KATARINA
Everyone stared at me after I finished speaking, and I hadn’t meant to raise my voice, but my chest heaved as if I had just run miles. Grief and anger had tangled together inside me until they spilled out without permission, and the silence that followed felt fragile.
I swallowed and turned to Cyra, knowing she meant well. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay,” she replied quickly, nodding. Her eyes were still glossy with tears. “I understand.” The elder cleared his throat gently, drawing our attention back to the reason we were here. His voice carried authority, but it was still threaded with sorrow.
“It is time,” he said. “We will proceed with the receiving.” I didn’t know what was expected of us to do, as I had never attended such a thing, but Ines qu
