Page 38 (2/2)

A shadow passes by the door and all of us look toward it We aren’t alone in the house Hildi is here Sue and Davis helped remove the corpse of her partner Andi moments before our return We were too late with the cure, at least to spare her life Adding another layer of grief in the house is hard to e

Sa to be answered

I take one last look out theat the cloudless, blue sky outside It’s the exact opposite of what Morgan will see fro to face ht alone”

2

Morgan

The strings tighten, pulling hard against my waist

“Ouch,” I say, grunting through the disco into my ribs “Is this really necessary?”

“You’ve been invited to a foran and her court,” Nevis says, pushing her knee into e I buckle, but the corset doesn’t allow me to move far “This is considered appropriate dress”

“She must plan to kill me in this Because there’s no way I can defend ”

Nevis replies with final hard yank

Truthfully, the gown is exquisite The fabric is a dark blue silk, erazes the floor and the skirt is fluffed out with thick crinoline A glance down reveals thatthe whole outfit, along with s me to a halt