Etain’s confession (snippet)
“But how did you-”
“Survive? I shouldn’t have.” Etain looks up for the briefest moment, green eyes too wide, one hand darting upwards and stopping just before her fingertips brush the scar. Then, as if it’s all just one step too far, she looks down again. “As it was, I spent months comatose. They say I spent so many weeks like that, that even after I started healing, against all the odds, they weren’t sure if I...”
The trembling hand becomes a closed fist, but her voice remains steady, flat even, as if she’s speaking from far, far away. “You know sometimes I think I remember it?” A laugh then, humorless, something to send adrenaline down the spine. “But that’s not possible, is it?”
She waits for something- an objection? a reassurance?- but when no platitude is forthcoming, her voice grows smaller. “And I’m glad, really. It worked out. I didn’t want to die. I just... I guess I don’t really understand. But I guess I shouldn’t question it. I’m here. I have Kad’ika and Dar. That’s all I really wanted, right?”
