I wake up to voices.
Quiet, measured, the kind of careful tone people use when they're trying not to disturb someone but also need to have a conversation.
My eyes feel heavy when I try to open them. Everything hurts in a dull, distant way, like my body is wrapped in cotton and someone's pressing down on my chest.
"...elevated, but not dangerously so. Given the circumstances, it's to be expected."
That voice sounds familiar.
I force my eyes open, blinking against the light filtering through curtains I don't recognize at first.
Then it comes back.
Bael's room.
He carried me here after…
The chandelier.
But I don't remember falling asleep, I remember him bandaging my hands, his touch on my face, and then... nothing.
How long was I out?
The room comes into focus slowly. Grandmother Wuchen is sitting in a chair beside the bed, posture perfect as always, but there's something in her expression that's softer than usual. Concern, maybe, or as close to it as she gets.
