Penelope’s POVThe great hall was festive three days after our victory, but the sound of drinking and music felt wrong when so many chairs sat empty around the tables. I watched people laugh and toast while their friends’ bodies were still being prepared for burial, and something twisted in my stomach at how quickly grief turned into relief.“Mommy, can we go home now?” Debbie whispered beside me, her small voice barely audible over the noise.She hadn’t spoken more than necessary since the battle, and I kept catching her staring at her hands with an expression that broke my heart. Those tiny fingers had turned living people into ash, and no six-year-old should have to carry that weight.“Soon, baby,” I said, stroking her hair. “Just a little longer.”Dominic sat on my other side looking equally haunted. Dark circles ringed his eyes, and he hadn’t touched the food on his plate. When our eyes met I felt an echo of that perfect union we’d shared, a ghost of what it had felt like to be co
Last Updated : 2025-10-13 Read more