Since I’m now* using the desk in the undercroft beyond reach of wifi I wanted some way to close off the narrow barn windows after dark. We decided on shutters set back into the reveals as the least intrusive solution. The prototype is taking shape.
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*not this minute, obv
![Cover of The Waterborne Blade by Susan Murray. A woman in an ornate gown is moving past the viewer, a long dagger held in her blood-spattered right hand. Cover art by Paul Young.
Extract from The Waterborne Blade by Susan Murray:
“It is the time of year when dust storms blow up without warning. Squalls so wild the sand shreds the flesh of the unwary traveller. So powerful they can redraw the landscape in a couple of hours. So enduring they can block out the sun for days at a time.”
Erin pursed her lips and said nothing more.
“Discussing the weather is all well and good, Marten,” Alwenna said. “But we should be on the road already, and now the whole palace is astir. Do you mean to help us or hinder us?”
“I mean to help you, of course. I named you sister, did I not?” He prodded at the bloodied cloak with his foot. “Whose is this?”
“The cloak, or the blood?” Alwenna hardly cared what he thought at that stage. It could only be a matter of time before the [REDACTED] was found. Their bold escape plan had only taken them from bad to worse. And now Erin – hitherto free of any suspicion – was drawn in by her guilt.
“They do not belong to one and the same person? By the Goddess, you have been busy.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:zrf6a2cizk4exzugdqwaqlsr/bafkreibyto2xmejrokj2y3uv3wcabcmdkolsfyh2yco5ok7movoj6746uu)
