The room was dim and narrow, just wide enough for a bed and a small table. The air smelled of dust, woodsmoke, and old linen. Foxy peeled away her cloak and settled with a hiss onto the edge of the mattress. A knock came after only minutes. The barkeep’s daughter, a mouse of a girl with quick hands and quicker eyes, entered silently, placing down a basin of water, a clean cloth, and a bottle of something strong enough to sting the soul out of a wound. Foxy gave her a nod. The girl gave one back. Silence passed between them. Then the door shut again. Alone, she unwrapped her side and cleaned the gashes with slow precision, each swipe making her vision flicker. She didn’t cry out. Pain had long since lost its edge. But when she was done, she slumped back against the headboard, breathing shallowly. Velkrin. She mouthed it again. The name didn’t belong. It scraped against the world like metal against stone. She didn’t know it, but it knew her. She felt that certainty deep in her bones. She didn’t sleep, not fully. Just drifted. Dreams tried to find her, but something darker stirred just behind them.

Chapter 1, pt5 https://yodayo.com/posts/51354aba-3b87-4845-bf9b-d719196efed4

Chapter 2,pt2 https://yodayo.com/posts/b53fe9fb-c933-4021-8a3c-747b1969b9ac