Chapter 3
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the mansion…
On the third floor in a private space squirreled away behind a wardrobe in the attic, he sat. The lights were off, the windows shut tight to block out chipper birdsong as dusk gave ‘way wholly to night. He lay on the bed, hands behind his head, eyes staring up at the ceiling, though his gaze was unfocused. The lone source of light came from a single candle on the nightstand, its flame swaying and making the shadows dance all around him.
Some might have said Cinder was in a foul mood, ready to bite the heads off of chickens, as the saying went, another one of those delightful quips that mortals had come up with. Truth be told, however, he was frustrated, buggered by the big to-do being held that night in his honor. Like at his age he wa
