Mina was not used to being pampered.  Roselle had drawn a hot bath for her, and it had washed away what seemed like a life’s worth of grime.  Scented oils and perfumes were at her disposal, and she had selected a fine forest green gown with gold trim to wear.  Mina imagined she were a queen as she stared out from the dizzying heights of the castle across the sweeping woodlands and hamlets below.

Still, her instincts were screaming out to her that something was amiss.  She realized that the special treatment she had received was mostly for Matthias’ benefit.  She would have to be extremely naïve to not realize as much.  But there was more – something about the way that Matthias had acted towards Lord Tepes that seemed less than genuine.

A part of her, th...

Please subscribe to keep reading.