[Grim]

TS: The Second Cycle of Winter, Era XIII Post Fractum'

Perhaps it was the voices that woke her. Angry. Not quite shouting, but definitely not being as silent as they might have been. "Now you listen to me,"'a gravelly voice said, "this comes back to you. You were our man in Fortune Cove, till you decided to uproot and come back here. If you had still been here they wouldn't have been able to do this."

"It's not your place to question me, if I hadn't done it the House had been in ruins by now,"'that was Agamon, without a doubt, "Listen, you brought me out of retirement to play in this little charade," he said, "I don't owe you anything, you need to fix this. Or you will need to find yourself someone to play your games."

"Come now, Dawri'praaal? Retired? I would nev.." the sounds of conversation down below was cut off as the door opened. The pale blue light of the moons shone silently in through the closed shutters of Amelia's bed room. Silhouetted against the light coming in from the corridor was the slim figure of Shiandi.

"Get dressed," she said, "we have business to attend to in the city. Our schedule has been moved up." Behind her burned the lamps, casting warm light into Amelia's room. "I will meet you at the front door in half a candlemark, dress warm."

She left, secure in the knowledge that Amelia was awake and on her way. The small bowl of water by her bed which was used for freshening up had gathered a thin layer of ice while she had slept and the carpets were freezing. Outside the moons kept a silent vigil, bathing the city of Nexus Prime in a pale, blue light.