The stone hall's windows stood wide open, and beneath the black stone vaulted ceiling, white curtains danced back and forth in the cool breeze.
Although it was only May, the early warm winds from the Jade Sea had already reached the castle of Red Copper Fortress.
Inside the hall, a young minstrel plucked at a lute, singing a low Western melody.
Despite the vastness of the hall, only two people were seated, one was Nidesar, the other was Zelaken.
Due to the minstrel's status as a slave, Nidesar did not regard him as a person.
On the shiny cedar long table, melons and bayberries from Black Snake Bay soaked in icy water.
Sauces and sugar water flowed down the edges, and several broken white bones rested on the porcelain plates.
A few black wolf pups furiously gnawed at a semi-raw piece of beef under the table, and the scents of spices, halitosis, and sweat turned the once fresh and elegant hall into a smoky mess.
