My head hurt.

The smell of herbal tea filled my nostrils, pulling me from my muddled dreams and into a painful awakening. My mouth had a sour aftertaste in it, too. I coughed, but it only served to make my head explode with even more pain.

“Interesting night?”� Paathke’s accented voice caught my attention. I rolled over to face the room rather than the wall, and saw her sitting cross-legged on the floor, a covered lantern beside her. A pot of tea, still steaming, perched on a...