6
I blinked. “What?”
“I know,” Cora said. “I know it sounds crazy, but I’m sure. I mean, I think I’m sure.” She lifted her trembling hands and showed me the envelope she was holding. “I received this letter this morning.”
I picked up the envelope and pulled the letter out. Wary, I unfolded the white paper and stared at the symbols filling the page. “What is this?”
“A code!” Cora was scaring me. I had never seen her this excited before. “When I was little, my father and I used to write in code. It was for fun at first, but when I became a warrior, it served to send secret messages.” She pointed to the letter. “This is a secret message!”
“And what does it say?”
“That my family is fine. They have been hiding around where our enclave was, but can’t get to Lovell safely because the area i
