Camilla cast a forlorn glance at Cydric and then half ran, half scuttled across the battlement and back into the tower. Behind her the masonry shrieked as another blast of the infernal siege engine the attackers were using hammered home, pounding at the ancient fortification like a vast hammer. Dust filtered down over her in a fine mist and she took the stairs three at a time lest a lucky strike bring the whole tower down atop her.

The door was as she had left it so she balled up a fist and pounded on it for a few seconds. No response.

“Sir Gilderoy!” she yelled at the unyielding panel and received no response. Snarling in frustration she drew her dagger and slipped it between the door and the jam. Tonguing her teeth in concentration, she slid the blade upwards until she found the bar and then leaned her weight against the door, pushing it back slightly on its hinges to relieve the pressure. Slowly she lifted the bar until she felt it come free and then jerked the door open. The heavy oaken bar which had held it closed fell to the floor with a dull thunk. Beyond the door was a staircase leading down. Torches hung in sconces providing illumination. 

With little time to waste she hurried down the stairway, it curved into a slow spiral taking her deeper than she imagined. As she headed down she heard what sounded like rhythmic chanting and slowed her pace uncertain of what to expect. At last she emerged into a large chamber. The knights stood in two lines with the scribe, reading from some dragon emblazoned book, acting as a cap and making the formation into a U. Not a scribe, she realised, taking in his regalia, a priest.  All were dressed in the archaic form of livery she had seen before. In the center of the group stood three egg like objects, dark and glistening. They were eggs she realised with a start, dragon eggs.

Although the priest clearly saw her he didn’t falter in his chanting. The other knights turned in her direction though, their faces grim.

[b]“Sir Gilderoy the castle is being overun,”[/b] she gasped before taking a step back from the sudden aura of menace the men projected. One of the knights towards the end turned to her.

[b]“She has seen too much, take her,”[/b] he commanded in a business like tone, the three knights on the end of the lines turned towards her reaching for their swords. Gilderoy didn’t so much as turn, his arms were extended over the eggs while he muttered some benediction. The knights stepped towards her and she whipped the pistol from her belt and leveled it at the eggs. The three men froze, at an impasse, the priest kept chanting but his eyes blazed with sudden fury. Camilla took a step back, unsure of what was going on but sure she didn’t like it. 

[@POOHEAD189]