Drinking hadn't really been what she was after but it would have taken more energy to refuse it than to just let Elladora pour water down her throat. "How long do I have?" Would Elladora even tell her the truth if it the answer was a matter of hours? Even though she'd been preparing herself for death for months she still felt as though she hadn't had enough time. It had all started so suddenly. She might have had time to write a dozen letters in preparation but she hadn't time to process that what she'd been afraid of for so long was now happening. This was it. Her nightmare had always ended just after Cygnus was born but she still felt trapped inside her own nightmare.

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