Chapter 136

Ru expected to awake back in her body, in her own bed, as Cutter had imagined they all would. But when her eyes opened, she was lying on an ancient, intricately designed motif floor, little pieces of green and maroon tiles covered in thick, white dirt. She sat up and looked around. The ringing in her ears was more than a little disturbing, and the colors were off again. She snapped her fingers, believing that would cause the sound to stop, and was relieved when it did.

The right side of her body ached, that is, the area that would’ve been her body if she were in it. A glance at her arm revealed the first signs of what was sure to be some pretty serious bruising above her elbow. Her leg felt like it would be the same, particularly her hip.

She was still in Kayakoy, of that she was certain, and the design she’d taken to be a floor was actually a street. She was outside; a few cypress trees waved in the off-color sunlight, stirred by a light breeze. Standing, she saw th