Chapter 16: Altair (5)

“Luina got hit by a carriage outside the school gates!” The words struck Ferken like a physical blow, as if the very sky had shattered around him. He instinctively lifted his head, but the heavens, annoyingly pristine, offered no sign of impending disaster. Instead, they were so clear and transparent, so dazzlingly bright, that it was difficult to gaze upon them. Luina, returning from the orphanage, had just alighted from her carriage when another, hurtling from the opposite direction, veered sharply upon spotting a child and swerved directly into her path.