Pain.

It was all she felt when she woke up. Pulsing through her veins, blocking out every other thoughts and sensations. She didn't know where it came from, but she wanted it to stop. Mentally begging for someone to help her, not even knowing whom she prayed to. When the pain didn't subside, she just wanted to fall asleep again. Go back to the dark and peaceful place she had been before, but the throb in her head wouldn't allow her to.

Time passed by, but she couldn't say if it was hours or days that she just lay there, holding her aching head, not even knowing if her eyes were open or closed. While the pain didn't cease, her mind seemed to get used to it at some point, and more sensations reached her. She was still lying on the floor, on cold and wet stone. Her whole body was cold, covered with chills, as if she was buried in a cave made of ice. There was a smell of stagnant water and deceased creatures, and she tried not to think about it further.

Finally, she was able to pull herself into a crouch, instantly regretting the move as new bolts of pain rushed through her head. She clawed her fingers into her hair, trying to drown out the old pain, but it only made it worse. All she could do was wait again, and her fingertips sensed strains of damp and sandy hair. When she moved one finger to her lips, she tasted salt and sand, but there was something more – a metallic taste, like blood.

As the pain reached its normal level again, she forced her eyes to open, afraid of what another new sensation would cause in her body. But the new wave of pain didn't came, and she blinked multiple times to clear her sight from the dirt in her eyes.

The room was murky and made of stone, and several driblets of water searched their way down the walls, convening in small puddles all around her. There was a light source war away, as she could make out a shining in the distance, but the source itself remained hidden. Then she saw the bars. Dozens of metallic rods buried in the snow, with openings wide enough just to move a single hand through it. This was a prison, and she was the prisoner.

What had happened? She tried desperately to remember, but besides the pain, her mind was empty and black. She couldn't even find her own name, as if her memory had been completely erased. Tears welled up in her eyes, and the salty drops burned on her skin where they touched bruises and cuts. She suppressed the urge to cry out for someone to help her or at least tell her what was going on. Whoever had imprisoned her, there had to be a reason, and it was unlikely they would just let her out again. She had to find another way.

The solution was just on the other side of the bars, where she could make out a figure in the dark as soon as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. It was a guard, with silver braids pouring out under a helmet and pointy ears flickering now and then. They held a spear in one hand, but the slow and steady breathing indicated that they were probably sleeping. Moving as quietly as possible, she crouched toward the bars, ignoring the pain that burst out again all over her body. She didn't even recognize that she had held her breath until her lungs were screaming for air, and she was afraid the guard could wake just by the sound of her racing heartbeat. But the Silverling didn't move, and she could make out a ring of keys lying in the guard's lap. She reached out of the bars with one hand, but couldn't yet reach the keys. There had to be something long and thin to be used as an extension!

Not moving the eyes away from the guard, she blindly searched on the wet stone ground until her hands caught hold of a mossy stick. It wasn't long, but it would be good enough to reach the keys if she was careful. Moving the stick through the bars, she realized it wasn't wood at all, but a bone from some kind of animal that had died here in this cell long ago, the surface already cracked and covered with mold at some spots. She shivered and had the urge to drop the bone, but she resisted and swallowed down the bitter taste in her mouth. Any noise could wake up the guard, and she had to be careful. Moving slowly, probably wasting precious time, she approached the keys with the bone, until it touched the metal ring that was holding the keys. Now came the difficult part, since she had to move the keys away from the guard without making too much noise. If the keys slipped down the bone, it would be over…

Her heart still raced and her whole body trembled, but little by little, she moved the keys closer to her cell until she could grab the bundle with her hand so they couldn't make any noise. The guard didn't stir a bit, and it felt way too easy, but she moved the keys to the lock that stood in her way to freedom. It was hard to move the key without seeing, and the first two she tried didn't fit. The scratching noise of metal touching metal sounded way too loud in her ears, and she always glanced toward the guard, but except of some ear flickering, nothing moved.

A loud click! implied that she had finally found the right key, and the cell door automatically opened a bit with a creaking sound. The Gelfling near her let out a sigh and moved one leg a bit, but kept the eyes closed.

