~IAN~

Night fell like ash on water – soft, but suffocating. The sky was bruised in purples and dying gold. It bled through the high window slits of my chamber, casting elongated shadows that crept across the stone walls. And the air carried a hush, like the castle itself held its breath. My chamber was dimly lit by a few oil lamps, their flames flickering low as if wary of what loomed ahead.

Kiva knelt near my feet, carefully massaging my calves with oils that smelled faintly of lavender and ...