Decreash
The stars strained faintly behind a slow crawl of dark clouds, their light fractured while the moon sagged low in the sky.
The railings of the terrace laid abandoned to the night.
Rows of fire torches that once stood alive are now blackened by ashes, their flames quenched.
The torches had been snuffed out, their flames surrendering to the dark, and the only illumination came from the pale glow of the moon.
What remained were restless dark shadows stretching across the ground, crawling along the walls, and folding into corners where eyes could not see.
Seated on the terrace of her chamber located at the far end of the Midwest Queen Quarters was a woman.
She occupied a rough-hewn rocky chair; her posture was neither relaxed nor rigid, it was something in between.
Her shou
