‘Well,’ said Ulandin, ‘last time she escaped a husband, she killed him. I should count myself lucky.’ He rubbed his eyes as if he was trying to scrape out some tears and get relief that way.
I understood precisely how he felt. The heest were gone. I couldn’t sense them at all. Without Patchy and the others, my own body felt unreal. I slumped onto the deck. A splinter in the wood nicked my cheek.
Nothing ever felt right when the heest were unhappy, but this was much worse. The heest weren’t upset—they were gone. My nightmare was true.
Ransom touched my shoulder. ‘They’re hiding,’ he said, ‘like Waylah.’
I opened my mouth to speak and immediately began to cry. They were gone because I frightened them. My body shook and I couldn’t breathe. I tried to pull myself together before Patchy cou
