He didn't understand. It was plain on his face as he searched hers for more familiar, younger features. She was a child, smiling bashfully at compliment, flustering over the needs of others, glowing both with light and serene joy hemming sleeves or adding new fabric to her designs.

The City? Not safe? It hadn't always been perfect, but...

"I don't understand," he breathed, feeling his chest tighten. He had to sit up straighter from where he'd fallen, finding himself sore, more tired than before. "I don't understand what you're saying. What's happened to you? To the City?"

To me?