The year of the Lord, 1087 – 3000 miles and ten years from the siege of Antioch.
The floor of the keep was cold, the rushes offering little comfort against the draft that swept through the stone corridors. Ten-year-old Darien twisted in his blankets, his small, frail frame shivering. The nightmare was a familiar one—shadows reaching, teeth gnashing, the crushing weight of being entirely alone while his father was leagues away riding in the King's guard.
He awoke with a violent start