[Emma's POV]
The word "death" didn't fade. It clung to the air in the room, a final, absolute verdict that seemed to suck all the warmth and hope from the world. I felt my knees go weak, my hand flying out to brace against the cold stone wall behind me just to stay upright. This was it. The end of the road Jaxon and Cain had fought so desperately to keep me on.
But then, the lead Elder—the woman with eyes that held the chill of deep space—did something that fractured the moment entirely. She tilted her head, a gesture of detached, academic curiosity, as if examining a particularly interesting stain under a microscope.
"The cottage," she said, her voice still that infuriatingly calm, melodic tone. "The one nestled by the old pine woods, with the wild roses climbing the trellis. It burned
