Darkness was the first thing that greeted her when she drifted back to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered shut again almost instantly as a sharp, throbbing ache exploded behind Aliana's temples, sending pain lancing through her skull.
Her eyelids felt impossibly heavy, but the moment she forced them open once more, her vision slowly adjusted to the darkness. Faint moonlight spilled through a small window high above, revealing rough stone walls and a place she had never seen before.
The air she breathed was musty and salty, a stark contrast to any environment she had ever known, causing her nose to crinkle in disgust. As her mind struggled to pierce through the thick fog of whatever substance still lingered in her body, the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against a rocky shore nearby reached her ears.
Aliana shivered.
The icy night breeze slipped through the room and kissed her exposed skin, raising goosebumps along her arms.
