(GRIFFIN)
My fists clench helplessly. I feel the pain in her chest like it's carved into my own.
The gate creaks open behind us, and an older man steps through. "Give her a moment," he says gently. "She has good days."
Maya turns. "Jerry?"
I recognize the man. How could I not? About a decade older than me, he was the senior healer when I went missing. His eyes fall on me and widen. The shock in them is unmistakable. "King Griffin?!"
He's about to rush over, but I shake my head.
Lips trembling, he looks back at Maya. His voice is uneven now. "She's doing better, Maya. Although she has been a little disoriented today."
But as soon as the words are out of his mouth, I hear the older woman murmur, "Maya. Sweetheart, why are your clothes so dirty?"
"M–Mom!"
Maya rushes into her mother's arms, and I move away to give them some privacy.
