THE ROOT OF DARKNESS

THIRTY FIVE

Exactly how large is this castle? We have not reached the kitchen yet, how much farther can it get?"

Sir Berret mutters, rubbing in his sunken belly through his threadbare shirt. The knights are leading us to the kitchen to be fed, according to the orders of the princess, and I find myself ever grateful to her.

Without her intervention and insistence, we three would be dead men by now.

Sir Victor says in a low tone,

"At least we know we are finally going to eat good food after starving for a day or two."

I smile at them both,

"They will treat us to a feast. Nothing like the treacherous stale bread we had coming up here. In a castle filled with gold like this one, food and game must be in abundance. We will feast on food far better than anything we can find back in our kingdom. The princess will make sure of it."

My own stomach growls as I speak and salivate over the food I had not even set my eyes on yet. Only the thought of putting something warm and tasty in my mouth, and filling my