Wake Up Fiery!

"Salviana,"

She fell. She'd fallen.

And Alaric caught her. 

The impact nearly brought him to his knees, but his arms stayed locked around her, clutching Salviana's limp body to his chest like he could will her soul back into it. 

They collapsed together—him slumped against the cold, unforgiving stone at the base of the tower, and her… lifeless.

Her dress—what was left of it—was torn, the delicate fabric shredded from her struggle, clinging to her like a ghost of what once was. 

Dirt smeared her skin, dark streaks along her arms and face, and a thin trail of blood from a scrape on her shoulder stained the ivory silk. 

Her hair was a wild halo around her head, tangled and matted, a cruel contrast to how he had last seen her—radiant, strong, his.

But now, she looked broken.

Unmoving.

Silent.