*Alec*

The shrieks of women greeted me as I thundered to a stop in Moon Haven. Ember’s body shuddered again, but she kept breathing. The sound of her fading heartbeat and soft breathing was the only thing that had kept me going the entire journey. So long as she was breathing, so long as she was alive, there was time–there was hope. I panted, sucking in breath after breath as my heart thudded in my ears and the women scattered from the gardens, darting into their homes ...