Chapter 21 The Guild's Shadow

• The morning after the rebellion, the inn smelled like victory.
• It was the smell of rendered wyrm fat still clinging to the air, of scallions and garlic and the faint sweetness of wild honey. I woke before dawn and stood in the kitchen, breathing it in while the fire caught in the hearth. Outside, the road was churned with footprints and cart tracks, the snow packed down by a crowd that had stayed until the last lantern burned out.
• Kaelen was already awake, sitting at the counter with a cup of ale and the prince's deed spread out before him. He stared at the paper like it might vanish if he looked away.