Chapter 169

• [Hawthorne]
• My hands are shaking as I make my way out of my apartment down to the main boulevard and down towards the train. The sky is still dark, the first rays of sunlight yet to crest the horizon and I can’t help but stop for a moment to look up at the fading stars. It’s so rare that I make it out of my rooms, and almost never when it’s still dark. Since the hellsbane plague began spreading from wolf to wolf across the continent, and we took over Moon River City as our capital, very few civilians are allowed outside for more than a few hours at a time.
• It’s a harsh rule, but one instituted for everyone’s safety. There is a curfew that stretches from dusk until dawn, and I feel a thrill of excitement knowing that I am breaking that rule right now. Although I guess, since I’m on a mission from the coven mistress, it isn’t really breaking a rule. Nor is it going against protocol when I pull out a badge calling for the city train.