Rosamund
I stayed there, curled on the ground, my arms over my head, my body shaking so violently that my teeth clattered. I waited for the cold to swallow me. for the hands to close around me, for whatever lived in this dead village to take what it had come for, but nothing happened.
Slowly, one breath at a time, I lowered my arms.
The mist was gone, the figures were gone, the square was empty and quiet, lit by the last amber light of the evening sun. Nevan's dark horse stood where he'd left it, pawing at the ground, its ears flat and its nostrils flared. The golden mare was nowhere to be seen.
I got to my feet on shaky legs. My hands wouldn't stop trembling. My vision was blurred, and my pulse was hammering so fast I could hear it in my ears.
I could not stay here. Whatever that had been, whatever I had just seen, I could not remain in this square alone for one more second.
I walked toward the lane where Nevan had gone.
