Queen of the Night (Starkeeper #2)

It seems like an eternity until the toxins finally start to flush from my system. My eyelids flutter open to flashes of light. I try to touch the back of my head where there’s still a dull throb, but my arms are tied. I can smell the metallic odor of blood, however . . . a lot of it. Mine?

My body jostles uncomfortably as I take stock of my position and realize I’m moving in a covered cart, with my hands and legs bound. I listen, the sound of horses accompanying the crunch of the cart wheels. A gag is tied over my mouth, but I inhale through my nose, scenting salt on the damp wind.

Painfully, I shift upward, peering through the gap in the back. A sparkling blue horizon greets me; we’re on a cliff, and I can hear the sound of gulls and the crash of waves far below. Where am I, and how did I get here in this wagon?

Confusion drains away to be replaced by fury.