Rose's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "How are you doing, Sasha?"
The hooded figure reached up and pulled back her hood, revealing features that mirrored Rose's own sharp beauty but carried decades of harder living. Scars traced silver lines across Sasha's left cheek, and her eyes held the cold gleam of authority earned through blood.
"So you still remember," Sasha said, her voice carrying surprised approval. "Quite the memory."
Rose tested the burning metal restraints around her wrists, feeling them tighten in response. The fire-forged chains hummed with power that made her skin crawl. "Hard to forget family."
Sasha's expression darkened momentarily before she gestured impatiently. "Let's move out of this forest. You know how badly I hate insects." As if summoned by her words, a cloud of gnats began circling the fiery prison, their wings creating an irritating buzz that made Sasha's jaw clench.
