Instead of guiding them toward the village entrance, the woman led them toward the village's back entrance.
Before they stepped a foot into the village, the woman took off her cloak and pressed a finger against her lips.
"Don't speak," she whispered. "Stay quiet until we arrive in front of the High Priestess. All your questions will be answered then."
After navigating a labyrinth of trees and low-rise buildings, they secretly slipped into one of the village's highest towers. Despite the abundance of windows adorning its outer walls, the tower's inner chambers remained shrouded in darkness.
In the deepest chamber, veiled in an icy silence, she awaited their arrival. Clad in a crimson ceremonial robe woven with black and silver threads, she sat motionless on a sitting cushion by the smoldering hearth.
