Lion Head Mesa 新月 new moon

It had become quite clear to Lilitu that Crowfeather was not here—that perhaps he never had been here.

Oh, there were stories of his running away, scared and injured. Had they hurt him? No—he'd come here like that. But if he was in such poor shape, how had they not caught him up? Nothing added up.

There was no prince; there was no marriage. And now, she was stuck in limbo, watching royal children parade around in ceremony, like something out of a tale Wraen would have spun. This absolutely, positively could not be real life.

She stuck close to Belen, one of her few friends here. All the while plotting an exit strategy.

She didn't want to believe that the Akashingo wolves had some nefarious designs for her, but nothing had been what it seemed. Maybe they didn't even know where Arielle was. Maybe it had all been a lie.

Lilitu sighed quietly, and thought to herself,