The sun had not even touched the horizon when they came to the road that led up to the ruins of Castle Stone. They followed the road until it came to the broken entryway and then the King pulled Prinziana’s head to the right. He took them down a path that most people would not have seen. It led to a wide ledge above the river, where the King stopped and dismounted.
The King helped Jazmyn down and beckoned for her to follow him.
“This way young lady. Secrets are about to be shared.”
The King led Jazmyn to the rock wall. He put his hand against it and brushed away a covering of moss and ferns. Beneath it was a carving of an eagle. The eagle was the symbol of her Fathers family. The King pushed the eagle’s eye and something clicked, he pushed the rock wall and it slid back into the cliff, revealing a dark room.
“Okay first let’s start a fire.”
Jazmyn could make out a fireplace and wood stacked beside it. On a ledge above the fire was a flint. The King placed kindling and wood into the fireplace and leant down to start the fire with the flint. Within minutes the fire was blazing and the hidden room was lit.
The hidden room was actually a series of rooms. The room they were in had the fireplace and a table beside it with cooking utensils. There were chairs and on the wall were hung hunting weapons, bows, snares, slingshots and even fishing poles.
There were two doorways leading further back into the cliff face. One held a numbers of bunks, dusty blankets still covering them. The other door way led to what appeared to be a library. Hundreds of books filled shelves on the walls. From this room there was also a staircase. It lead up to a collapsed roof, which Jazmyn guessed must have been a way up into Castle Stone. Down it led into darkness.
“Father. What is downstairs?”
“Downstairs my fair daughter is The Door.”
”The door to what?”
“No one knows. It is locked and despite the greatest locksmiths, strongest axes, fiercest fire and most powerful wizards it has remained locked since before my time or the time of my father or even his great great grandfather. No one knows what lies beyond and maybe no one ever will.”
“Did anyone try knocking?”
The King laughed, “You know I don’t believe anyone ever did. Shall we try?”
The King grabbed a torch from the wall and lit it in the fire. They walked together down the staircase and stood before The Door. The Door was battered. Axe marks covered its surface, it was blackened from fire and the rock around it was covered in marks from picks and chisels. The keyhole was the shape of a four pointed star, its edges scratched and chipped.
“As it was your idea Princess Jazmyn. I think you should knock.”
Jazmyn stepped close to the door and reached out. She knocked three times and waited, then knocked three times again. They waited. Nothing but silence and the sound of wood crackling in the fire above.
“Well it was worth a try Father, wasn’t it?”
“It most certainly was.”
“Maybe we just need to find the key.”
“Another brilliant idea. Let’s keep our eyes open for it.”
They made their way back up the stairs and back to the fireplace. The King took down a fishing pole from the wall and asked, “Fish for Dinner?”
“Yes please.”
“You stay here. I’ll just be at the edge of ledge.”
“Father, may I look at the books in the Library?”
“Of course. I will not be long.”
Jazmyn took the torch that her father had lit and went back to the Library. She loved books and there were hundreds of them here. She grabbed one from a shelf and began to read. It was a book on forest animals, it told how they lived, what they ate and how long they cared for their young. She looked through it for a while then grabbed another.
The book she had pulled down was old. The top of it covered in dust. She brushed the front cover and was surprised to see a symbol she had seen before.
“Well young lady, time to stop reading and prepare for dinner.”
Jazmyn turned and found the King holding up three fish.
“Father, this symbol….”
The King looked down at the book, and replied in a quiet voice, “Yes an evil symbol. The mark of the changeling. Dark evil creatures that can take the form of any creature. They have tried to destroy this Kingdom many times over history and taken the form of many people over time, once even an ancient King, but the last of them was driven from our lands years ago, when this castle was destroyed and by god’s grace may they never return.”
“Father, I think I know who poisoned you. I have seen this symbol.”
“Where?” the King asked.
She looked down at the symbol. The fish, the bird and the snake all arranged in a circle.
“They were tattooed on the necks of Aunt Josanna and Uncle Elword.”
The King went quiet for a few minutes and then spoke to Jazmyn.
“We need to prepare and eat this meal and then get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow just became a bigger day that either of us imagined.”
They cleaned and cooked the fish over the fire, washed it down with some honeyed tea and ensured Prinziana was fed and safe. It was now late and both were feeling very tired. They made their way to the bunk room and settled into their beds. Jazmyn picked a bed that was lit by the glow of the fire, while the King chose a bed on the far side of the door. Their beds were still close enough that they could speak to each other quietly.
“Father. What will we do?”
“One thing in our favour is that they believe me dead. When we return the people will follow us, the changelings have no hope, unless….”
“Unless what?”
“Changelings have dark magic. You told me how your camp was attacked by shadow creatures. I think that may have been the work of the changelings pretending to be your Uncle and Aunt. If they were to use their dark powers and call up more shadows…then things may be more difficult.”
“If we had more embers we could destroy them.”
“Ember stones are very rare. Very, very rare. I have not seen any since I last visited your mother’s homeland.”
“Perhaps we could find my friend, Lady. She may have more.”
“Tomorrow my daughter we will see what the day brings. Now we must sleep.”
They both doubted they would fall asleep but their exhausted bodies soon sent them into a deep slumber.