Chapter 64

• The relentless pounding in my head was like war drums echoing through my skull, a familiar and brutal sensation. This was worse than any hangover—a painful reminder that the wolfsbane was still working its way out of my system, painfully and slowly. Each dry, shallow breath only amplified the aching regret gnawing at me. I should have known better than to let my guard down, even with children. But there was no point in cursing the past now. I had to face the consequences of my foolish trust.
• As my senses gradually returned, the details of my predicament became clearer. I lay sprawled on a few rough wooden boards in the back of a moving wagon, gagged with a coarse cloth. My wrists and ankles were bound tightly with rope. Every bump and jolt reminded me that we were moving, the creak of the wheels and the rhythm of horse hooves pounding on cobblestones marking our slow journey forward. I had no idea where they were taking me. And worse—was Livia here too? Had she been captured?
• My dagger was gone, stripped away like my hope of escaping easily. Still, I forced myself to sit up, straining my aching muscles, only to find myself in a prison on wheels. Wooden walls enclosed me, and a single, tiny window, barred with iron, allowed only a sliver of light to break through. Judging by the low-hanging sun, I’d been unconscious for hours, if not longer.