She sat up, her head spinning. The ground was oddly soft under her, spongy almost. Climbing to her feet, she glanced around the clearing. Tiadaria knew exactly where she was. This was the training field near the cottage in King's Reach. It was different though. The colors of the trees and grass were muted, pale imitations of their normal vibrancy. What struck her most was the lack of sound. There were no insects buzzing, no birds singing, and no rustle of wind through the trees. All was still and quiet. “I was wondering when you'd get here, little one.” She whirled and saw the Captain, not the weatherworn corpse, but the actual Captain, hunkered down in the grass a short distance away. Tiadaria wanted to run to him, but something stopped her. A hazy memory she couldn't quite put her finger on. “Where are we?” “The training field,” the Captain chuckled. “I'd have thought you'd have recognized it by now, little one.”
