Intro to Midnight Pearl
The fire blazed in the pit creating a heat so powerful Kaiza’s tender skin reddened and drops of sweat rolled down her brow to dampen the roots of her matted hair. A bright yellow glow illuminated the small tavern, and smoke from the fire intertwined with steam from the green bubbling goo in the kettle over it. The table beneath her was cool and dampened with her sweat and chilled her despite the scorching room.
Again she attempted to move, but the bonds would not budge. She heard a shuffle and her eyes darted to the corner. Movement. Relief flooded her as she realized the woman crumpled in a beaten mound was not dead.
“Mother?” Silence stretched for several aching moments. “Mother?” She tried again. The hunched shape of the small woman shifted, then
