The sound of the girls moving around downstairs pulled me from a heavy, dreamless sleep. My body felt like I'd been used as a punching bag, a deep, bone-deep ache that had nothing to do with the athletic activities from last night.
The only one still in bed was Astra, curled up on my side, her silver hair a mess spread across the pillow.
Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed I tried to stand but a sharp, internal pain lanced through my chest, making me grunt loudly. It wasn't like a normal cramp. It felt like a tiny earthquake was happening just inside my ribcage.
Stumbling into the washroom I splashed cold water on my face. When I looked up at my reflection, I saw my eyes looked different.
A faint, almost imperceptible silver ring surrounded my irises. I clenched my fist, trying to focus, and instinctively tried to call on a simple heal spell to soothe the ache.
