Inayah stood by the kitchen counter, staring at the vast array of knives spread before her. One knife in specific was double-edged and sharp enough to slice through the skin with ease. So much ease. “Stop lazing about.” Mathilde’s voice echoed from somewhere behind her and Inayah gripped the potato in hand. Inhaling a measured breath, she began to precariously peel the vegetable, gripping the knife handle tightly as the blade swept beneath skin. She was careful enough to cut out chunks of flesh lest Mathilde injures her again.Then again… Inayah’s eyes flickered to the fire hearth with a cauldron set atop, two pokers pressed into the bright orange coals that glimmered with embers of heat. She licked the back of her teeth thoughtfully. Completing the remnants of dinner, Inayah arranged the variety of foods on a platter and as she did, her mind wandered to Lycus who was caged in the basement. With an acerbic taste in her

Inayah woke to rhythmic swaying, like that of a mother gently rocking her child to sleep in loving arms. Her eyes fluttered open, blurry with the remnants of sleep still desperately clinging to her, but she forced them wider. As her senses gradually grew clearer, the sound of crashing traced her ears. But... it wasn’t a violent sound. It was the musical notes of water, she realised, the percussion section roaring from the surface below.Sunlight bled and warmed her face, casting streaks of ethereal gold and comforting black across the bridge of her nose. As she slowly propped herself onto one elbow, she threaded her hand through her soft tangles and peered around the room. The swaying continued along with the water splish-splashing, and her location soon dawned upon her.The room was sparsely decorated, made of nothing but a chipped, wooden table to the right of her and a closet protruding from the wall in front. Dark browns painted the floors with the only sourc