Chapter 20
The Whisper of a Plan
The second time Nicolas opened his eyes, it was still dark, but he was no longer surprised to be wrapped in his bearskin bed roll. He realized he must have drifted back to sleep after talking with Benjamin. He’d felt tired, extremely tired, and the comfort of the nearby fire, the warmth of his bearskin, and the closeness of his friends lulled him back to rest. Nicolas heard the muted pad of footsteps on the mossy pathway, and he peered out of his snug cocoon to see what was going on.
The night air was taut and chilly, but it looked as if most of the fog, and even the clouds, had cleared off and the sky was brilliantly lit with thousands of star clusters. The small fire had gone out, and the bright starlight cast everything in pale shades of grey-white an
