Lucrezia dragged in a sharp breath as her arms strained under Vespera's weight, her boots slipping against the frozen ground. Her muscles screamed, begging for their own reprieve.
"Vespera," She called, but the lady wasn't answering. It was as though her body had gone still, save for the faint rise and fall of her chest. "Come on… please…" She whispered, more plea than command, her voice trembling as she tried again.
Vespera barely stirred.
A low, uneven breath escaped her as her weight sagged further into Lucrezia's hold. "No—no, stay with me," Lucrezia murmured quickly, panic tightening her throat. "Just a little more… we just need to—"
A sound cut through her words before she could finish, and Lucrezia froze. Her heart began to pound, slow and heavy, each beat echoing too loudly in her ears.
Don't look.
The thought came instinctively. Don't—
But she turned anyway.
And her blood ran cold.
