I wanted to go to my room and climb under the covers. To hide from the pain I felt, the slow and unrelenting crushing of my heart. To push aside the promise I'd made to sit down and talk to Shenka when I was done with Gram. But as I paused at the bottom of the stairs, I felt someone cross the wards before hearing the sound of knocking on the kitchen door.

Retreat still sounded like the best plan. Shenka was there to pick up the slack and even if it was Tallah all over again, I ...