No. Jenn couldn't look away, couldn't register what had happened.

Her mother made it to her feet and flung something at her. Jenn caught the necklace a moment before her mother began beating her, screaming. Too shocked to react, Jenn let her, until the earth bucked again. A crack split the street, swallowing her father-in-law and her little girl. Horrified, Jenn's mother dropped to her knees, sobbing.

"Coward!" she shouted at Jenn. "You did this, you coward!"

Jenn stared, the image of her lifeless daughter falling into the chasm replaying over and over in her mind.

"Jenn!" another voice filled with fear cried.

Jenn turned woodenly, the world around her making no sense in her state. She vaguely recognized the blond boy. He wriggled through the crowd to her, looking past her at the chasm and the woman sobbing beside it.

"C'mon, Jenn!" he urged. "Please!"

She took one step then another, not understanding how her body could move when her mind couldn't. Her steps went faster. Dustin darted in front of her, pushing his way through the crowd. He didn't go the way they did but cut through an alley towards the center of the city. Jenn struggled to keep up, to breathe, to make sense of the world around her. She kept her eyes on Dustin, not knowing what else to do.

The little boy cut through the central square, where neat stone walkways hedged by vibrant grass wound around the familial obelisks marking the bloodline and succession of each noble house. She stopped and looked around, searching for the one that her family served. She trotted through the square until she found it and crouched beside it to see names at the very bottom, the names of the nobles' servants.

Jenn, Finian, Talia. The names of her mate and her daughter were written beside hers. Jenn stared at them numbly then dug a hole in front of the monument with shaking fingers. She deposited the necklace into it and covered it.

"Jenn, come on!" Dustin shouted, darting through the obelisks towards her. "We have to hurry! My master is waiting for us!"

"Where are we going?" she managed at last, stumbling after him.

"The mortal world."

The ground shook, and she caught him as he fell. He bounded away again, back through the crowds. Jenn focused on keeping up with him. He ran through the city and into the apple orchard on the side of the city she'd only seen once, for peasants didn't go there. Half the orchard was on fire while the other half rained delicate pink-white blooms from the apple trees. She looked around, astounded by the beauty of the orchard, then realized she'd lose sight of Dustin once he crested the hill in the center of the orchard.




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