“Stay with your momma, baby.” Papa touched my cheeks, drawing me away from the voices. “Stay with her and find your brother. I’ll be back for you soon.” Papa rose and turned to the door—to the man who stood there, watching from the small crack between the panels. “Do you see him?” The man at the door, whose hair reminded me of the beaches of the Stroud Sea, nodded. “He knows you’re here.” “He knows she’s here.” “Either way, he’s leading them here. If they get in here…” “We won’t let that happen,” Papa said, reaching for the hilt of a sword. “They can’t have her. We can’t let that happen.”
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