I must not have lingered in the darkness. I ought not to have seen it. However, I had. The image now burned like a fire on the back of my neck.

I wanted air free of falsehoods and murmurs, so I hurried out of the hall without knowing if I would be stopped. With the aid of the moonlight, I was able to escape the torches as I made my way into the woodland.

The earth was damp and chilly at the beginning of the night. In an attempt to bring the storm inside so it could rise, I put my ...