|Aria|The choking smell of herbs slowly filled my nostrils and it didn’t clear up no matter how much I tried to breathe it away. My hands and legs felt numb and heavy. A thick, musky haze clung to the air like a damp woolen cloak. The scent of crushed sage and smoldering juniper clung to my nose.Everything smelled sharp and earthy, as if the forest was relocated to my room. Somewhere nearby, a bundle of dried herbs crackled over a slow flame, releasing bitter smoke that curled like lazy spirits into the rafters.I stirred.A flash of breath caught in her throat, dry as dust. My eyes, heavy-lidded and crusted at the corners, opened just a slit. The world was dim, and hazy shadows danced on the thatched ceiling. A candle... or firelight? I couldn’t tell.My limbs felt foreign to my body. My hands curled, numb and stiff at my sides, and my legs lay like logs beneath the coarse wool blanket. I tried to shift, but even that was too much. Pain pulsed at the base of my skull, a deep throb
Last Updated : 2026-01-19 Read more