Lyria walked briskly toward the stables, trying to project a confidence she didn’t feel. Head held high, she hoped she didn’t look too frightened. She snuck one look over her shoulder and saw that Aertis and Ravelina were huddled together by the door to the observatory, not moving toward Lyria or toward the castle, just watching. They were fading from her vision quickly in the barely existent light, shadows and dark falling around them in a heavy curtain.
“All right,” muttered Lyria as she approached the dying flame, which was little more than a flicker and getting smaller every moment. “What have we here?” she asked herself. The light cast the tiniest glow she had ever seen, and she was shocked that the flame continued to burn at all.
The large brazier, used to keep horses and stablehan
