C26 WHEN THE HEART FORGETS

Elara's first feeling was cold.

Not the sort that hurt your flesh; this was deeper, the kind that got into your soul and said, "You don't belong here."

She gasped and sat up quickly. She was sweating all over, but the air in the morning felt cold. A calm meadow, touched by daybreak, lay all around her. The air smelled like rain and wildflowers, and a river spoke quietly in the background