NO MORE DEATHS

For a minute no one said anything. The news that had just been delivered hung heavy in the air, casting a shadow over everything. But I remained silent, unable to find the words to express the truth that I had just learned.

The silence that followed was deafening, a heavy blanket that smothered any attempts at conversation. No one dared to speak, as if acknowledging the reality of the situation would make it all too real. I could see the doubt and denial in their eyes, the reluctance to believe what they had heard.

I felt a knot form in my throat, a lump of emotions that threatened to choke me. I wanted to scream, to shout out the truth that I had been keeping inside. But the words refused to come, trapped behind a wall of fear and uncertainty.

"Oh my gods, is mom dead?" Isabelle was the one who spoke out loud and all heads turned to look at her.

Khadija's expression remained stoic, "I'm sorry your highness but the queen is barely holding on as it is!"