Ella

A fine layer of mist covers the ground as I follow Commander Westfall down a steep embankment. Pockets of loose shale give way beside me, tumbling to the ground and shattering like glass. I pull my cloak tighter, grimacing as my feet slip and slide over the uneven ground.

The sun hasn’t risen yet. Stars shine bright above us, the only light to be found.

“We’re almost there,” he says gruffly.

“Well,” I say tartly, glaring at the back of his big, fat head. “Those are the first words you’ve said to me in a kind tone since you died.”

He says nothing, of course. He doesn’t want to...