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“My ancestors,” she whispered.

A shiver ran visibly through his body. “Well, they’re definitely not ghosts that are stuck here. They’re something different, connected to the very cosmos. Voices whispering out of the stars.”

“Sometimes I hear them when I’m afraid.”

“I know you want to save this woman, but you’re asking a lot of me. I need you to be sure that this is the right move. We could go out there only to discover she doesn’t want to hear the truth. Or if she accepts the truth, it could be the end of her.”

Rocking back on her heels, Emma lifted her eyes to the stars. She couldn’t save Billy or the woman’s son, but she could try to save the mother. Jenni had saved her when she’d been so close to eating a bullet.

“I need to do this. I will go find her and try to convince her with or without you. I know I am asking a lot of you. If it is too much, I will accept you saying no without complaint. I didn’t realize just how much I was asking of you.”

“Jenni was a loud one, but she’s not here anymore. Last thing she did was pop into one of my dreams to tell me to help Emma. ‘Who the fuck is Emma?’ I said when I woke up. And then you arrived. So I’ll help ya.”

“Why do you think she brought me here?” Emma dared to ask the question she hadn’t even wanted to ask.

“Well, Jenni liked to save people to make up for not saving her kids. That burden weighed heavily on her. She gave her life to save another woman’s children. A way of balancing the scales. If I were to guess, I’d say Jenni saved you so you could continue her work. Just like you want to do with Macy.”

With a sharp inhalation, Emma accepted his words as truth. It sounded right somehow.

“You two would’ve been friends, I think. Though Jenni would have driven you fuckin’ crazy. It was hard to tell what was goin’ on in her mind one second to the next. Honestly, the only person who could actually handle her was Katie. They had a bond born out of loss and the struggle to survive. But you would have gotten along with her once Jenni figured out you weren’t a threat.”

“To her and Juan?” Emma arched an eyebrow.

“Nah, to her and Katie. Katie was her family. Mom, sister, best friend, everything.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because if you’re going to pick up the mantle Jenni left for you, you should know a bit about her and who she cared about. I have a feeling Jenni probably also summoned you here to watch over Katie.”

“Does she need watching over?”

“Nope. But Jenni would’ve kept on worrying about her. Besides, once Katie is back from maternity leave, you’ll be dealing with her a lot. Travis is mayor, but Katie is the power behind the throne. Trust me on that.”

“Is she like Nerit?”

“Scary? Nah. Katie is cool as a cucumber, that one. She doesn’t get riled easily.”

Despite Rune’s reassurance, Emma was intimidated by the thought of meeting Katie. Jenni had definitely sent her to the Fort, but Emma wasn’t sure she was comfortable with picking up any mantle. At the very least, she shared a mission to help others with Jenni.

“So when do we go find Macy?” Rune asked.

“You’re going to find Macy?”

Emma whirled about to face Juan. He was flushed from the heat and wiping the back of his neck with a kerchief. Beyond the garage, a teenager was guiding a horse toward the stable. Rune altered his position so he could stare past Emma and Juan as though looking for something unseen.

“I want to try to get her to come inside the walls,” Emma explained.

“There’s no sign of her out there. I took a look around,” Juan replied. “I’m worried about her. She’s really messed up over there not being a cure.”

“I just got a lead on where she might be,” Rune said in a nonchalant manner.

“Oh?” Emma and Juan said at the same time.

“Someone just showed up who wants a final word with her. It looks like we’re all on the same mission,” Rune explained, one long finger pointing to an empty spot near the garage doors.

“Her son?” Emma whispered.

“Nope. Her husband.”