Aveline walked ahead with the lantern in one hand, talking almost without pause to the guard in black trailing a step behind her. The path through the courtyard was quiet except for her voice and the soft scrape of their boots over the stone.
For some reason, the man refused to answer.
Not even a grunt.
Not even a sigh.
And that irritated her more than open rudeness ever could. When Aveline became irritated, she talked. Unfortunately for the unfortunate soul beside her, she talked a lot.
"Are you deaf, Shadow Spider?" she asked at last, glancing back at him. It seemed like the only reasonable explanation. The man had not made a single sound since she dragged him away from the hall.
He continued walking in silence.
Aveline frowned thoughtfully. "Then how do you take commands?" she continued, completely serious. "Does someone write them down for you? Signs? But that would be inconvenient… especially at night. And how do you read in the dark?"
