By the time Kayla and I hurried down to the courtyard, the scene that greeted us was worse than I had imagined. The flogging had ceased, but Lia lay crumpled on the cold stone floor, her body limp and almost lifeless.
The sun was already out, shining hard against her skin. I already knew it stung--the harshness of the sun against her open wounds.
Blood streaked her bare back, and her face was hidden beneath a curtain of matted hair. My heart clenched in my chest as a surge of anger and fear shot through me. How could they beat her to this extent? They must have left her only because she passed out I guess.
I didn’t waste a second. My feet moved before my mind could fully process the horror in front of me. I rushed to her side, pushing past the lingering group of maidens who hovered aro
