Chapter 1: Chapter 1
The sky was dark and the stars were bright. The wind howled and the rain beat against the windows. A fire burned in the grate and smoke wafted from the chimney. It was cold and drafty in the hall, and the only light came from the candles on the tables.The only sound other than the crackle of the candles and the occasional squeak of a rat scurrying across the floor, was the waft of blood from the gash on his leg. He coughed into his fist, wishing he could swallow the blood back down. His head pounded and his vision was blurred.He blinked, trying to clear his head, when a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Wake up, my lord," a voice said in his ear. "You must rise before the dawn. It is not right to sleep during the war."
The pain in his shoulder was a reminder that he was not in his bed at Cawdor Manor.