The healer's chamber was quieter than the rest of the pack house.
Selena noticed that immediately.
The noise that usually lived in the halls — servants moving, guards talking, doors opening and closing — seemed distant here, as though the room had been built far enough away from everything to keep the outside world from entering.
A small fire burned in the corner hearth, its warmth pushing back the chill that always seemed to linger in the stone walls of the pack house. The air smelled faintly of dried herbs and crushed leaves, the scent strong enough to sting slightly at the back of her nose.
Selena sat on the edge of the narrow bed while the healer moved slowly around the wooden table beside her.
Bundles of plants hung from thin ropes tied to the ceiling beams. Jars filled with powders and liquids lined the shelves along the wall. Some were clear, others cloudy or dark. None of them looked particularly comforting.
