BLOOD AND VOWS
But the silence that settled across the courtyard told everyone watching what they already knew in their bones—that it was Rosa.
Emilia didn’t run.
She didn’t scream.
She walked out slowly, calmly, coat still half-buttoned, the wind tugging at her collar, and stared at the body like she expected it to sit up and explain itself. She stopped five feet away, eyes locked on the boots—mud-caked, one untied, the soles worn from constant movement. She knew those boots. Had bought them for Rosa the day she joined the inner circle, told her, “These will carry you through hell if you let them.”