Stolen Power

ASENA

Pain. It was the first thing that brought me back to consciousness. The other thing I felt was cold, but perhaps it was a good thing. I was frozen enough for the cold to dull my senses… and dull some of the pain as well.

Filling my lungs with air hurt, the pain forcing me to pay with tears for every breath I took. Struggling, I opened my eyes and saw the sky. Its gray color told me it must have been right before dawn.

I drew another painful breath and slightly lifted my head. I blinked several times before the blurry shapes turned into something recognizable. Once they did, I realized that the lower part of my body lay in shallow water while the upper body rested on the river shore. The water was freezing. No wonder I felt cold.

I knew I had to find a way to drag my body out of the water, but the pain that seemed to come from every part of me limited my movements. I looked around me and saw two broken branches lying on the shore on both sides of me. I sucked in a sharp breath an