บท 190: Darkest hours of the night

A deluge of rain poured down on the Storm Castle as ominous clouds growled in the sky, preventing Emily from falling asleep. With the burning fireplace as the only source of light in the room, she peered at it from beneath her blanket. The night was stormier than the previous two days of her stay, almost as if testing her courage against the enveloping darkness within the room. 

The curtains remained drawn, concealing the window through which intermittent lightning flashes attempted to cast eerie shadows from the objects in her room, seemingly menacing her. 

As thunder struck nearby, Emily's heart swelled with unease. She whispered to herself, 

"Maybe I should go look for the candles." Over an hour had passed since she had settled into bed, and the relentless rain showed no sign of stopping anytime soon.