It was much warmer inside the church.
The damp, cold air, tinged with the smell of lime, filled Mia's nostrils.
She walked barefoot on the icy stone tiles, the grime on her soles leaving a trail of small footprints.
An elderly Priest tossed a wooden bucket and a piece of burlap in front of her.
"Lina, is it?"
Mia nodded vigorously.
"Scrub the floor of this hallway. Start from beneath the statue of the Holy Emblem and go all the way to the prayer room door. Don't leave a single smudge."
The Priest left as soon as he finished speaking, leaving Mia with the bucket.
She struggled to drag the bucket to the well, fill it with water, and haul it back.
Icy water sloshed out, soaking her already tattered robe.
At the end of the hallway, a life-sized statue of the Holy Emblem, a sun cross, stood in an alcove.
A man in a gray deacon's robe was holding a soft deerskin cloth, wiping the base of the Holy Emblem over and over.
Mia recognized him: Deacon Philip.
