Chapter 8
Ivan grumbled as he cautiously entered the main hall of his lord’s castle. What had once been beautiful stained glass windows were now patches of red brick and mortar, leaving candles to provide the only illumination. The flickering light cast disfigured shadows upon the stone walls and floor. Heat was scarce in this part of the castle, and even one such as Ivan, who hailed from the frigid north, was not beyond shivering. Cobwebs clung to nearly every surface, giving the room an abandoned feel, which was just what his lord wanted. Some whispered it was the lord’s way of reflecting the anger seething in the black hole that was once his heart, anger caused by the abandonment from the one person he had ever truly loved.
As Ivan neared the end of the hall, which was entirely too ex
