I was still pacing around when Elenora, Jade, and Noelle stumbled through the portal. I rushed to them, desperate for answers. “Who got hurt? What happened?”
But they didn’t answer me.
Jade collapsed onto the couch, his face pale and drawn, while Noelle dropped to her knees, staring blankly at the floor. Elenora, always composed and strong, sank against the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. Her shoulders heaved, and then, something I never thought I’d see, tears streamed down her face.
She was crying.
Not just crying, sobbing, broken, her hands gripping the fabric of her coat like it was the only thing holding her together.
For a moment, none of us moved. Samuel stood frozen beside me, his eyes wide with disbelief. Belle, who rarely seemed fazed by anything, was u
