The castle was unusually quiet that night.
Too quiet.
Ivanna stood by the tall window of her chambers, staring into the darkness beyond the castle walls. The moon hung high above the kingdom, casting a pale glow over the distant rooftops. Yet instead of admiring the view as she usually did, she found herself searching the horizon.
She was waiting.
Waiting for Giveon.
Hours had passed since he had returned her to the castle and left again to deal with the attack.
She had tried to occupy herself.
She had walked around the chambers.
She had sat on the edge of the bed.
She had even tried reading one of the books placed beside the fireplace.
Nothing worked.
Her mind kept returning to the village.
The screams.
The frightened faces.
The sound of people running.
And most of all, the
