I tip forward, trying to catch my balance. But the ground of the Fade doesn’t feel quite solid under my feet. I clutch Folost, trying to hold him aloft. I twist my body, reaching out on instinct to stabilize myself so I don’t land on Mary. My fingers close around something warm and solid and I’m able to quickly right myself. The shadows slowly pull away from me. I release what I held onto and meet the eyes that carve hollows into the Fade. Rhave hovers there and, for a second, neither of us moves. “Look after her, please,” he whispers. “I will,” I vow with ease.
