Prologue to the novel Grief of the Undying. Pen has been in hiding for a long time, but now something is calling her out.

Chapter One Maniodes stood in front of the fireplace in his office chambers, facing Scythe and Dagger. The fireplace was beautifully crafted from black marble, not showing a single seam. The rest of the furniture looked archaic in comparison. A single large desk and chair, both made of wrought iron and littered with parchment and quills, stood in the corner. In another corner a bench that would have been comfortable if it hadn’t been made of the same iron sat. That bench was