NIKOLAI

I whipped the reigns on the black horse I had been riding s we broke out from the trees and I caught a peek of the staggering mass of stone up ahead.

It was almost morning, the sky was red and stained by smoky grey clouds hiding the yellow of the sun.

The sound of hooves thundering through the grass drowned out everything else and I could feel the heaviness set in my bones as I tightened my thighs on the horse’s flexing sides.

My castle! The words dropped in my head as I exhaled with relief, already catching the scent of pines and wild berries that lined the...