Braavos, the House of Black and White.
Dawn had yet to fully tear through the sea fog. The damp, salty air carried a bone-deep chill into the ancient temple that stood at the junction of the canals.
Inside the temple, a circle of figures stood silently beside the pool of poisoned water.
They were servants of the Many-Faced God, offering their morning prayers.
When their prayers ended, the servants of the Many-Faced God moved to a carved wooden table for breakfast.
Uma, the cook, had already laid out the meal neatly.
Two priests attended the breakfast gathering: the Kindly Man and the Waif.
There were also several acolytes and more than a dozen Faceless Men.
They took their seats without greetings or exchanged glances. There was only the sound of knives and forks touching dishes, and of chewing.
The atmosphere at the table was quiet.
Then a voice broke the silence. "That girl bestowed the gift of death without permission and received the punishment she deserved."
The speaker was the Kindly Man.
He sat at the head of the table, completely shrouded in the shadow of his hood, his face impossible to see.
As he spoke, he chewed the bread in his hand, his movements never pausing.
The Faceless Man called Stern Face carefully wiped the grease from the corners of his mouth with a napkin and replied, "As she should. We have no right to decide life and death. We merely follow the will of the Many-Faced God and bestow his gift mercifully."
Another Faceless Man, Pretty Man, gently set down his wooden spoon. "I hear she killed a man from Westeros, across the Narrow Sea?"
It was the priest called the Waif who answered him.
She looked like a little girl of about ten, but she was actually