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tension that existed between us seemed temporarily gone. I turned around and reached again for her. She didn’t hesitate in placing her small hand into mine.
    I knew she didn’t do it from affection; she was frightened out of her wits. She trembled when someone stepped on a branch or when the wind rustled through the trees.
    Gone was her sauciness. Her fiery nature. She was a girl destroyed.
    Almost.
    I hoped I still had time to save her.
    “Come on, they’re waiting for us,” I said, tugging on her hand.
    Two steps…and all hell broke loose.
    Two shots blasted into the air from a gun. Before I could reach my hand to cover her mouth, Louisa screamed. It ripped from her as if it carried her very soul with it. I jerked my sister around by the hand and ran, pulling her along with me. I pushed my legs as fast as they would go, but she flailed and stumbled behind me.
    I yanked harder against her. I didn’t know where we were running to; I just knew it was time to run. These woods had already taught me that. The leaves behind us crumpled and called out to us, alerting us that someone, or something, was close behind.
    Louisa begged for me to stop, but I shut out her pleas. If we stopped, we would die. She hadn’t lived inside the woods, hadn’t been outside of council protection, so she didn’t know what was possible.
    An image blurred past me on the left as a man bolted ahead of us, placing himself directly in my path. I attempted to skid to a stop before running right into him. Falling forward with my sister in tow, I collided with him, and the man caught me in his arms before Louisa and I fell to the ground. Every muscle in my body tensed, ready to battle for my sister. When I managed to look up, I came face-to-face with Robert.
    “What is it? I heard shots,” I panted, my legs trembling so hard that my entire body shook.
    Robert cupped my face with his hands. “It was your father. He shot into the air. Everything’s okay. You’re safe.”
    I sucked in air through my nose, gulping it down, forcing it in. “What do you mean it was my father? Why would he do that? Is he crazy?”
    Before Robert could answer, Louisa slumped to the floor. She was no longer screaming or crying—she just sat on the ground staring forward, her eyes wide. Her chest heaved up and down rapidly as she rocked back and forth.
    I crouched down so my eyes were level with hers. “Shhh, Robert said we’re safe. Breathe. Just breathe.” I tucked a hair behind her ear.
    But she didn’t reply. Didn’t blink. Her shaking hands moved to her stomach, and she rocked with greater force. Her head began to rock slowly back and forth, and her lips moved, whispering something furiously over and over. I leaned closer so I could hear what she was saying. “I believe in the council. The council will protect me. Protect me from my enemies. Protect me from myself.”
    The words my mother had taught her years ago.
    Louisa was still a believer.
    “What the hell was he thinking?” I growled, looking up at Robert.
    “I think it’s better if you see it,” he replied. He reached down and scooped his sister-in-law into his arms.
    As I followed behind Robert, Louisa wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head against his shoulder.
    “You both okay?” Henry asked, jogging toward us.
    “No, we are—”
    “Everyone and everything is just fine,” Robert cut me off. He looked back at me, warning that now was not the time. He then proceeded to move a little quicker, creating space between Henry and my sister and me.
    As soon as Louisa was out of earshot, I turned to Henry. “No, we are not okay. What was he thinking? Did he feel like he needed to remind us who was in charge? He nearly scared Louisa to death.”
    Henry shook his head and clenched his jaw. “He did it to call them.”
    “Call who?” I asked, looking at his face, seeing it pulled tight with worry.
    “Them. His people.” Henry pointed ahead of me.
    I followed his finger to find a