"I will." Murphy's answer was concise and clear, without the slightest hesitation.
A flicker of light seemed to dance in Elizabeth's eyes at his answer, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
She said nothing more, only nodding again, her gesture more solemn this time.
Then she turned, reached out, and pushed open the heavy oak door of her stone house.
Through the crack in the opening door, the warm glow of a hearth fire and the faint sound of a Maid's greeting drifted out.
Elizabeth's silhouette quickly vanished into the light, and the door closed softly behind her, shutting out the light and sounds of the courtyard.
...
The next day, contrary to many people's expectations, the monsters of the Deep Red Wilderness did not immediately launch another large-scale assault.
The Plane Passage near Eagle's Beak Peak continued to shrink. After last night's rout, the remaining monsters seemed to have fallen into a state of chaos or dormancy.
