Moonspear ^____________^

Alaric shifted nearer, blocking off her view of the mountain. Noticing her hesitation, he offered reassurances. None of these had much of an effect on Pie—her limbs remained rigid, her heart pattering against her ribs—at least right away. But when his words properly landed, her brow furrowed.

My circumstances? she echoed faintly, not at all certain what he meant. Okay… Treepie added, her uncertainty evident both on her face and in her voice.

But she did as she was told. For some reason, Pie counted backward, not that she noticed. After uttering “one,” she took another deep breath and gazed up at Alaric, his large figure still taking up much of her visual field. But if she turned her head…

Her yellow eyes squeezed shut and she choked out, I can’t, as another wave of mysterious panic crashed over her.