A sharp gasp tore through Gabriel's throat.
His eyes snapped open.
The ritual chamber vanished, Ariya's humming, the silver instruments, the Commander's hand on his jaw.
Gone.
He snapped his head to the side, searching for it. For any trace of it. His breath came fast and uneven.
Sound bled back in slowly.
Muffled voices. Chairs scraping. The dull thud of boots on wooden floorboards.
He blinked hard, refocusing his vision.
He was in the guild.
The cold hit him a second later, a second bucket of freezing water crashed over his head, slamming his senses fully back into reality.
Gabriel shot upright, coughing as ice-cold droplets ran down his face and neck.
"Ennu girl, one more ought to do it," Hanitz rumbled behind him.
"Y-Yes, Master."
Ennu hurried forward, replacing the empty bucket with one filled to the brim, frost still clinging to the wood from the well.
"I'm up!" Gabriel barked, voice cracking.
Ennu froze, she had never heard Gabriel raise his voice.
