They spent the night in the stables with a few other refugees from the great hall. Owain slept restlessly, haunted by dreams of Jewana, his mind unable to find peace after the ordeal. Not all of it was unpleasant, and he wondered if he had chosen the right path — or fate had chosen for him.

The next morning, they awoke to find Skeinhold Castle looted and abandoned. The great hall was a smouldering ash heap and the keep a shattered ruin that looked ready to collapse at any moment. The sight filled Owain with relief. It was over, and she was gone, and yet the realisation filled him with longing.