Chapter 96
Kael woke on his knees with cold stone grinding against his skin and a sharp ache running through the back of his head. The first breath he dragged into his lungs burned like ice, and when he tried to move too quickly, pain tightened across his chest hard enough to make him stop.
For a moment, memory came in broken pieces. Hands grabbing him. Ariana calling his name. Mira's hand on him. Darkness closing in.
His eyes opened fully, and he forced himself upright.
Chains snapped tight around both wrists before he could stand completely, dragging his arms back and biting into skin. The sudden pull nearly dropped him to the floor again, but he caught himself and stayed half-crouched, breathing hard while the metal rattled through the chamber.
