[Runesmith]

Sounds... strange warbly, trilly sounds... The sound of birds singing. It was cold. Her head was a pulsing ball of pain. Nadine struggled to open her eyes. Sharp light stabbed right through to her brain the moment she managed to get them open, so she closed them again. She tried to shield her eyes, but her hands wouldn't move. Neither would her legs. Was she paralyzed? A wave of panic swept over her, forcing her to open her eyes, blinking against the harsh light.

The light was coming from a small window, high up on the wall. The irritating sound of birds was coming through that window. She was in a small room, and the walls seemed to be made of wood. This was not her apartment in Ehningen. How did she get there.

She tried to sit up, and again, her limbs wouldn't obey. She lifted up her head, but had to close her eyes until the painful throbbing inside her skull subsided. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the reason why her limbs would not obey - she was lying on a thin mattress on a small wooden bed, and her wrists and ankles were bound with loops of red colored rope to the bed frame.

To be continued