Esme’s illness and the prologue’s Blood Mass
Esme is Coen’s mother. Her illness drives the early chapters in Laslea: in Withering Away Pieter gives Coen a list of chores, and among them is fetching herbs for her. Anca prepares the medicine, and her written instructions say to brew three scoops in water that is hot but not boiling, giving it to Esme before Mass and then twice a day.
The timing matters because of Sacred Covenant. That night Brencis and his retinue attend the Blood Mass to oversee the tithe, and the family fears for Esme because the vrakhiri have little mercy for the weak. If the herbs are not delivered in time, the journal warns that she will face Brencis at her weakest, and one recorded outcome of the Mass is her death at his hand.
Her grief predates the illness. Alin’s death on the ice, the plague and the vampire takeover pulled her away from family life, and Pieter’s unfinished letter to the children lists her sickness beside Alin’s death as one of the family’s misfortunes.
Letters, notes and items that mention Esme
These entries name Esme in their title, description or readable text.