I wasn't sure if my disorientation was because of my recent rise to consciousness, the aching lash marks on my back, the gnawing hunger in my stomach, the strange accommodations, the whirling dark landscape passing out my window, the man perched silently in front of me, or the incessant fear for Beetle and Roach.

I slowly pushed myself into a seated position, lying back on the padded back wall, grimacing as I leaned back on the open wounds of my back.

The man in front of me was one of the healers who had stood beside the Oxblood overlord—the one who took Roach. If that was any indication, that meant that I had been taken, too. Why wasn't I healed? Whether this healer had purchased me, or the overlord did, I had no idea.

I did know that he had soup in his hands, and I was starving.

"Are you an overlord?" I asked quietly, hating the gravelly sound of my voice.

"Yes," he said quietly, lifting the cup of steaming soup he had in front of him. "My name is Jack. And this," he said, referencing the bowl of soup, "is for you."

My heart almost gave out as my eyes locked onto the thin soup in front of me. It smelled like chicken broth. My stomach felt stiff and cramped, so I was slow to reach out my hands to grab the bowl. They were shaking hard and the weakness I felt earlier only grew stronger.

If I could barely keep my hands up, would I be able to hold the bowl? Jack sensed my hesitation and pressed on part of the wall, making a table jut out in front of me. I eyed it, realizing that it was hidden in the wall for this very purpose. He set the bowl on the small table and handed me a small, hollow tube.

"It's a straw," he explained. "I realize this is likely the first time you've seen one," he said softly. I glanced up, expecting some sort of contempt on his face, but all I saw was a sort of fatherly patience. My heart twisted. Dad was never patient, but I had seen other fathers like this. "It's like a miniature water pipe. You can use your mouth to draw liquid to you from a distance." He smiled softly. "I'm sure the farm you were at had water pipes, right?"

I nodded and accepted the straw, fingers trembling as I lowered it into the soup.

"Mine did, too," he said. I glanced up at him in shock. "So, I know you will have a lot of questions. I did, too. I will try to explain some things to you, but I need you to drink all of that broth, okay?" I nodded slowly.

He watched as I moved the end of the straw into my mouth and began to drink the broth—I was right. It was chicken. My stomach immediately jumped alive, shriveling into a hard rock and I stopped, clutching my belly.

"You haven't eaten in a few weeks, so your body needs to go through what's called a refeeding process. We will start slow with thin broths and eventually work your way up to solid food. Normally, three weeks wouldn't demand such a toll on your body, but you were already malnourished as it was and I don't imagine you got any days off from the farm, right?"

I nodded, a tear streaking down my face as the pain in my stomach mounted.

"We need to keep you hydrated, so you need to finish that, but take your time, okay?" he asked, leaning down to look me in the eyes. "I need you to acknowledge that you heard me."

"Yes," I said softly, drinking some and feeling the warm liquid travel down my throat.

"As long as you keep drinking, I'll keep explaining."

I nodded and slowly took another drink.

"Your friends are okay. Beetle and Roach, right? They are okay—they're not hurt at all. What they are is worried sick over you. Your body was too weak to heal, so there was nothing I could do on my end to heal you. Your body was shutting down certain parts of you to keep functioning as long as possible and healing was one of the first ones to go."

I nodded and drank some more.

"The one you called Beetle is an overlord. Roach, Romina, is an overlord has well. Lord Strapos took all three of you into his care. They told us you were a healer?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, eyes landing on the magestone at his chest. He smiled and looked down at it. "I would be happy to let you try it on once you're back to health," he said. "I will admit, if the testimony is true, you will be the first female healer I have come across. All the overlord women I have met are either Oxblood or Sage."

"Where are we going?"

Jack looked at me, pausing and I took another drink of the broth. He smiled and answered. "We are on our way to Lord Strapos's palace. His father's, but it will be his eventually."

I looked down and realized that I had finished the broth. Jack smiled and grabbed the bowl, pushing the table back into the wall. My mind was spinning with so many different questions. Jack turned to leave and glanced back over his shoulder.

"I will be back in an hour with more. Rest as you can," he said. "I will explain more after then. My hope is that tomorrow, I will be able to heal your back. Hang in there, kid," he said. "Call for me if you need anything."