Holding her breath, she pushed the door open as much as she needed to squeeze through, and when she finally stood on the other side of the cell, her body felt like fainting any minute. She was now inside a long, tangled hallway, and somewhere was the exit, but which way was the right?

Something caught her eye, reflecting the light from down the floor, and she saw a beautifully made staff leaning at the wall. It was made of wood, with a blue crystal edged at the top and crested with pearls and beads all over the weapon. It felt familiar, so she touched the cold wood with her hand, immediately getting drawn into the dreamfast that was etched into the weapon with delicate symbols. She could see two Gelfling standing in front of each other, one girl with light skin and wild curls and one other, almost fully grown up, with blue and yellow skin and tattoos all over his body, while a single braid sat on the top of his otherwise shaved head. The man held the staff in both hands, reaching it to the girl.

Take this as a welcome gift. You're one of us now, Sia.

Sia. Something clicked in her head, and she just knew it was her in that vision, taking the staff out of the male Gelfling's hands. At least she had finally found her name to begin with.

The vision ended, and a sharp breath escaped Sia's lunges. Her whole body twitched once with surprise, the staff scratching along the stone wall, making a terrible sound.

The guard woke with a jolt, and Sia could see now that it was a woman, staring at her with big pale eyes just for the blink of an eye. Quicker than she had wished, the guard realized what was going on and pulled a horn from her side, blowing inside and causing it to make a loud and consistent noise that would be heard all around this place for sure.

"The prisoner tries to escape!" The guard exclaimed then, with a voice way louder that Sia had thought the delicate woman would be capable of.

While Sia still stared at the Silverling, the guard took hold of her spear and readied herself to attack. She didn't know how to fight, at least her mind had forgotten, but something in her hands twitched. Her body still remembered. The guard attacked, and Sia didn't even think of doing anything. Her body moved as a matter of routine, deflecting the attack and swinging the staff so it clung against the guard's helmet. It was enough to distract the guard for a short moment, but not enough to hurt her. The spear came crushing down again, this time leaving a bloody welt at her arm.

While the guard had to gain momentum again, Sia ran her staff into her opponent's stomach, causing her to writhe for a moment. That was enough to bring down the elegant wooden weapon on the guard's head hard enough that the helmet rolled down on the stone, and a last punch knocked the Silverling unconscious. Sia didn't know how long it would stay that way, so her legs started running. She didn't know what direction this was, if she was running deeper into the building, but she could her loud voices and footsteps in the distance. They were coming for her, and she didn't want to hurt any more Gelfling, much less killing one of them. The light got brighter as she approached, but she could also see shadows of more armed guards. It was only a matter of seconds until they would see her, and just in time she found a niche in the wall to hide in. At least seven or eight guards ran past her, shouting orders to find and kill that prisoner. More were on their way, that much could she make out from the noises she heard, so she crouched through the niche that led into a small passage without seeing anything. Crawlies touched her hands and feet, stinking water dripping on her body while she scratched her body on sharp stones and bones. The passage narrowed and panic spread through her body. What if she got stuck in there? If there was a dead end and she wouldn't be able to crawl back?

But after what felt like hours, Sia could make out light at the end. There were no bars blocking the way out, and she could even smell some fresh and salty air coming from the window. The first time since she woke up, Sia felt something like joy to have reached her way into freedom. But when she approached the opening, she realized why there were no bars. Clinging to the stone walls on both sides, Sia stared down at a cliff far down, with spiky rocks that were mostly covered by the deadly waves that crushed against the stone with immense strength. There was no other way, no ladder or walkway to get down, so jumping was her only option.

Wings. A single word came into her mind, and even though it felt terribly wrong, she readied herself as much as she could in her crouching position, then she pushed herself off the stone, a sharp wind bringing tears to her eyes during the free fall. But there were no wings opening at her back, just a dull pain where muscles tried to move something that was no longer there.

Realizing what was just happening, she fell towards the craggy cliffs with no way to stop her.