Willow's POV

After hours of searching every inch of the compound and calling for my children until my voice was hoarse, I found myself standing alone in the courtyard, surrounded by silence. My heart pounded as I stared at the empty grounds, as if my pleas might somehow conjure their small, familiar faces from the shadows. But no one came.

The few people I’d managed to find in the nearby houses and shops had only offered vague sympathy before turning away. I realized then, with a sinking ...