Chapter 9, Verity Shepard:
The wagon with its iron-banded wheels made a relentless clack against the joints in the cobbles. This far out of the city, the builders used whatever stones they found. The uniformity of size made little difference on such an untraveled road.
Verity knew it would get worse. Shortly the pavers would end, and the path would turn to mud in the relentless rain the shard had been experiencing the past few days. At least the downpour had turned to a steady mist, but the damage to the track was done. She knew a muddy mess waited for them.
Leaving the city was the last thing Verity wanted to do. She rarely ventured out of the citadel, but the trail of her witch had grown stagnant. She needed a fresh environment, something to clear her head. Visiting her son on the out
