C16 The Trial of Endurance

The first thing I felt was the ache. A dull, punishing ache that ran from my shoulders down to my legs, like every muscle had been torn apart and stitched back together with fire.

I sucked in a slow breath, eyes opening to the pale morning light bleeding through the cracks of the hut. The air was sharp with frost. My ribs protested when I sat up, and for a second, I thought about lying back down