***
The darkness came slowly. All through the day, an impending sense of doom could be sensed in the air, like a rank odor that simply refused to disappear. It could be felt on everyone’s skins, cold and prickly to the touch.
The winds gathered speed as the sun was about to set, moaning and creaking in the fading light of dusk. In nearly every home, a pale fire burned in the grate. Windows were drawn shut, as the wind rattled them about their hinges.
The gates of Castle Donovan were drawn shut when the storm clouds came, and King Nazar watched from the top of the east tower with a frown on his face. It was the waiting that irked him. He had never been one to sit around idly while others did his biding. But such was the way of the crown, and who was he to deny it? A King’s place was on
