KYLIE'S POVMy consciousness returned slowly, like wading through thick mud.The first thing I noticed was the smell—salt and fish and wood smoke. The second thing was the warmth. I was lying on something soft, covered by something heavy and rough.A blanket.I forced my eyes open.I was in a small room, barely larger than the cave cell I'd escaped. Wooden walls, a single shuttered window, a rickety table with a flickering candle. The bed beneath me was lumpy but dry, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn't cold.Movement to my left made me flinch.An old man sat in a wooden chair by the window, whittling a piece of driftwood with a worn knife. He had a weathered face, deep lines carved by sun and wind, and a thick grey beard that reached his chest. His eyes, when they lifted to meet mine, were pale blue and surprisingly kind."Well, well," he said, his voice rough as gravel. "The fish brought in something interesting today."I tried to sit up, but my body screame
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