Zariah couldn't place the feeling at first. What was it? She didn't like it, she wanted it to go away, and yet it remained firmly planted in the pit of her stomach. Her arms tightened around the child in her arms. Child? She tilted her head and stared down at...him. Jace. Her son. Her hand touched his cheek and a thumb ran over his chubby cheek. She wasn't sure why or how, but she knew deep down that his father wasn't in the picture. Not dead. Just not around. Who was he? Why was her mind so fuzzy? What was this nagging feeling? The boy looked equally confused, on the verge of tears. She shushed him, trying to calm him but was only mildly successful. "Momma..." he whimpered, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Suddenly, as if she had run into a wall, he memories came flooding back, and the feeling in her gut became clear.
Dread.
Why dread? Because things weren't right. Her mother's instinct was going off with bells and whistles, something was wrong. Her son, first of all, was not this old. Jace was but a baby, a two-year old, and yet the Jace she held was definitely at least four if not five. How? How had it happened? No time to wonder. She looked around her, as dread turned to terror. "Beatrix!!" she shouted. Where was she? What was her daughter? Frantically she looked around for anything, anyone, familiar. Her eyes caughtEdrei and Loren. "Edrei! Loren!" she called to them, hurrying over to where they were. "Is Beatrix with you? Have you seen her?" she asked, panic obvious in her tone.
Dread.
Why dread? Because things weren't right. Her mother's instinct was going off with bells and whistles, something was wrong. Her son, first of all, was not this old. Jace was but a baby, a two-year old, and yet the Jace she held was definitely at least four if not five. How? How had it happened? No time to wonder. She looked around her, as dread turned to terror. "Beatrix!!" she shouted. Where was she? What was her daughter? Frantically she looked around for anything, anyone, familiar. Her eyes caught
