I struggled to get up then leaned on an elbow. Despite Friede's protests, I got up and asked her to help me lean on something more solid. My body still felt weak, and my energy felt as though something had been draining it for a long time.
"The thing I'll never understand," I said then winced. I felt something sting below my ribs. I swallowed the pain and looked at Heda. "I'll never understand why three champions, as powerful as you are, would run from a fight."
Heda's tears were streaming down her freckled cheeks. Her eyes had reddened slightly, adding to her "red" appearance. Her eyes wavered as she looked at me. "I lied to you," she whispered then looked down. "I lied to you when I said we never met the scientist. The last time we came here, I saw that we were in danger, but I didn't anticipate what the scientist had in mind for us."
