The Duchess led us away from the Pool of Reflection through corridors that seemed to fold in on themselves. The four of us who'd survived followed in silence, our Blood Moon sigils pulsing red on our wrists.
Astro kept his hand on my elbow, steadying me when I stumbled. My body was still adjusting to being alive again. Everything felt wrong. Too heavy. Too solid. Like my soul hadn't quite settled back into my flesh yet.
The other two survivors walked ahead of us. A woman with dark hair and haunted eyes. A man who kept touching his wrist like he couldn't believe the mark was real.
We didn't speak. What was there to say? We'd all died. We'd all come back. We'd all paid prices we were still discovering.
