Hermi's body did not stir back to life with a gentle grace. Instead, it gave a violent convulsion that forced her to sit up straight, her breath hitching in a jagged sob.
She knew it! There was something devious in this entire contract! The Balancer had so cunningly waited until the very last moment to include the final clause, tossing it out as if it were a minor footnote in a grander ledger.
Just as the rage hit her, a fresh shock of agony followed. Her entire frame racked with pain so intense that the world dissolved into a blur of white heat. She collapsed onto her back, finding herself hitting the soft surface of a mattress rather than the cold desert ground.
