Astrid and Vevina were startled out of sleep by a drawn-out, piercing scream of agony. They dressed quickly and ran out of their bedchamber, catching a glimpse of dusk settling over the land and realizing they had slept for a few hours.
Astrid preceded her wife down the flight of stone stairs, her heart pounding, for she felt that something dreadful had happened. She stopped abruptly, Vevina near colliding with her when she spotted her father's body stretched out on the table where she and her family gathered for meals, to laugh, debate, sing and sometimes cry together. Her mother had thrown herself across her husband's body and was howling in agony.
Astrid rushed to her father's side, Arthur and Lancer already there, shaking their heads as she approached.
Elaine's eyes bulged from her
