The walk to the village was more difficult than Kit had assumed it would be. She’d been warned to steer clear of the mud, which, with Jate’s help, she managed. What she wasn’t expecting was all of the filth and debris lining the streets. From parts of the castle, one could view the village, at least those houses closest to the southeast side of Wrenbrook. It always looked like a cheerful, relatively clean place to live. Kit had spied children playing in the streets there before, seen birds fluttering about, and even noticed some flowers that rivaled those in her own garden. She’d also visited a few times when she...