SERAPHINA
My feet carry me through corridors I don't register, past servants I don't see. I need something real. Something that makes sense.
Azriel.
I haven't seen him all day, not since last night before the heat took hold. The realization hits me with a fresh wave of guilt. I've been so consumed by my own chaos that I haven't even checked on my son.
I find him in the nursery with Mira, hunched over his wooden soldiers with intense concentration.
The sight of him loosens something in my chest.
"Mama!" His face lights up when he spots me in the doorway. He scrambles to his feet, nearly tripping over his own toy army. "Where were you? I didn't see you all day!"
I cross the room and pull him into my arms before he can finish standing. Hold him tight against my chest, breathing in his
