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Inhale, one. Exhale, two. Repeat.
Three.
In and out.
Four.
She unclenched her fingers.
Five.
She relaxed the muscles in her back.
Six.
Her breathing slowed, her breaths lengthened.
Seven.
"I don't know. She just started screaming." A stranger's hand fell on her forehead. She focused on the cool contact and the warmth in her hands dissipated.
Eight.
"She seems to be calming down.”
Nine.
"Then what in the hell happened, Terin?"
Ten.
She opened her eyes. Silver spheres hovered above her, shades of black edged her vision. The moon blinked at her and she blinked back. Then the moon disappeared and Graeson stared down at her, his hair floating around his sharp jaw. Then he too disappeared, shoved to the side and replaced by Fynn and Terin's scrunched faces. The twins each took one of her hands in their own. Kallie wanted to pull her hands back, yank them from their grasp. She didn’t want them to touch her. She didn’t want them to bloody their own hands. But when they squeezed her hand, she knew blood did not cover her hands, but sweat.
She sighed in relief. It was only a nightmare.
"Kalisandre?" Terin asked. And it was the first time she had heard her name spoken. They had avoided saying her name. As though uttering those four syllables would summon the demons from the Beneath to rise from the muck of the rivers and seas. Her name was strange on her enemy's tongue. The last syllable rolled off Terin's tongue and blended in a lyrical sort of way she was not accustomed to.
Kallie squinted at the twins, her focus bouncing between them. Their faces had the ghost of familiarity, but she couldn't understand why.
"Are you hurt?" Fynn asked.
Her mouth was dry from sleep and from her screams. But other than that, she was fine. Because it was only a nightmare. She coughed to clear her throat. "Suffocated."
Fynn's brows knitted together, then settled once again. His concern dwindled as he realized she was not in imminent danger as they all had believed moments ago.
"Huh?" Terin asked, confused. Meanwhile, Fynn had already moved back.
"You're suffocating me," Kallie groaned.
Terin's attention flicked to his brother, then returned to her. Fynn pulled him back by his shoulder. Terin's balance teetered, but Fynn steadied his brother. Then, hooves smacked against the ground.
Kallie pushed herself onto her elbows. Further down the alcove, Dani sprinted toward them on horseback.
Hair blown across her face, cheeks windswept. Out of breath, Dani said, "Fynn, we need to go."
With a quick nod, Fynn began gathering their belongings. Meanwhile, Terin helped Kallie stand on wobbly legs as she, Terin, and Graeson stood watching Fynn stuff a thin blanket into one of their bags.
"Why?" Graeson asked, moving away from Kallie and Terin.
