Keeping the Truth pendant Glasses of dark wine caught

Glasses of dark wine caught the glow of the chandeliers as music carried the dancers slowly in circles

but a contract made visible

something with edges that don’t quite match the rest of the forest floor

heavier than it looks once it rests in her hand

waiting for the next hand brave enough to wear it

Keeping the Truth pendant Glasses of dark wine caughtThey do not call it mourning in those circles. They call it 'keeping the truth'. When Alistair leaves the chapel for the last time, he does not take anything with him no book, no blessing, no name he was given there. Only this. Metal drawn into sharp points, each one deliberate. It is not hidden beneath his collar. It sits where it can be seen. In the Heretics Prayer, there is no forgiveness for turning back. The spikes mark it. Not for others, but