Eril wasn’t sure of the exact moment Kithri fell asleep and her muscles went from tense to buttery under his fingertips. Her breathing became soft and regular. Soon he too drifted off, one hand flung across her back. His body grew warm and heavy, so heavy... So heavy, gravity sucking him down into the denseness of the earth... Heavy... Suddenly Eril was no longer lulled three-quarters into sleep. He didn’t know exactly what was wrong, but something... Lennart snored on, oblivious, but the insects had fallen silent. The instincts that had warned Eril of impending disaster so many times during the war now shrilled in alarm. He got ready to scramble to his feet, force whip in hand and ready for action. The world froze around him. He couldn’t move, not even his eyelids. He could barely breathe as an iron band held his ribs like a vice. Something warm and steely clamped tight over his mouth.
