"Open the gate!" Cries could be heard from the top of the ramparts surrounding the Einhardt Estate. Eva had been feverish for the last half of their journey back to the Duchy. However, throughout their journey she refused to put down Ember. Grief for the daughter she only got to view once filled her with a numbness that terrified her.
The anger that burned within her for Lucas' choices had long since faded, and she was once again relying on him to get them through whatever fate threw at him. If there was one thing she regretted, it was perhaps the newfound coldness from the person she called a friend. Leyla had been quiet and almost bitter on their return trip.
She could only hope that they would somehow return to the friendship that she valued so dearly. Yet the means of reconciliation were beyond what she could accomplish at the moment. Her newborn's cries drew her from her thoughts and she peered into the blankets.
