Excerpt: The Branch of Lost Road

She looks down at the half-eaten apple in her hand. “Mum, do you think the King will let me finish this apple before anyone comes home?”

Her mother raises one eyebrow. “Eat the apple and we'll find out.”

The girl tears into it joyfully and her mother laughs before shaking out her work across the table, inspecting it. It looks like the beginnings of a coat, warm and double-breasted, painstakingly crafted.

“I'm almost out of fabric again,” the mother mutters. “What do you think of blue, Vina?”

She tilts her head. “I like green better, but blue is all right, as long as it's the color of the deeps. That's when you can really be free.”

Her mother's look this time is sharp. “Your inhibitions keep you safe and within the protection of the King of Life. Be wary of where you tread, Vina; you may find demons there.”