Still morose, months after his father’s death, Asculf watched the smoke swirl upwards from Thegn Etheric’s hearth. It rose until it separated like foggy hands preparing to clasp the beam over his head. Insubstantial, the smoke glided past the oak, never concealing the wood but leaving it ghostlike, visible, caressing it momentarily on its way. Drawn through the hole in the roof, it disappeared into the breeze. Asculf sighed,
The smoke continues to rise from the hearth, ethereal, like a human soul vanishing into nothingness.
The smoke continues to rise from the hearth, ethereal, like a human soul vanishing into nothingness.His melancholy mood prevented him from admiring the drapes and banners gracing the walls of the one-time royal hall, now the residence of his friend. After the devastat
