Viana’s eyes blinked open slowly as she came to, and she winced first with the bright noon sunlight from above, then second with the searing pain in her chest. Covering her eyes with one hand, she rolled onto her side then jolted with a sharp pain as the bolt in her heart moved against the rooftop.
“Fuck.”
Slowly, the elf pushed herself onto her hands and knees, crawled to a nearby crate and hauled herself slowly to her feet, before sitting back down quickly as her vision swam. She hadn’t taken a heartwound in years — it would be months before it healed.
She’d have to wait for her system to adjust before going anywhere. One heart needed to do the job of two now. She sighed. The Vapours were always dangerous territory, but sometimes they weren’t avoidable. She looked over her shoulder at the vast Meriden skyline, usually towering above her, but now far, far below.
Why had the Crows just left her? Why not finish the job and be done with it?
She turned back around, suddenly more aware of the predicament she was in. The kite was nowhere to be seen.
She let out a long sigh, then a chuckle.