IN A BIT
MEI SHEN'S POINT OF VIEW:
It had been only a handful of days since the rain began to fall. Not the violent, terrifying downpour that had once ripped through the palace gardens, but a softer, patient rain, one that seeped deep into the cracked ground as if it understood how thirsty the earth had been. The scent of wet soil clung to the air, heavy and sweet, and everywhere I went, I could see the land slowly breathing again.
The people were smiling more. The lines on the farmer's faces had softened. I saw children splashing barefoot in puddles, their thin legs splattered with mud as they laughed, a sound I hadn't heard in weeks. And though I was grateful, I could not ignore the truth that lay under all that joy. The famine was easing… but it was not over. And somewhere beyond the veil of this world, danger was still moving toward us. It was on the fourth morning that the whispers began. At first, they were just casual, harmless remarks.
