The fog in the Vale of Mists covered the Ancient Fortress like a soft, gray blanket, shrouding the tops of the towers in mist and turning the world beyond its walls into a dimly seen illusion. The sounds of horseshoes ringing on the flagstones of the courtyard were faint and muffled, and even the creek of the carriages and the clatter of their wheels sounded dull in the chill, wintry air.
Ashlynn kept the group that had assembled to meet the carriages small. Ignatious had already created a disturbance on more than one occasion by continuing to wear the robes of the Inquisition, and he was one of Nyrielle's progeny. While she was confident that she could intervene before anyone could do harm to themselves or the 'guests' arriving in Heila's carriage, given their unique identities, she'd ordered the courtyard cleared of anyone who didn't have a strong reason to be present.
