The next evening they were still at the stronghold. Katelina watched TV and tried to hide from the nearness of the Kugsankal. It didn't feel as if they were purposefully bothering her, just crushing her by proximity. She wondered how the usual residents put up with it.
Jorick paced restlessly around the room and finally announced he needed to see Oren.
He'd been gone some time when a knock sounded on the door and she opened it to find Verchiel.
"My, you are way down here, aren't you? Metaphorically speaking, how would you like to get some air?"
She thought about Jorick's reaction, but he'd let her go with Sadihra the other day. If he thought the Scharfrichterin was capable of taking care of her then Verchiel should be. He was probably older. . "Yeah, sure."
"Better grab your coat and
