What We Carry

In the bustling heart of a city divided by secrets and storm, Alex risks everything to reclaim a simple water skin—a relic of her family’s immigrant journey and the last link to a family she barely remembers. When her reckless quest draws her loyal friend Mateo into danger, the two must navigate shadowed alleys, palace intrigue, and the ever-watchful eyes of the Queen’s guards. Meanwhile, Val, left behind in the calm before the coming storm, begins to sense that the world she knows is shifting. As rumors swirl and loyalties fray, Val must decide what—and who—she’s willing to fight for. Especially when she is conflicted with feelings of love and duty. Bound together by memory, loss, and the hope of something better, Alex and Val are swept into a struggle that will test the limits of friendship, the weight of the past, and the courage it takes to carve out a future.With a life in mind and dagger in hand, who will give in first?