ASHER
My mind feels muffled. Like I’m underwater.
No, it’s more like I’ve been wrapped in cotton, thick and heavy. The air is too warm. My skin itches. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. I try to move, but my body doesn’t listen right away. My limbs are sluggish. My head… gods, my head feels like it’s been cracked open with a sledgehammer.
This can’t be happening.
We were just about to finish the ceremony. I remember the sunlight on my skin. The crown. The weight of everything pressing down on my shoulders. And then—
Screaming. Metal. Pain.
I blink slowly, trying to make sense of the shapes in front of me. Four figures. Standing in a circle around us. Around me and my men. They’re dressed in deep gray, masks pulled over their faces, weapons in hand. Their eyes are sharp, full of fury and fire.
Revolutionaries.
I can barely lift my head, but I see my guards slumped around me. Some still conscious, others not. They’re all groaning or clutching their heads. Same as me.
We’ve been
