Chapter 12

• An ache radiated through my arms, a dull and relentless throb that intensified with every shallow breath. My fingertips were numb, and as my senses slowly stirred to life, I became acutely aware of my predicament. My knees pressed against a dusty, unforgiving floor, and my hands were bound high above my head, the cuffs biting cruelly into my wrists. The chains stretched taut, anchored to some sort of vault above me. I couldn’t tell how long I’d hung there, suspended in this torturous position, but the unbearable strain in my shoulders and the dead weight of my arms told me it had been far too long. Movement felt impossible, yet standing was out of the question. I could only dangle there, helpless, clinging to the faint hope that my strength might return before it was too late.
• A shiver coursed through me, sharper than the ache in my limbs. My clothes were gone. In their place, a thin white dress with delicate shoulder straps clung to my skin. Its light fabric did little to protect me from the chill that seeped into my bones, leaving me trembling as if I were entirely exposed.
• As my vision sharpened, I took in my surroundings. I was confined within a circular, human-sized cage—a grotesque imitation of a birdcage. The dim light from a few dangling bulbs cast flickering shadows across the basement walls, giving the space an oppressive, almost otherworldly atmosphere. Aside from the faint sound of my own ragged breathing and stifled groans, the place was eerily silent. For a moment, I thought I was alone, but then my gaze shifted.