Lantern in hand, Yvonne left the heated discussion. The squires and knights were still arguing over what had caused the noise. As expected, the debate had turned personal, and they seemed ready to arrange an expedition to investigate.
She had wanted to listen a little longer, but it really was time to leave. The sun was still high in the fiery clouds at the edge of the horizon, but behind the thick walls, the stone stairs and corridors received light only through narrow, elongated arrow slits. A lamp was already necessary to get around.
The way back was long. From the Workshop in the outer bailey, she had to climb and wind her way through tier upon tier of buildings, stacked like the layers of a banquet cake, before passing through the Inner Castle's checkpoint and returning to her quarters.
Climbing those towering stairs took time and effort. It took her a while to reach the upper levels. From the terrace, she watched the crowd gathered around the Workshop gradually disperse. The knights and squires returned to their quarters, while the apprentices tidied their workbenches and carried their smaller tools back inside.
A flame sprang to life in the deepening dusk, then split into several smaller lights that scattered along the roads beneath the walls' shadows, like ashes adrift in a canal filled with cold water.
They were the night patrols. Some were led by a knight. A young lady returning late was probably one of the few bright spots in their dull, moldy shifts, so they were bound to offer a pointless, ceremonial greeting. Returning the courtesy would be a hassle.
She quickened her pace, hoping to get back to her room sooner.
Through the house-shaped window beside the tower's spiral staircase, a great flock of things with strange,