The fall had been more than physical.
Cambria lay motionless, her body aching, darkness pressing against her eyelids. Somewhere far away, muffled voices rose and fell like waves crashing on distant shores. Slowly, agonizingly, awareness returned.
She wasn't alone.
A cold, clinical light pierced the gloom. The scent of antiseptic filled the air, sharp and unforgiving. The steady beep of monitors, the soft hiss of machinery. She opened her eyes, vision blurry, the world slowly snapping into focus.
She was in a hospital bed, bandages wrapped around her legs and arm. A faint pulse of pain throbbed in her side, the memory of the fall vivid as a fresh wound.
A figure stood nearby a tall woman in dark clothing, her expression unreadable.
"Cambria," the woman said quietly, voice gentle but edged with steel. "You're awake."
Cambria tried to sit up, but a sharp jolt forced her back down. "Where am I?"
