Elora’s eyes fluttered open, unfocused at first. Shapes and colors swam before her: blurry outlines of potted plants, something hanging overhead, leaves? No... herbs.The faint aroma of them, earthy and sharp, was the first thing that grounded her. She just stared, brain sluggish, as though she wasn’t fully in her body.
Where... am I?
Her eyes wandered, catching the gleam of a simmering potion. The soft hiss filled the silence, oddly distant, as if she were underwater listening to the world above. In another life, that sound—the familiar ritual of brewing—might’ve comforted her. Now, it felt... disconnected.
She moved. Regretted it. Pain flared, a dull, deep ache spreading from her abdomen, radiating throughout her body. She winced, sucking in air with a grimace.Why does everything hurt?
Her fingers wrapped around the blanket. Fabric. Real.This is real.
The faint hiss of the potion grew louder as her hearing sharpened, drawing her attention toward the source. Someone moved in the far end of the room, a shape shifting into focus.
A woman. Stirring something over a miniature stove. Steam curled upward, carrying the smell of mint and something sharper beneath. The figure turned slightly, the bottom of her robe swishing against the floor.
Familiar.The recognition came slowly, foggy. Her lips parted, but her voice caught on dry air. Professor Sadia.
Relief didn’t come. Just... confusion.Why Sadia? Where’s…The remainder of the thought crumbled away.
Sadia glanced back, her face softening. “You’re awake,” she whispered, setting the ladle aside. She approached with measured steps, her hands empty, palms slightly upward. Non-threatening.
Elora flinched anyway. Her body didn’t trust what her thoughts were still sorting out.Why am I here?Her gaze swept the room again, pulse quickening, though the panic felt... distant. Like her body wanted to react faster than her mind allowed.
“Hey,” Sadia’s voice cut through the haze, calm, and grounding. “You’re safe now.”
Safe.The word hung there, hollow.Nothing’s safe.Elora’s fingers clenched the blanket, nails biting into the fabric.
“How...” Elora’s voice was hoarse, her throat dry and scratchy. She licked her lips, swallowing past the lump that sat like a stone in her gullet. Her gaze drifted from the wool clenched in her hands to Sadia’s face. “How did I get here?”
Sadia exhaled, shoulders softening as she sat at the edge of the bed. “I was in the woods,” she began carefully, her tone cautious, as if speaking too loudly might shatter Elora entirely. “I saw you and Gerard.”
Elora’s stomach twisted.She saw.Her breath caught, shame burning hot beneath her skin.Gods, no.She wanted to shrink into the mattress, disappear into the fabric. Her eyes darted away, staringat the worn floorboards, but that did nothing to stop the heat creeping up her neck.
Sadia continued, her voice gentler. “I couldn’t intervene, not without putting us both in danger. I waited until he left... and you—” She hesitated, lips pressing into a thin line. “You were in the garden. Just... standing there.”
Elora’s brows knit together.Standing?She struggled to connect the dots. She remembered fingers digging into her skin. A rocking motion. The cool earth against her cheek.
She clamped her eyes closed, forcing her mind back into the dark.
“You weren’t responding,” Sadia said softly. “You just... picked up your tools and started working.”
No.Her hands shook.That’s not—But flashes came anyway: dirt beneath her nails, the weight of a watering can in her hand, moving from one plant to the next.Like nothing had happened.
What’s wrong with me? How could I—Where was Tehvan?The thought hit with the force of a slap.He should have known I was in trouble.
Sadia’s hand reached out, hovering near Elora’s arm but not touching. “I waited until the coast was clear and brought you here. You said nothing, just followed me.”
Like a puppet. Elora’s fingers curled into the blanket, pulling it up to her neck. She wanted to feel something other than this gnawing emptiness. Anger. Fear.Anything.But all that remained was a hollow void, echoing with fragments she didn’t want to remember.
Feeling like she was being torn open. A hand pushing her head down. Disjointed words that made no sense.
A shaky breath escaped her, tears burning at the corners of her eyes. She blinked them back, biting her lip to keep it from quivering.Don’t cry. Don’t.
Sadia shifted, pulling a small glass vial from the table. The liquid inside glowed faintly, a warm amber hue. “This will help with the pain.” Her voice was soothing, just like when she used to help Elora with her potions. Calm. Patient. “It won’t fix everything, but it’ll make things easier, for now.”
Elora stared at it. Her fingers itched to reach for it but some instinct in her resisted. Why should she feel better? She didn’t deserve that.
But then her body reminded her of the ache, the deep, consuming hurt that radiated from her core, twisting through her limbs. Just breathing was like dragging herself through mud.
Slowly, with trembling fingers, she took the vial.Warmth.Perhaps warmth might help. She uncorked it, the scent of honey and herbs filling her nose, and downed it in two gulps. Bitterness lingered on her tongue, but almost immediately, a soothing heat spread through her chest, dulling the intensity of her pain.
