Awakening in the Enemy's Lair

Kaelen's POV:

I pulled my heavy eyelids apart. The effort felt monumental, like lifting stones off my face. A deep, persistent ache radiated through my skull, settling right behind my temples in a rhythmic, punishing throb. My muscles were stiff, locked in place from an extended period of unnatural stillness. I stared up at a cracked ceiling. Peeling white paint hung in small flakes, catching the