Fuzzy, fuzzy, fuzzy... The room swayed - was she on a boat? There was something huge and thick in her mouth. It seemed to be attached... Her tongue. It throbbed painfully from her dazed attempts to spit it out.

A blurred man sat in the corner. He was muttering to himself, very fast. What a strange man! Pulling herself up with her elbows, she tried to remember where she was. It was hopeless; first, she couldn't remember her name - did they not give her one? -, second she... what was second? Wow! There was a stone on the floor! Lots of stones... There was a... that man... She gave up trying to remember...whatever it was, and leaned her head against the wall. The man, he was so familiar, but she was sure she had never laid eyes on him before.

"Who are you?"

"Didn't your lover tell you that?" His voice was cold, dipping into icy. She shivered slightly.

"No. But he was probably so bored with you, he forgot who you were." Luckily, her tone was kept matter-of-fact, as if she was just stating the condition of the weather that day.

"Shut up, wench!" He walked over to her, slapping her cheek with a force that made her head thud against the stone wall behind her.

"You will take that back," she vowed, eyes narrowing with part pain, part hatred.

"And who exactly will make me? You? Your lover, Arram?"

Arram... Salmalin? No, Draper. Numair Salmalin. Suddenly, her whole memory thumped back. But the man was as unfamiliar as ever.

"You don't even know me," she thundered, voice echoing round the small cave.

"Or maybe I know what you don't. I've heard rumours, Daine-the-pain, and I know about your lover, Arram."

"My lover is not called Arram, and you know nothing about me."

"Or maybe I do, Veralidaine Sarrasri, daughter of the hunting god Weiryn."

She stiffened, looking up at him with real fear in her eyes.

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So sorry I haven't updated this for weeks! I hope people are still reading!