The wind sighed softly through branches that surrounded Quinn's cottage, caressing the eaves with cold, insistent fingers. Moonlight spread across wooden floors in pale silver, casting long stripes of light across ancient maps, shattered runes, and the tapestry embroidered with the lost crest of her house. The air hummed with a hush that could not make up its mind whether it was peace or tension.

Inside, Quinn stood barefoot at the edge of the hearth, her robe loosely wrapped about her waist. ...