Pulling up to the main gate of the castle, my mouth fell open. This couldn’t possibly be the right place. What once reminded me of a mighty fortress now laid before my eyes weathered, only a gate swinging half off its hinges, creaking back and forth. It was as if it had been adrift for years. Even the paved drive had eroded with potholes and cracks. How could something so magnanimous turn to ruin so fast? It had aged far past its time. This couldn’t be natural. I suspected dark magick had been in the works. Its rotten decay reeked in the atmosphere.
As I inhaled the breath of caution, I drove past the entrance and followed the well-trodden path. When I reached the end of the driveway, I stopped abruptly. The most unnerving part of what lay before me was what I couldn’t see. Nothing but a
