Katerina crossed through the window without stopping.
The glass exploded in her wake and fragments dispersed behind her. Her body fell in a straight line toward the courtyard, spun in the air by pure reflex and absorbed the impact with flexed legs. The blow resonated dry against the wet stone, and still she managed to remain standing.
Her pulse hammered forcefully.
Each beat drummed in her ears while raising her head, seeking references, calculating routes, measuring distances. Air entered suddenly into her lungs, cold, clean, very different from the charged atmosphere of the room she had just abandoned.
The courtyard opened before her.
A wide garden, carefully tended, extending between paths of light gravel that snaked between flowerbeds. Bushes trimmed with precision formed soft figures, and among them grew flowers of pale tones that caught the night light. The grass, moist with dew, reflected a faint shine.
Above it all fell the light of two moons.
