After a night spent tangled with a cold and trembling Nyrielle, Ashlynn woke to an empty bed and a disorienting lack of awareness of time. The room, located deep in the castle in a place without windows, had become so perfectly dark that it was impossible to say whether it was early morning or if she'd slept until midday.
A knock sounded at the door, quick and sharp in a pattern that Ashlynn had come to associate with Heila.
"My Lady," the diminutive servant's voice called. "May I enter?"
"One moment," Ashlynn said. She briefly conjured a mote of light, just enough to locate the lamp on the bedside table and light it before banishing her sorcery. The night spent under warm furs had helped to replenish her energy after the previous evening but with her plans for the day, she had no intention of wasting energy on light when a practical, if mundane, solution was available.
