Willow woke slowly from her rest, the afternoon light filtering through the small window of the servants' quarters, telling her she had slept for several hours.
The sharp, burning pain from earlier had faded to a dull ache thanks to Hillary's healing salve, and she felt remarkably better than she had expected to.
Carefully, she shifted on her thin mattress, testing her range of movement and finding it much improved.
Lyra had left a cup of water and some bread on the floor beside her bed, probably sneaked from the kitchens while she slept.
The simple gesture of kindness made her chest warm with gratitude. She sat up slowly, mindful of the bandages across her back, and reached for the water.
The cool liquid soothed her dry throat and helped clear the lingering fog of sleep from her mind.
As she became more alert, the events of the morning came flooding back in vivid detail. The terror of being tied to the punishment post.
