"Burn it all down, until nothing remains but stones, bones, and ash…"
Ashlynn's words ignited a firestorm of their own, and the hall erupted into dozens of murmurs and exclamations.
"She can't be serious…"
"Does she mean to burn down the abbey in Maeril?"
"Did she, did she really say what I think she said? She's going to burn the abbot and his men along with the books?"
"It's fair, isn't it? The Inquisition burns heretics at the stake, so isn't this just letting them reap what they sowed?"
"But… but… When the Inquisitors outside the march hear of this…"
At the Blackwell table, Jocelynn's eyes drifted upwards while her hand clutched at the hilt of the fighting knife beneath her skirts.
"I know it's not what you would have asked for, Eleanor," she whispered. "But… If she really does it, if she really burns down the Inquisition that took you from us… I hope the flames she lights can guide you on your way…"
