5

"Only one; but truth be told I'm rather more intrigued by their dumplings than their populace."

You great mad'un," she says, sniffing out a smile at your quip.

Silence hangs in the air as Audrey takes a long, shuddering breath. "They say I should be grateful I'm not for the hangman's noose…which I suppose I am. I've often felt that were I t'be executed I should prefer a good swift beheading, so long as the axe is razor-keen. The quickness means less pain—"

"You're in a bit of a morbid frame of mind."

She tilts her head at you. "The nicest thing anyone's done for me today is to eat the vermin off my skin. Thank you very much, by the way, Brute. No thank you," she says, waving the beast's paw away when it offers her a nit to eat.

You stare through the bars at her, your mind racing.