Chapter 15

At sixteen weeks, I collapsed beside the front desk of Odette’s inn. I had been sick since before sunrise. By noon, even water came back up. Odette found me gripping the edge of the desk with both hands. The brass room keys blurred behind her shoulder. "Maren, sit down." "I’m fine." The words left my mouth out of habit. Then the floor moved. I remember Odette catching my arm. I remember a glass vase tipping onto its side without breaking. After that, there was only darkness. I...