Igrayne is hollow
31st October 1102
Despite the occasional cool breeze twining around Igrayne’s body like the breath of a lost soul, the party was remarkably cosy. They were seated around the heavy wooden table, lovingly notched together by Noah’s steady hands. Although the world around was dark and forbidding, they had created a small pocket of warmth and conviviality within the radius of the light from the dancing flames.
Igrayne remembers a doll
31st October 1102
Igrayne plunged her hands into the steaming water. They slid below the surface, hidden momentarily beneath a haze of steam. When they reappeared she could see them magnified, pink and chapped from years of hard work. She was unpleasantly reminded that they were not hands becoming of a lady’s maid. Perhaps she had risen above her status as scullion, but the rough skin on her hands would never let her forget from where she had come.
Garrick wakes
17th October 1102
The candlelight glowed behind Hepsie’s head making her dark face a shadow in the chilly room. But Lochan could faintly see her grim expression, the whites of her eyes as they flicked down to the sleeping pair in the bed.
Cindra sleeps
16th October 1102
Lochan curled his arm protectively around Cindra’s trembling shoulders, pulling her close to his body. He could feel how cold her skin was where it peeked shyly through the interlocking fingers of lacework that covered her arms.
Alexis spends a rainy afternoon
9th October 1102
The autumn air was crisp and damp, clinging to Alexis’ skin in a clammy sheen. The leaves shook in the breeze like wet dogs, sending droplets of water plummeting to the ground beneath. A faint earthy smell rose from the leaf-strewn path as he carelessly squashed their dying bodies beneath his boots.
