gray stones that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight.
She caught a glimpse of stone cottages with thatched rooftops as they galloped by. People paused in their daily work to watch them. Women and children stared while men looked on with interest. She caught sight of cattle, pigs, chickens and dogs as they flew by the dwellings and got closer to the magnificent castle at the top of the hill.
With the mountains guarding its back, the stone castle looked as if it belonged there. There were dense woods circling the castle, but the building itself stood alone in a large clearing. It was breathtakingly beautiful and frightening at the same time. This was a fortress from which there would be no easy escape. But her fear was quickly swallowed by sheer excitement. This was a real honest-to-goodness castle!
“We’re almost there, Jane.” Zaren’s voice startled her out of her reverie and she looked up at him.
“But I don’t really know where here is,” she whispered softly. She needed answers to the questions pounding in her brain.
His lips brushed her forehead as his fingers brushed a damp lock of hair off her forehead. “Welcome to Bakra Castle. You will always find shelter within its walls.”
His words moved her deeply. She sensed that they meant more than she understood. But as they clattered into the courtyard and he pulled the horse to a stop, the moment was lost.
Zaren swung down from the horse with her still in his arms as two more horses thundered in behind them. Bador and the younger warrior swung down from the backs of the beasts and handed off the reins to a waiting groom. Zaren didn’t wait for his brothers but turned and quickly carried her up a stone staircase and into the castle.
It was dim at first after the bright sunlight of the outside and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She caught a glimpse of an enormous stone hall filled with tables and people as he started up yet another set of stairs that were just off the right of the main entrance. Looking over his shoulder, she strained to see more, but the two brothers hurrying after them blocked her view.
“I will show you everything later.” There was amusement in his voice. Jane supposed that she had been rather obvious in her desire to see everything.
When they reached the top of the staircase, he continued on down a long hallway. His boots slapped against the stone as he strode purposefully to the end and used his shoulder to push open a large wooden door.
The bedroom was a rather cozy one, with a rather intimidating bed taking up most of the space on one side of the room. Dark blue curtains were pulled back on the sides of the bed to expose a comfortable-looking haven filled with pillows and furs. A single window was covered with an exquisite stained-glass pane. The individual pieces of glass in beautiful shades of turquoise, blue, green, gold, scarlet and many other colors depicted a tranquil woodland scene. She made a mental note to examine it more closely later.
There were two small benches made of a dark rich wood. One sat at the end of the bed, the other under the window. A small table sat by the side of the bed and another one was placed near a small stone fireplace. A large fur rug was spread before the fireplace and it was here that Zaren carried her.
Kneeling down, he laid her on the rug. Turning aside, he busied himself starting a fire in the grate. Jane shivered, suddenly cold without his bulk to warm her. It was more than just his body heat that had warmed her and she inched closer to him when the other two men strode into the room.
Zaren stood to his full height as his brothers joined him. Jane was beginning to feel as if she’d gone to the land of the giants. All of them were huge. Zaren was slightly bigger than the other two, but not by much. None of them was under six and a half feet tall.
“Jane.” Her eyes flew to Zaren’s and she realized that she’d been staring at them. Zaren looked exasperated, Bador looked
She caught a glimpse of stone cottages with thatched rooftops as they galloped by. People paused in their daily work to watch them. Women and children stared while men looked on with interest. She caught sight of cattle, pigs, chickens and dogs as they flew by the dwellings and got closer to the magnificent castle at the top of the hill.
With the mountains guarding its back, the stone castle looked as if it belonged there. There were dense woods circling the castle, but the building itself stood alone in a large clearing. It was breathtakingly beautiful and frightening at the same time. This was a fortress from which there would be no easy escape. But her fear was quickly swallowed by sheer excitement. This was a real honest-to-goodness castle!
“We’re almost there, Jane.” Zaren’s voice startled her out of her reverie and she looked up at him.
“But I don’t really know where here is,” she whispered softly. She needed answers to the questions pounding in her brain.
His lips brushed her forehead as his fingers brushed a damp lock of hair off her forehead. “Welcome to Bakra Castle. You will always find shelter within its walls.”
His words moved her deeply. She sensed that they meant more than she understood. But as they clattered into the courtyard and he pulled the horse to a stop, the moment was lost.
Zaren swung down from the horse with her still in his arms as two more horses thundered in behind them. Bador and the younger warrior swung down from the backs of the beasts and handed off the reins to a waiting groom. Zaren didn’t wait for his brothers but turned and quickly carried her up a stone staircase and into the castle.
It was dim at first after the bright sunlight of the outside and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She caught a glimpse of an enormous stone hall filled with tables and people as he started up yet another set of stairs that were just off the right of the main entrance. Looking over his shoulder, she strained to see more, but the two brothers hurrying after them blocked her view.
“I will show you everything later.” There was amusement in his voice. Jane supposed that she had been rather obvious in her desire to see everything.
When they reached the top of the staircase, he continued on down a long hallway. His boots slapped against the stone as he strode purposefully to the end and used his shoulder to push open a large wooden door.
The bedroom was a rather cozy one, with a rather intimidating bed taking up most of the space on one side of the room. Dark blue curtains were pulled back on the sides of the bed to expose a comfortable-looking haven filled with pillows and furs. A single window was covered with an exquisite stained-glass pane. The individual pieces of glass in beautiful shades of turquoise, blue, green, gold, scarlet and many other colors depicted a tranquil woodland scene. She made a mental note to examine it more closely later.
There were two small benches made of a dark rich wood. One sat at the end of the bed, the other under the window. A small table sat by the side of the bed and another one was placed near a small stone fireplace. A large fur rug was spread before the fireplace and it was here that Zaren carried her.
Kneeling down, he laid her on the rug. Turning aside, he busied himself starting a fire in the grate. Jane shivered, suddenly cold without his bulk to warm her. It was more than just his body heat that had warmed her and she inched closer to him when the other two men strode into the room.
Zaren stood to his full height as his brothers joined him. Jane was beginning to feel as if she’d gone to the land of the giants. All of them were huge. Zaren was slightly bigger than the other two, but not by much. None of them was under six and a half feet tall.
“Jane.” Her eyes flew to Zaren’s and she realized that she’d been staring at them. Zaren looked exasperated, Bador looked
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