Chapter 181 Still Standing

• The next time Ellerei woke, she was on the floor of a different room—dimly lit, with high concrete walls and a single vent humming softly overhead. Her wrists were unbound, but her collar still clung tight to her throat like a cursed reminder. She sat up slowly, every joint screaming, but she was alive.
• And pissed.
• A tray of water and something vaguely resembling food sat in the corner, untouched. Her lip was cracked. Her ribs felt broken. But her spine—that was still intact. And so was her fire.