Chapter Sixty-Three - Back To Alpha River

Ella's POV

I drifted awake some time later to find myself still caged on the front of the wagon, which was rumbling along in the pitch blackness of night. Still in the middle of nowhere.

My shoulder was an inferno of agony, the shaft still protruding grotesquely. But I had no tears left, just cold rage and grit determination.

Ignoring the pain, I twisted around seeking anything that might aid my escape. But the iron bars were unbreakable, the padlock out of reach.

Despair threatened to crush what little hope I had left. Even if I did manage to slip these bonds somehow, I was still drugged and gravely injured.

How could I dream of outrunning full grown warriors like this?

"Lea nudged my spirit gently. We will find a way, EL. Focus. They have not defeated you yet."

"You're right," I answered tiredly. "Giving up was not an option. We would keep fighting however I could until my last breath. My daughter was depending on me."

The rest of the gruelling journey passed in a miserable haze of