Nikolai

The great hall was transformed.

Candles flickered in every corner, their flames casting dancing shadows across the ancient stone walls. Tapestries depicting the history of the four kingdoms hung from the rafters, their colors muted by age but still vibrant in the warm light. The air was thick with the scent of incense and flowers, a heady mixture that did nothing to ease the tension coiling in my chest. The fragrance was almost cloying, too sweet, as if someone had tried to mask the ...