#Chapter 55 Fading Embers

Ember I wake before sunrise, though my body aches in protest. My ribs aren’t broken, just bruised and the wound on my side is shallow, but every movement reminds me of last night’s failure. I sit up slowly, easing the blanket away and testing my balance before rising to change the bandage. The air is cold. I shiver as I pour water onto the cut against my ribs. The bruises are worse than the cut. I press gently around the edge of the wound and grit my teeth. It could have been worse. I keep telling myself that. Still, I should have seen the rogue coming sooner. I should have reacted faster. There had been something wrong with the way everything blurred and the way my thoughts scattered. I wasn’t tired, not enough for that. My training hadn’t failed me, something else had gone wrong. My eyes drift toward the table. The charm lies where I left it last night. Nara says nothing. She hasn’t said much since last night. You felt it too, I think. I don’t ask her to speak. I do