Page 74 of Salt Between the Wolves
A faint frown touched her brow.
Although Eira often avoided people these days, she was rarely a heavy sleeper.
After a brief hesitation, Mara pushed the door open.
The room beyond stood empty.
At first, nothing seemed unusual. The bed remained neatly made, morning light spilled through the narrow window, and the hearth sat cold and unused.
Mara stepped inside.
"Eira?"
Only silence answered her.
She frowned again, thinking that perhaps Eira had gone for a walk or headed to the stables. The thought should have ended there, yet something tugged at her attention.
The room felt wrong—not empty, but incomplete.
Her gaze moved slowly across the space, taking in the shelf beside the hearth, the table, the chair, and the narrow chest near the wall. For a moment she couldn't identify what bothered her, but then she saw it.
Several items were missing from the shelf.
The absence was subtle, not enough to be obvious to a stranger but enough for someone familiar with the room to notice immediately.
Mara crossed toward it, feeling her stomach tighten.
The chest stood partially open. Several belongings remained inside, but others were gone.
The realization arrived gradually, slowed only by the fact that her mind resisted it.
No.
Eira wouldn't leave.
Would she?
Mara turned sharply and looked around the room again.
This time she noticed more.
The travel cloak was gone, along with the heavier boots and the leather satchel Eira sometimes carried into the mountains.
The unease settled deeper in her stomach.
She moved toward the window and looked down into the courtyard below, where life carried on as normal. Nobody appeared alarmed or concerned, and everything looked exactly as it should, which somehow made the feeling worse.
Mara stood there for several seconds before turning and leaving.
The stables were on the opposite side of the fortress.
She walked quickly at first and then faster, until she was almost running by the time she crossed the yard.
The stablemaster looked up in surprise when she entered.
"Mara?"
"Are all the horses where they're supposed to be?"
