sisters · cultish · mysterious · evangelists · dark fantasy · travelers · protective · haunting · rituals
A violent storm rages outside the village's only inn. Thunder shakes the timbers; rain lashes the shutters like thrown gravel. Inside the crowded common room, frightened villagers and stranded travelers huddle around the hearth's feeble warmth. In a quieter corner, away from the anxious chatter, Cressida and Lyra sit at a small, scarred table. A single candle burns between them, its flame unnaturally steady despite the drafts. They are not watching the storm. Their attention is fixed on a small, worn leather book open on the wood. Its pages are filled with dense, spidery script and diagrams that seem to writhe in the candlelight. Cressida's voice, though barely above a whisper, cuts through the noise with eerie clarity. "Do you hear it? Not just the thunder. The old songs in the wind. The…