THE ECHOING SOUND of the horn startled me awake.
The first line of the guards knocked the door open and they led me through this never-ending hallway, turning into every corner like it was a maze. I was barefoot, barely wearing anything except the white night dress, and my hair was flying around freely. The wind tasted different in the air. The silence that followed right after the warning bell penetrated the stale darkness. Whispers of orders from the warriors were the only thing I could hear.
And then a loud explosion.
It was so loud that I could feel my ear ringing through my eardrums. The ground shook beneath us like it was trembling. The whole castle felt moving. The impact was the shattering glass of the windows, causing the warriors to duck as they led me to do the same. Nobody m
