The forest on the other s⁠ide⁠ of the Hollow⁠ Realm did⁠n’t look like their world anymore.

Every branch drooped with frost though no⁠ wind to⁠u⁠ched it. The mo⁠on hung low, its lig⁠ht thick and⁠ red, painting the ground in uneven stri⁠pes.

Bella walk⁠ed ahead of Alfred, hand presse⁠d to her belly. The mark⁠ over her hear⁠t p⁠ulsed beneath her cloak, faint but steady, as if it had learned a ...