The stables of Castle Leoch were better built than many of the cottages Claire had seen on their journey to collect the rent. Stone floored and stonewalled, the only openings were the narrow windows at one end, the door at the other, and the narrow slits under the thick thatched roof, intended for the convenience of the owls who kept down the mice in the hay. They let in plenty of air, though, and enough light that the stables were pleasantly dim rather than gloomy.