Ping sat on the hearth, cradling Mara’s head, dabbing at a cut over her left eyebrow with a wet cloth. As she came to, she grabbed his arm hard enough to make him wince and sat up with a jolt.
“Ping, my mother—” Mara slumped back, dizzy, disoriented.
“Slowly. Don’t jerk around like that. You took a bad blow to the head.” Ping helped her sit up, grabbed her hand and placed it on the cloth, indicating he wanted her to hold it. “Where’s your mother? What happened?”
“She left, but it wasn’t my mother. I think it was Sam’s mother.”
“She crossed over? How is that possible?”
“They had the Chronicle. Both of them were sitting right here. Then there was just one, and it was her. My mom was gone.” Mara’s voice cracked, tears welled up. “She said my mother is dead.”
“Wait, wait, wait. Tell me e
