Chapter 157

• Sunlight stabbed through the window, striking Emeriel's eyes, the bedsheets were cold, the room silent. She woke to an empty bed. Trying to move, she realized that was the least of her problems.
• A sick feeling churned in her stomach, the nausea hitting her hard. Each attempt to move sent tremors of pain through her battered body. Bile surged up her throat, muscles protesting as she doubled over and wretched onto the rumpled bedding.
• She heaved until nothing remained, dry sobs wracking her frame. Tears mingled with saliva and bile on her cheeks, her nose running unchecked. The world swam in a nauseating blur.