Vykekard's mental shout came a fraction of a second too late.
I didn't even see her move—one moment Kiera was seated across from me, and the next...
"Ah…"
I didn't realize I was falling until I was already halfway to the floor.
My limbs felt impossibly heavy, disconnected from my will.
The ceiling swam above me, the plain dormitory lighting fixtures blurring into streaks of gold against institutional white.
It was strange how slowly my thoughts moved, like honey dripping on a winter morning. I should be panicking, I knew that much.
But all I could focus on was how beautifully the light seemed to fracture around her silhouette as she stood over me.
"Fascinating," I heard her murmur, though the word seemed to stretch across an eternity.
"It's still there, after all this time."
What's still there?
I wanted to ask, but my lips wouldn't move. My tongue lay useless in my mouth, a dead weight.
