FELDA

Everything she said kept ringing in my head like a curse I couldn’t shake off. Elsa… in labour… dying. The words sank into me slowly, like cold water sliding down my spine. I blinked and looked up, expecting to still see Emora standing there, crying, begging, and breaking. But she was gone.

My heart jumped.

“Emora?” My voice cracked. “Emora!”

I rushed out of the cave like something was chasing me. My feet hit the wet forest ground, and I didn’t care that branches tore ...