It was hard to breathe. Althea thought. She was trying hard to let in the air but she couldn't.
She felt cold all of a sudden, she could chills running down her skin. Althea's thoughts swirled in a haze as she struggled to catch her breath, gasping for air in desperate gulps.
With a sudden, gasping push, she broke through, coughing and sputtering. Her vision was blurred, her senses disoriented, and her heart pounded in her chest as her eyes slowly adjusted to the night.
As the veil of confusion lifted, Althea heard a familiar voice in the distance. "Finally, you're awake," the voice said, and she turned her gaze in the direction of the sound.
There, seated by a crackling fire, was Darian. He poked at the flames with a distant expression, his features illuminated by the warm, flickering light. Althea's eyes locked onto him, relief washing over her.
"What happened?" she murmured, her voice trembling with a mix of weakness and confusion.