Consciousness returned slowly, like something heavy dragging its way through thick fog.
Georgia felt the pain before she felt anything else. A dull throbbing spread across the side of her head where the guard had struck her, and for a moment she simply lay there with her eyes closed, trying to gather enough strength to breathe without the sharp ache in her skull worsening.
The air smelled damp and stale, the stench of blood filled their nostrils as the memories rushed back so suddenly that her eyes snapped open.
The dim light of torches flickered against rough stone walls, casting long shadows that twisted across the floor like restless spirits.
The chamber was larger than the one where she had found Valen earlier, yet it felt far more oppressive, as if the walls themselves had absorbed the suffering that had taken place here for years.
Georgia tried to move but the rattling sound of chains answered her attempt.
