I stood frozen in the clearing, my human form trembling despite the warm afternoon air. The photo in my hand seemed impossibly heavy for such a small piece of paper. My father's face stared back at me – older, wearier, but unmistakably alive.
"I wasn't allowed to see his body," I whispered, more to myself than to Valerius who still stood naked beside me. "When they told us he'd been killed trying to escape, I begged to see him one last time."
Valerius's hand came to rest on my bare shoulder, warm and steady. "What happened?"
"They said his body was too damaged. That it would be traumatic." I laughed bitterly, tears stinging my eyes. "My mother collapsed when they told us. I was fourteen, trying to hold her up while..." My voice cracked. "While I pictured my father's broken body somewhere, all alone."
"I'm so sorry, Seraphina."
