SIXTEEN
Arbiter
Upon her arrival, Darlia had asked her to wait inside by the cave’s entrance whilst the scrier informed Nathaniel of her presence. She leant against the cave wall, casting her gaze south-east across the wintery landscape. Snow fell from the sky, settling on the leafless branches of the woodland through which she had travelled, contrasting against the brown hues denoting its mass. Winter had come early, forcing its native fauna to either emigrate or go to ground. Now, the woodland was silent, giving it an eerie, abandoned feel. She turned her attention back to the interior of the gloomy cave, lit by the numerous Moonstones that studded its walls radiating their soft violet and sapphire hues. Time and again, she wished that she had been gifted with better vision, but the sp
