The streets of Orrinsby felt smaller than Kai remembered. The presence of the church had spread like a disease, its banners draped across buildings, and its inquisitors standing at every major intersection, their scrutinizing gazes sweeping over townsfolk with silent judgment.
Kai kept his head down and his hood drawn low while he moved swiftly through the familiar roads. He kept his destination in sight.
'The butchery. If anyone knows the gossip around town, it'll still be Delilah.'
When he stepped inside, the scent of raw meat, blood, and herbs overwhelmed him, but the warmth he once felt within the place was gone.
Delilah stood behind the counter, her frame much thinner than before, dark circles under her eyes. The once vibrant woman, who could carve through a boar's carcass while joking about it, now moved with exhaustion.
