EMMA
The drive into Nightshade territory was suffocating.
Not because of the people I was with, though that tension was bad enough. But because of what this place represented, the stories I had only heard in whispers growing up. Power. Ruthlessness. Secrets are hidden beneath stone walls and shining buildings.
And now… the stolen heartbeat of my world. My daughter, who I had just found out about, is not quite long.
I never thought I would come here. Never believed my feet would cross into this land I had only ever heard others speak about. But here I was because we believed my daughter was hidden within these borders. And a mother's hope… well, it could tear mountains apart if it needed to.
The moment our convoy pulled up to the edge of Nightshade's territory, everything changed. The trees themselves stood like soldiers as if the forest held its breath.
And then we were stopped.
