Chapter 17 – Talia’s POV

“I think I’m going to die.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

At first, no one reacted the way I expected. They just looked at me, annoyed, like I had said something out of place.

“This is not the time for a joke,” Abena snapped, her foot tapping impatiently against the floor.

I tried to shake my head.

“I’m not...” The rest didn’t come out properly.

Something tightened in my chest, sudden and hard, like an invisible hand had ...