Helio’s POV
Everything f*****g hurt. My head, my legs, hell, even my eyelashes hurt, and I was pretty sure that wasn’t possible. Pain pounded behind my eyes and throbbed through every muscle. I didn’t dare open my eyes. I didn’t want to face the light or full consciousness. Memories flickered through the haze, jagged fragments that seemed to cut me even as they slipped through my fingers.
I could still taste blood on my tongue. I smelled burning paper, but I couldn’t say how or why.
“Are you awake?” A voice, soft and familiar, pierced the haze.
I cracked open an eye, squinting against the blinding light of the infirmary. I smelled antiseptic and potions. I remembered how much I’d hated going to the infirmary when I was first going through training.
“Cin… dra?” I croaked.
She looked u
