Snow flurries started swirling down again. Tiny snowflakes landed on Marcella's dark hair, melting almost the second they touched, leaving little damp splotches in their wake.
She could feel it so clearly, the tiny life in her belly was slipping away, bit by bit. Its faint spark of life faded a little more with every passing second, and her own life force was draining away right along with it, slowly dwindling to nothing.
The rough, ragged gasps of her younger sister rang in her ears. Marcella's consciousness swam, and little snippets of the past started flashing through her mind faster and faster.
She thought back to when they were little, how tiny Solenne had followed her around everywhere she went, glued to her side like a shadow.
She remembered when they were teens, squeezing toget
