The heavy screech of iron still echoed in their ears as the castle gates closed behind them. The black carriage trimmed with silver rolled slowly into the inner courtyard, following a broad path flanked by stone gardens and weathered statues on both sides. Magical torches mounted on iron poles lit up automatically, their pale blue flames dancing across the snow piled along the edges.
Alicia pushed the velvet curtain aside a little wider, her eyes sparkling though her face remained pale. "We're truly home…" she whispered, her voice a mixture of relief and exhaustion.
Stacia merely nodded faintly, her gaze fixed on the towering black spires that loomed like giant shadows behind the evening mist. "This castle… feels larger than before. Or perhaps it's just because my body is still weak."
