Chapter 74 Insects Underfoot

• I shifted into human form. Waiting for the slide of skin, the adjusting of bone and muscle and veins to settle back into place and my face to crunch and flatten back into one they’d think was more familiar. I smeared the blood from my nose and cracked my neck as I straightened. I walked barefoot and naked from the trees. Striding as if I owned everything. I slipped through the gate and stayed within the shade of the wall. Skirting it and rounding behind the marketing booths, despite some very confused looks and one woman covering her daughter’s eyes, I was at the back of the castle shortly.
• I’d learned long ago that if one walked with enough confidence, people might stare, but they wouldn’t dare to stop you.
• I saw the large wooden door with the black iron ring cutting into the back wall. Far less guarded than the front double-doors had been.