Nyrielle smiled in the dancing shadows cast by the swaying lantern in the carriage as Ashlynn began to share her perspective on handling Lord Ritchel's nation in general and Hauke in particular.
When Nyrielle initially made the decision to bind the young witch as her Seneschal, she knew little about what sort of woman Ashlynn was. She'd gone to Lothian City in the hopes of taking a look at Owain Lothian's new bride, though the presence of the High Priest made it impossible to get close during the late-night feast.
She'd never expected to learn that the woman Owain was marrying bore the mark of the witch, nor that he would attempt to kill her as soon as he discovered it. When she finally found Ashlynn, hours later, beaten, cold, and shivering in the dark of a rainstorm, she hadn't hesitated to seize the opportunity to bind a child of the earth to herself as tightly as she could.
