Kingdom of Ash

sure she had the strength to try anything, let
alone run.
Heaviness settled into her.
She didn’t fight the black sack shoved over
her head as they passed through the arched
doorway. Didn’t fight as they walked down
that hall, though she counted the steps and
turns.
She didn’t care if Cairn was smart enough
to add in a few extras to disorient her. She
counted them anyway. Listened to the rush of
the river, growing louder with each turn, the
rising mist that chilled her exposed skin,
slicking the stones beneath her feet.
Then open air. She couldn’t see it, but it
grazed damp fingers over her skin, whispering
of the gaping openness of the world.
Run. Now.
The words were a distant murmur.
She had no doubt the guard’s blade