In the great hall, while the children laughed and celebrated Lord Ritchel's gift of ice cream and Nyrielle teased Ashlynn with a variety of flavors, Paulus took the opportunity to leave the hall without joining in the revels.
The sight of Lord Ritchel and Hauke, laughing and indulging in sweet treats with the vampire and her pet human, had turned his stomach even more than the sight of children forming convictions to grow into warriors that would fight in the vampire's endless wars.
His feat carried him into the deepest part of the castle, past the neatly carved corridors and halls, deeper than the cellars that held enough supplies to last through even the most bitter winter, until he reached the natural cave the entire fortress had been erected to protect.
