Chapter 32 - The Feeling She Can't Name
Athena woke with a dull ache behind her eyes.
Not painful.
Just... present.
Like a thought she couldn't quite reach.
She stayed still for a long moment, staring at the ceiling, trying to remember what she had dreamed about.
There had been something.
A sound.
A voice.
A feeling.
But it slipped away the harder she tried to grasp it.
She pressed her fingers to her temples and sat up slowly.
Her chest felt tight again.
Not the same restless pull from before.
This felt different.
Distant.
Like something tugging at her from far away.
She swung her legs over the bed and stood, rubbing her arms as a chill passed over her skin.
"I feel strange," she whispered to herself.
She stepped into the hallway.
The fortress was quiet at this hour.
But she felt it again.
That sensation.
Like she was being watched.
Not from the shadows.
Not from nearby.
From somewhere she couldn't see.
Her stomach twisted.
She made her way toward the healing wing without thinking.
She didn't want to be alone.
Elara was already there, sorting cloth and jars along a long stone counter.
She looked up immediately when Athena entered.
Her warm expression shifted slightly.
Concern.
"You didn't sleep well," Elara said softly.
Athena blinked. "How do you know?"
Elara stepped closer, studying her face.
"You look like someone trying to remember something that doesn't want to be remembered."
The words sent a chill down Athena's spine.
"I had a dream," she said quietly. "I think. I just can't remember it."
Elara nodded slowly.
"That happens sometimes when the mind is trying to protect itself."
Athena frowned. "From what?"
Elara didn't answer.
Because she didn't know how much Athena was ready to hear.
Footsteps sounded behind them.
Silas entered the room.
His eyes went straight to Athena.
His expression darkened immediately.
"You feel it," he said.
She swallowed. "Feel what?"
He didn't answer right away.
But she saw it in his face.
Recognition.
Understanding.
Something was wrong.
Silas stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"They know."
Her heart skipped.
"Who?"
"The ones who put you to sleep in the first place."