Jemryn fled the battlements into the damaged guard tower and down the stairs. He cleared the remnants of the parade ground door and kept going across the yard and through the northern door of the throne room impelled by the force of the voice in his mind. He practically flew across the deserted throne room, sprinted through the opposite door and down into Southern Hall where he stopped for a moment, the grip on his mind released.

He saw that the cooks had ferried food up from the kitchens and laid it out ready. He supposed that they had needed the space and the recruits had not been down to collect it. This morning, they had sent a ham, rather than the usual carved slices. He ran into the refectory and tentatively touched the bone. Cold! He grabbed it and ran back into the Southern Hall where someone had wedged the door to the Lady’s Hall open and ran towards it.

Smack!

He bounced off the barrier and landed on his back and lay there, head spinning.

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‘Hurry boy, throw it!’

He struggled back to his feet and looked around. There, on the wall, were the battered old shields the king had given him. He grabbed one and tucked the ham under the handle. Then he threw the shield down the hallway skidding it, with its load, through the barrier and off, down through the door and into the Lady’s Hall.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then a flash of light blinded him and a blast of wind hurled him backwards.

He opened his eyes again and saw a foot land beside him. It was the size of a cart, but covered in blue scales, with talons the length of swords. He looked further up and saw the four-horned head of a female dragon.

‘Thank-you, Jemryn of the house of Farrenreed, for my freedom. I am Gloriosa, queen of these halls and jewel of the isles. And now I am hungry.’

Jemryn looked petrified and thought frantically ‘I freed you, please don’t eat me.’

‘No rabbit, not you. Right now, I fancy Lore Master.’

She twitched a claw and the doors into the throne room burst open and the entire city heard her mental roar.

‘Ranunculus, you pathetic yellow wyrmling. I’m coming for you!’