For several minutes after Isabell spoke, Ashlynn sat in near perfect stillness on the soft carpet before the hearth. Only the sounds of the crackling fire and the falling rain on the terrace outside filled the sitting room while everyone waited nervously to hear how Ashlynn would respond to Isabell's words.
"I need some time to think," Ashlynn finally said, lifting her head and looking around at the chaos her loss of control had brought to her room. From the scorched rug to the door that Virve broke in her haste to reach Ashlynn's side, even the puddles that formed after Heila charged in from the terrace, leaving the door open and swaying in the wind, in order to reach Ashlynn a few seconds sooner.
All of it combined to make it look like a fight had broken out in Ashlynn's sitting room, and perhaps one had.
