Working in an inn is a never-ending task: from the moment you get up until the moment you go to sleep – if you got any, which wasn’t my case at all–, there are always rooms to clean, food and drinks to serve, and sheets and pillows to wash. Also, provisions must be checked at all times, in case anything runs out, and you must always make sure that everything is in proper condition, as food poisoning, for example, could be, well, deadly. However, this time of the year was particularly exhausting for us, since it was the time of the Gathering. It was an annual meeting that happened exclusively in Fenestrane for as long as everybody could remember, and it was considered the most crucial event in Tharsic, as all the seven Lords from Tharsic got together with the King to discuss “important matters” – even though the outcome didn’t seem to change anything for the people, except for a few more coins in our pockets after it was over. Yet, the people in Fenestrane took great pride in being the place where the Gathering happened and made a tremendous effort to make sure that everything was looking their best when the moment arrived. Some weeks before, many people started fixing the facades of their houses, cleaning the streets, putting fresh flowers in their windows – a rare luxury reserved for this time of the year, since there were very few in a land by the sea –, and taking their best clothes from old, dusty arks to get themselves ready for the big days ahead. The merchants would start re-arranging their stalls to show their best products and, being a land of sailors, all the ship owners would paint and fix their boats, so that they were looking brand new. As for us, we weren’t an exception, especially since we were the best inn in all of Fenestrane: the whole day went by in a blur, as I washed sheets and towels, mopped the floor, helped Marian in the kitchen with the food, served drinks and dinner in the dining room, and many other things that were suddenly needed during the day, like helping a very distressed duchess who couldn’t take off a tight dress she had made especially for this time of the year. Overall, it was a very busy day, and after everything that happened, it was perfect. For the whole day, I didn’t think about my nightmares or even Jay, who had seemed to have vanished. Before I knew it, it was night, and everything was quiet at the inn: all the guests were in their rooms, Lady T had just left for her chambers, and Tamara and Marian were in the kitchen, and I was cleaning the dining room, doing it as slowly as possible so I would be the last one to go – and therefore, go to Jay’s room unnoticed, a trick I had learned to master ever since he came into my life and it never failed. As I expected, half an hour later, Marian and Tamara walked in.

“Do you need anything?” Tamara asked, “You’re always so slow now, I mean, I would’ve done this room alone in twenty minutes.” I chuckled.

“That’s why it’s always so dirty whenever you clean it, isn’t it?” For a moment, Tamara didn’t react, her mouth opened in shock, but when she finally found her voice to protest, Marian intervened.

“Girls, now it’s not the time to argue about cleaning, let’s go to bed. Are you sure you don’t need help?” The question seemed harmless, but her eyes said something completely different.

“Yes, Marian, everything’s fine here.” I said, looking as innocent as possible. Tamara left and Marian followed, not without giving me a very meaningful look, as if saying “Remember what I’ve told you.” I just nodded and kept cleaning, only much faster this time.

After a while, I had finally ended and I was feeling proud, as I looked at my work: the tables, the chairs, and the floor were shining, and the table towels that I had washed that day looked pristine. Lady T would definitely be proud of me! I put away the rags, the bucket and the mop in a corner in the counter and blew away the lamps from the room. I picked my candle and headed for the door. Just as I closed it behind me, I heard a noise coming from the dining room, as if somebody had hit something. I walked in again and scanned the room, but everything was in its spot. All kind of thoughts crossed my mind about the origins of that noise, but I tried to rationalize. After all, the Flying Ship was in an old house that creaked a lot, and besides, there could be mice. I closed the door, and I was just about to walk down the long corridor to go to my room, when I saw a figure walking down the corridor in the opposite way, towards the entrance. I looked in that direction, but there was nothing. Suddenly, there was another noise coming from the hallway. Something impelled me to go there, and as I turned the corner, the candle went out, leaving me in the darkness. Gradually, some light illuminated the room, as the Moon was still full. As a reflex, I looked in the direction of the light and there, in the direction of the window, a dark hooded figure was standing there. The cloak covered it completely, and I couldn’t figure out if it was either man or woman. I froze, unable to scream, react, or even think about doing anything but to stay there and look. After what it looked like hours, the figure moved and came towards me...and then everything went black.