Chapter 22 - Pride

TAWNY

Heavy eyelids slowly blink open. My hazy vision begins to clear, no thanks to the thumping in my head. I jolt with a start, chest heaving and a scream dying on my lips. As my vision begins to focus, I realize I am not at the campsite. Nor am I in the palace. I reach out to my cat, Juniper, and am met with silence. My heart beats wildly with panic and fear of the unknown.

I’m lying on a soft surface – a bed, but not my bed.

For the love of Bastet, I feel like I got hit by a truck!

I shift my heavy limbs, turning to sit up and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. Everything on me aches and feels heavy.

I almost lay back down. Almost.

Looking around, I take note of the quaint and simple room. Beige walls and a bath sits in the middle of the floor. No toilet. A small wooden table and matching chairs that look hand-crafted I note. The bed I’m on and a small wooden dresser made of the same material as the table. No pictures or decorations. One window has bars across it. And