The door of my chamber closed behind me with a soft click, and the world fell away.
I stood for a moment, my hand still on the latch, my body trembling with a fine, uncontrollable vibration that had nothing to do with cold. The sounds of the fortress—the distant murmur of voices, the clang of the forge, and the footsteps in the corridors—were muffled and distant, as if heard through a wall of water. I was alone. Finally, blessedly alone.
I took one step toward the bed. Then another. My legs buckled, and I caught myself on the edge of the table, knocking a candle to the floor. It rolled away, unlit and unimportant. I barely noticed.
The bed seemed impossibly far away, a distant shore I might never reach. But I had crossed greater distances today. I had faced a northern warrior and won. I could cross a few more feet.
