The Vault of Vara (Expanded Opening) The village of Thornwick sprawled beneath a sky that churned like a restless sea, its thatched roofs and crooked chimneys huddled against the wind that swept down from the jagged hills. Smoke curled from the baker’s oven, where Lira’s latest loaves drew a crowd, her voice ringing out as she bartered flour for coins and coins for more seeds. The market square pulsed