Chapter 424

As dusk settled in, Claire had no clue where she was. All she knew was that it felt like she was tumbling around, totally disoriented—kind of like being stuck on a shaky raft in the middle of a storm, or trapped on one of those crazy drop-tower rides. Her body rocked so much she didn't even dare open her eyes. She had no idea how long that went on. Eventually the motion stopped, finally giving her a break. Curled up in a corner, she could finally catch her breath and rest for a bit. But someone wasn't letting her off easy. A hand nudged her, trying to lay her down properly. Then it felt like someone was helping her drink water, and her instincts kicked in. She stopped struggling and took in as much as she needed to get by. Then she was out cold again. When her head cleared and she managed to open her eyes, she was greeted by a blood-red sunrise staining the clouds overhead. Claire found herself staring, kind of lost in the view. It's not like she had never seen a sunrise before—but see