Iyana's eyes fluttered open, greeted by the dim light filtering through the high windows of the ward. The rough-hewn stone walls spoke of an age long past.
She tried to move, but a sharp pain shot through her shoulder, followed closely by a throbbing ache in her head. She winced, the agony anchoring her to the straw-filled mattress beneath her.
Gingerly, she turned her head and saw Vyan, his tall frame unmistakable even from this angle. He stood a few paces away, engaged in a hushed conversation with a man in his late thirties.
They spoke in low tones, their voices blending with the distant ramming of the rain against the roof of the ward.
Iyana's mind raced, trying to piece together how she had ended up here.
The last thing she remembered was the chaos of the accident and jumping to protect Vyan and then... darkness.
