The night reminded him of that silent one, when he had followed Aurelia to the dingy inn and they had made the deal. Their first private encounter, and he had been caught by her snooping about the hallway. She was so clever, witty, and so, so trusting.
The humid air hung like a damp cloth, hugging his face, the darkness an unperturbed and prevailing curtain. He ruffled the dense air as he slowly walked, breathing deeply at the moist air that hugged his airways.
It was half past two and he was lovesick. Lapis Valley was even more breathtaking at night than it was at day, the serenity that hugged it in the absence of its residents embalmed his nerves and cooled down his beating heart.
He had taken the first carriage he could find that had deposited him there. The coachman had taken off with his entire wallet in exchange for keeping his mouth shut, and now Falcon was penniless.
