C36 The woman who raised her

The murmur of hope that had rippled through the cavernous City of Forgotten People died down as an elderly woman with silver-streaked hair stepped forward from the shadow of a stone arcade. She moved with slow, measured grace, her dark woolen shawl pinned with a tarnished copper brooch shaped like an ivy leaf.

Vespera’s heart gave a sudden, violent thud. Her breath caught in her throat