“They all say that,” Alasyr said. He had the most intense eyes, which glowed behind his black hair and sculpted face. He looked both familiar and also exotically foreign. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t be different.”
“Ember!” This time it was Gretchen. “Come back, please. I have news you need to hear.”
“Hope you find your sister,” Ember said, waving at Alasyr, who simply stared back with an incredulous glare.
Her light mood faded as she saw the way Gretchen regarded her. In her hand, she clutched a shred of vellum. Her cheeks flushed with an emotion Ember didn’t yet understand.
Earwyn buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
“Emberley. Darling,” Gretchen said. She didn’t gather Ember in her arms, but instead held her at her shoulders. “I have to tell you something terrible, and how I
