The Masque of the Red Devil
By L.E. Thomas
The castle has always been an imposing place, Catrin thought with a shiver as she climbed the steep hill, the chainmail of the armed guards clinking on either side of her, emphasising her plight.
As she approached the impressive façade, to allay her fears, she recollected how the stout gates used to be opened wide to the village on the feast days such as Christmas and Easter. All the folk, rich and poor, grand and humble, crowded into the great hall for a public celebration. This was aided by plentiful bread and meats, beer and mead and the presence of a bard or wandering minstrel or two.
But then the old lord; hale, hearty and in the prime of his life, died suddenly of a strange fever and his nephew arrived from afar to take his place. And ev
