CHAPTER 9
The tolling bell woke Callie from a troubled sleep. She raised her head and looked about, expecting to see the artwork and bright curtains that decorated her bedroom. Instead, she saw grey stone walls and, through the thin slits of the windows, the deep blue sky of a sunny, cloudless day. She pushed off the fur blanket that covered her, uncovering her sister at the same time.
‘Mmph …’ El snatched at the blanket and snuggled down once more.
Callie swung her feet off the large four-poster bed, wincing as her bare toes touched the cold stone flagging. She quickly pulled her green silk gown over her shift, wishing she had something warmer to put on. Sleeping bodies lay on rough straw mattresses on the floor — Lev, Stephen and Hal — each wrapped in a fur blanket and using their clo
