Julian froze.

He turned, and there she was—his mother.

Madam Hale looked utterly undone. Her hair hung disheveled around her face, her makeup streaked with tears. The composed, elegant woman he knew was gone; there was nothing of her usual grandeur.

Julian assumed she’d come to see him off. With a casual wave, he turned toward the security checkpoint and started walking.

But Madam Hale panicked. She bolted after him, raising her voice, ...