Once again, I woke up to the smell of chains. Eyes still closed, I grimaced. My whole body felt like it had tumbled down the Great Cruvian Waterfall and into the hot spring whirlpools of Dreador. Carefully, I lifted up my eyelids one at a time. Directly across from me sat the witch. I tried to scramble backwards on my cot but was stopped by chains and pain.

The witch prodded me with a stick.

"Are you finally awake?" She tilted her head and squinted at me, winding up for another poke.

"If only I was still dreaming." I tried to sit up fully, but that started a throbbing in my head.

The witch rose and ambled over to the cauldron. "You, my piper, took the blood-binding worse than most. Five days and nights you slept." She swiped a ladle off the wall and deftly filled a small wooden bowl with whatever concoction was in the large metal pot. She ambled back over and set the bowl unceremoniously onto the cot. "Eat."

I looked at the bowl then back at her. "What is--"

"It's soup." She gestured to the bowl. "Eat."

I picked up the bowl gingerly, watching the witch's eyes as I lifted it to my lips. The soup smelled and looked normal, brothy and with small bits of potatoes throughout. I tasted a drop with the tip of my tongue and realized I was ravenous. I began to gulp the soup, not even chewing the potatoes. 

It wasn't until I saw the witch smile that I knew I'd made a mistake.