sound of silence and a skull-splitting headache.
She groaned, reaching out blindly for a glass of water, a bottle of ibuprofen, or a time machine. Her hand met only cold, empty silk.
She cracked one eye open.
The King's Nest was empty. The spot beside her was cool to the touch. Syris was gone.
"Ugh," Ren croaked. Her throat felt like she had swallowed a handful of dessert sand. "Water. Need water."
She tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. The room spun. Her right leg felt stiff and sore, like she had run a marathon after being kicked by a horse.
She looked down. The ugly purple veins were gone, replaced by a healing scab on her inner thigh.
Memories of the previous night came flooding back in a disjointed, feverish rush.
The fish bite. The paralysis. Syris carrying her.
And then...
Ren's face went from pale to nuclear red in 0.5 seconds.
