On the sixth day, Lina didn't come at all.
Aria had waited. The hearth burned low. The porridge from yesterday had been scraped clean. She told herself Lina was busy. The ceremony was tomorrow anyway and everyone was busy.
She laced her boots and went to work.
The laundry was empty, Mira was not in the kitchen And there was no linen either. The fortress had turned itself inside out for the preparations. Aria scrubbed the same pot three times just to keep her hands moving.
By midday, she went looking for Lina.
The servants' quarters were quiet. Most of the staff had been pulled to the great hall. Aria walked the narrow corridor, past closed doors and cold torches, and stopped.
A voice, not just any voice. It was Lina’s voice, it was low.
"I told you not to come here."
Aria pressed h
