“Yes, my lord,” both guards answered.
We continued the walk, up more stairs, down more halls, through more doors.
They were leading us around so we couldn’t figure out the layout of the building.
Smart, really.
Moving through the rooms, I wasn’t able to shake the feeling that someone was watching us. Not just the guards, but something…else.
I glanced to the left and saw a statue in a cage.
It blinked.
Jerking, I stumbled into Roran.
“What?” He was on alert, ready to attack.
“The man in that cage…”
Roran turned and looked at it. Slowly, the statue’s mouth dropped open, revealing fangs. The smell of death wafted across the hall.
Then, I smelled blood.
Roran looked down as we walked. Our feet were leaving bloody footprints on the stone. The man in the cage groaned and reached for us.
“Get back!” the lord knight snapped, slapping the hand back inside.
“Sadistic, controlling bastard,” Roran grumbled. He helped me regain my feet, and we continued.
“They don’t trust anyone,” I said in a hushed voice.
“Probably not even themselves.”
Massive wooden doors appeared at the end of the newest hallway. Intricately carved, they swung open as we neared them. They revealed a massive, gray room, with bright red and gold curtains at the far end.
We were marched directly in front of the curtains where a man sat with a dark crown on his head.
The same man who had ripped out Argo’s throat.
He stared at us, bored. “Bow.”
Not one of us moved.
Quirking an eyebrow, he didn’t look quite as bored this time. “I said, bow.”
No one did.
“Lord Knight?”
A bright white steel blade appeared at one of the soldier’s neck. “Bow.”
His terrified eyes flicked over to ours. Roran nodded imperceptibly, and we all went to one knee.
“Better.” He nodded at the lord knight to put his sword away. “Stay there for now. It amuses me to see you druids brought low. Now, why are you here? Why did you try to sneak into my lands?”
“To steal your weapons,” Roran stated.
The king started laughing. “Ah, refreshingly honest! Did you really think you would get away with stealing and blowing up my armory? So close to the stronghold?”
