Hollowshade Haven

Nyma’s hands never left her belly. The baby had gone still after that last kick—too still.  

Gravel sprayed like shrapnel beneath the tires as Sophie veered onto the narrow mountain pass, the engine growling against the incline. Behind them, the gates of Raven’s Flock faded into a sliver of orange torchlight—swallowed by the dark, distant as a dream already slipping from memory.

Nyma sat rigid in the passenger seat, one hand braced against the door, the other resting protectively over the curve of her stomach. The baby had gone still after that last kick—too still. Since the final shudder of the wards rippling behind them. Since the distance grew between them and Kael.

Stillness like that was never just stillness. It was omen.

“Breathe,” Sophie sa