5
Isara moved like a wraith in a red dress, her cloak flapping in the breeze. Her face was hidden under a scarlet hood, and she kept her eyes downcast. Overhead, the Antauran stars twinkled as the last traces of sunlight vanished from the eastern sky.
This small country road was lit only by the odd streetlight that provided just enough illumination to show a fence to her right and trees on her left, all with leaves fluttering in the wind. It was warm now that spring was in full bloom.
She smiled.
Eventually, she reached a gate where two men in blue uniforms immediately came to attention. One glowered at her as he stepped forward. “Gods forsake us, woman. What are you doing out here in a get-up like that?”
Isara looked up so that the light would penetrate her hood, and she felt her lip
