How long she sat in the forest, staring into the bottomless pit, Ashlynn couldn't say. The sun had been slipping toward the horizon when she wandered into the woods in search of this spot, and the darkness of a moonless night had enveloped the forest for quite some time before the soft crunch of foot falls on fallen branches and the soft golden light of a lantern disturbed her spiralling thoughts.
"My Lady?" Ollie called as he navigated his way through the forest to find Ashlynn sitting at the base of a cedar tree. Ever since becoming the Cypress Witch, he could feel her presence and her proximity even if they were leagues apart so it hadn't been difficult to find her, but when he did, he momentarily wondered if he should have… or if he should have just waited for her to return to the hastily established camp.
"What is it Ollie?" Ashlynn asked in a tone that was much lighter and clearer than her heart felt. "Has Marcel already arrived?"
