The double front doors were large and heavy. Made from an unknown, deep orange wood, banded by thick black metal, they offered a little resistance but were easy enough for the boys to push open. When they closed the door, Reinhardt asked the pertinent question.

  “Do we need to lock them, find a drawbar?” He was looking around for something to use.

  “What for?” Otto was seated on the ground pulling off his boots. He was looking at his socks in disgust. “Pruny toes.” he muttered as he tugged them off.

  “To stop the Statues from getting through.” Reinhardt watched the Mage in concern. “Why are you doing that?”

  “There are no Statues in here.” Otto stood and began to walk forward. “Oh, that’s cold. Don’t really need to wear boots either. We can find an empty room in the servants wing and barricade ourselves inside. As long as we’re quiet we won’t be disturbed.”

  “The Statues are just out there!”

  “Yes, but we’re inside the Castle now.” Otto had the same tone he had when explaining things to Elke. “Statues don’t come inside the Castle. This way, there’s no Armours this way. We’ll find a place with a fireplace to dry our socks.” he started walking across the entrance hall. The interior of the castle was cold and draughty, and the hard stone had been honed, but not polished to a mirror finish. Across the entrance hall, the doors to the Grand Hall stood in imposing glory, the deep red wood carved and chased with exquisite detail. A warm buttery light spilled out from beneath them. As soon as he saw it, Reinhardt wanted to go sit in the warmth of the Grand Hall, and just as quickly realised - that was a trap. He pulled his boots free, putting the socks inside the boots and tying them to the ring his hatchet was looped through.

  “Wat’d’ye mean, ‘There’s no Armours?’” Madgi had also removed his boots and socks, his broad, flat feet slapping the stone.

  “I mean the Animated Armours that act as the guards within the castle are either stationary, or follow a set patrol.” Otto said it so matter-of-factly, Reinhardt began to doubt his own recollections. Obviously they had to have discussed this, he’d just forgotten the details. As they walked across the Entrance Hall and through a door on the eastern wall, Reinhardt had a chance to really look at the décor. There were artworks on the walls - oil paintings of heroic battles, portraits of important people and landscapes that did not correspond to any of Reinhardt’s admittedly limited knowledge of famous geographical landmarks.

  “‘Animated Armour,’ wat th’blazes ye mean?” Magdi was spluttering. “Ye kept tha’ quiet.” Reinhardt was quietly glad that Magdi’s memory matched his own. He was too young to be having lapses like that.

  “I’m sure we’ve talked about it,” Otto shrugged it off. “It matters little. We will not be engaging any. They follow specific routes - aside from those that are stationary until disturbed. Then, even if we get into trouble, they cannot run.” Otto was leading them up a grand, sweeping staircase. At the top of the stairs, a long hallway ran for almost thirty metres. On the wall, a tapestry ran almost the full length. It seemed detailed, but those details were lost in the gloom. Reinhardt had an insane idea to sleep in the Servants Quarters, and spend a minute appreciating the art in full lighting. It has to be here for a reason, this was a “Story” DungeonDungeon

  “Oh, that’s soft.” Otto almost moaned. “And so warm, after walking on bare stone.”

  Magdi stood transfixed, his toes wiggling in the soft pile. “Nah,” he said eventually. He didn’t elaborate further. He looked down the hallway toward the dozen doors. At the end of the hall, framed by the distinctly gothic pointed arch, was a suit of armour. Reinhardt grimaced as he saw it. Otto winked at him.

  “We’ll need to go left at the end of the Hall.”

  “Is that a, uh… dormant suit of armour?”

  “Nope. That is a Dungeon

  “Ok, fine, let’s have it.”

  “We can circumvent the junction.” The tall Mage was still walking purposefully down the hall. He turned to the left suddenly. He cracked the last door and gently pulled it open. The room had a small desk and some bookshelves. It also had a large mullioned window. He shut the door firmly after the others had filed in.

  “Magdi, smash the window,” he turned to Reinhardt. “Help us remove a leg from the table.” While Madgi was busily removing all glass from the window, Otto attached a length of rope to the thick wooden table leg they busted off the desk. “That’ll do, Magdi.” Otto fossicked about until he spied a marble bust of a man - hard faced, with a strong chin and aquiline nose, and a wreath in his thinning hair.

  Otto went to the window and lent around the frame. With a sharp movement, he threw the marble head through the window of the first room down the hall they wanted to pass through. Magdi and Reinhardt grunted together. It was obvious now, and very smart. He looked over Otto’s shoulder at the smashed window across the way. “or . Sometimes they are even rewarded. It must be because their thinking is innovative and paradigm shifting.”

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  Otto tied the other end of the rope to the pillar of the mullion. He threw it at the smashed glass, it busted through, and he tugged at the rope. He pulled the table leg back through the window, and it fell to the end of the rope and swung there. He pulled it up with a sigh and speared it into the room again, pulling the rope tight. He created a rabbit ear in the rope, looped the rope through itself and ratcheted it tight. Reinhardt grimaced to himself, tightropes and slacklines were both a lesson and a hobby in , But nobody present here tonight was much shakes at it. Otto was a decent climber, and could walk a step or two on a tightrope. Reinhardt was terrible at it, and Magdi refused to even continue it after the first attempt.

