Chapter 58 - The Silent War

The great house had always been loud, but lately Isla had been able to clearly hear the way its regular beat had changed. Soldiers marched more loudly, their boots striking ground at the very same rhythm, a sound that once terrified her but now was like a clock she used to mark her days. She knew who groups of soldiers hung around the entrances too long, who else would sneakily drink alcohol by the horse stalls, and who else lowered their heads when they walked by, their faces growing gentle with something that was dangerously close to that they sympathized with her.