"These aren't normal restraints…" Iris muttered with a grimace, tugging again until her bound wrists burned. The rope didn't give even a fraction.
Her eye slid sideways toward Felicity. "Wake Ria first."
Felicity stiffened. "R-Ria?" Her voice shook behind the mask. She turned to Lyra, still unconscious near the wall, then to Ria. Ria was bloodied and limp but breathing steadier. Lyra's chest barely moved.
Iris gave a small, firm nod. "Ria will wake faster."
Felicity swallowed hard, the sound audible even through her mask. She had no idea what she was doing. None of this was her world. She wasn't ready for cells, shattered bones, or murder at arm's length. But Iris was. She practically grew up in these exact conditions.
The woman's sheer will felt like a force pressing against the princess's back, shoving her forward.
"I-okay…" she whispered.