  “I’ll go first,” Otto said, “I’ll brace myself in the frame of that end. If you,” he pointed at Reinhardt, “brace yourself in this frame, Magdi comes across next, you can support him from here to there, and I can help him from then on.” He stretched out and covered well over a third of the distance. It was, as far as plans go, better than trying to jump the distance. There was nothing else for it. Otto stepped twice and threw himself at the other window, catching himself on the upright of the mullion. He pulled out a small knife and used the handle to clear the glass from the frames they were going to climb through. Bracing one foot on the stone sill, he hooked his arm through the window and looked back at the others. Reinhardt mirrored him at his window. There was only a foot or so separating their outstretched fingers. Magdi struggled to climb through the window frame. He stood on the sill, his knees quivering. Reinhardt looked at him closely.

  “Not fond of heights?”

  “Nae, o’ course naw,” the Dwarf looked at him sharply. “We’re mennerbe the ground, naw floating over it.” Now that Reinhardt thought back, he’d never seen Magdi even climb a tree. Still, this was an assisted crossing two or three steps on a tightrope.

  “Well, it’s only two steps, and we’re here to help you,” Reinhardt reassured him. “And I’m sure the fall won’t hurt too much.” He looked down the maybe four metre drop. Magdi also looked down, and hugged the frame even tighter. Reinhardt was torn between amusement and exasperation. Time was ticking. He looked at Otto.

  “What happens if we are here when the happens?”

  “Nothing, to us.” Otto shrugged. “Nor to anything we are touching. But everything else will return to its original state. The Regenerate, although it would be at its original

  “So we have all night.” Reinhardt looked at Magdi. “No rush.”

  Magdi scowled back mulishly. “I got this.” His voice was a growl. “”

  Reinhardt almost missed that last sentence. He didn’t comment on it. As someone who had no problem with heights, he couldn’t relate. Still, Magdi was trying to slide his hairy foot along the rope. As he moved, Reinhardt grasped his shoulder and steadied him. Reinhardt could feel his entire body trembling and began muttering encouragement. Magdi paused, his face screwed up with fear and determination. At full extension, his hand still clamped tightly on the window frame, he had Reinhardt’s hand on one shoulder and Otto’s on the other. With a growl, he released the window frame, falling toward the other window. Reinhardt pushed him along and Otto dragged him toward the open frame. With his eyes focused exclusively on the solid stone window ledge, he almost gracefully chasséd along the rope. With just a little skip, Magdi had a foot on the stone and a hand clamped like a vice upon the mullion.

  “See, that wasn’t so bad,” Otto patted the Dwarf’s shoulder.

  “I’d rather ‘ave fought th’Armour.” Magdi said through a shuddering breath.

  “Well, next time, you can give it a go.”

  Reinhardt passed Magdi’s weapons to Otto, then slid his foot as far along the rope he could, and threw himself at the open window. This new room was much like the last, only the busts and artwork depicted a young woman with a strange headdress. Opening the door just a sliver, Reinhardt could see the suit of Armour. It stood immobile, staring down the corridor they had already left. Pushing the door fully open, he placed a foot down tentatively. With no response, he took another step, fully into the hallway. The Armour continued to stare down the empty corridor. The others brushed past him, being careful not to make any noise. Reinhardt backpedalled slowly, watching the Armour warily. After he made it to the corner, he turned to follow the others. Otto led them down the hall to a door set in the left side wall. He pulled it open and revealed a switchback stair.

  “At the bottom, go right immediately.” He was looking around furtively. “I don’t know how far through the patrol the ‘guards’ are, so be cautious.”

  Magdi took the lead and cracked the door at the base of the stairs. “How loud is too loud?” He whispered.

  “This is fine,” Otto came down in the near pitch darkness. “You’ll hear them coming, do not worry.” He pushed the door open further. “We want the second door to the right.” Otto was just about to push the door open fully before Reinhardt heard it. A distinct “thunk” with a metallic ”chink” top note. Reinhardt grabbed the edge of the door over Magdi’s shoulder and hissed a warning. Otto pulled his hand back as though burned. Magdi pulled the door closed to less than a finger width. Around this crack the three crowded, eyes peering out into the dim flickering light. The “Shunk” sound came closer, like a metronome. A step on the beat without fail. There was a pair of shadows that passed across the door, and the “Shunk, Shunk, Shunk” sound retreated. Magdi opened the door slowly and looked down the hallway. The Armours were just turning the corner out of sight.

  “Second door on the right,” Otto slipped past the others and walked slowly down the hallway. “No carpet for the servants, I’m afraid.” Reinhardt looked down. The floor was back to being bare stone, the cold was almost sharp against the soles of his feet. They tiptoed down to the second door and shuffled inside. It was a larger room, with a pair of beds, a small chest of drawers, an upright wardrobe, and a small fireplace set in the far wall. A small pile of split logs were piled on the outer hearth. Otto carelessly tossed half a dozen into the firebox and straightened up. He pushed a into the base of the pile, and the flame caught immediately. They lined their boots and socks up along the edge of the hearthstones.

  “So,” the tall Mage turned to the other two. “The next step!”