Later that day Jemryn found himself outside the royal vaults with the steward and a squad of six guards.

The steward carefully unlocked the outer doors with one set of keys. ‘In we go, lad.’ Two of the guards stayed outside the doors, shutting the door and locking them in.

Jemryn looked at the steward a bit nervously but he seemed unperturbed. ‘Inner doors won’t open if the outer doors are unlocked, lad, and this chamber is too small for a dragon. It was supposed to be a safe space for the palace in case of a dragon attack.’

They walked the five or so paces across the antechamber to the inner doors and left two more guards behind outside with the last two taking up station on the inside of the doors. Once they were in place, the steward lifted a lantern high and ushered Jemryn into the dusty strong-room. ‘They’re at the back somewhere. Don’t mind the guards. They’re just here to make sure we don’t ‘borrow‘ anything we don’t have permission to’

Jemryn was a bit disappointed by the room. There weren’t heaps of treasure everywhere. A few locked strong boxes and coffers were stacked near the entrance but most of the rest seemed to be piles of junk, old armour and moth-eaten cloth. Three shields were stacked on a crate at the back. They were circular with a heavy boss and appeared to be made from the same material as the knights’ armour but a very dark red, darker than even the girls’ armour.

Jemryn lifted down the first one and carried it back through to the outer chamber before repeating the process with the other two.

‘I thought there were four’ he said to the steward.

‘Should be’ said the Steward. ‘Sir Blevin used to come down here to clean them occasionally and he never mentioned anything about one missing. Here, take the lantern and have a look around.’

Jemryn cautiously took the lantern, mindful of the piles of cloth and traipsed back down the vault.

The last shield appeared to have fallen down behind the crate and got stuck. He put the lantern down and lay on top of the crate. By grabbing the upper edge and wiggling frantically he managed to loosen the shield and as it came free, it jerked up and over him. As it landed on him, a small book that had been tucked behind one of the enarmes hit him in the chest.

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‘’You ok down there, lad’ called the steward.

‘Er, yes I think so’ replied Jemryn as he stuffed the book inside his tunic under the cover of the shield. Once it was safely stowed, he lifted the shield off his chest and swung himself off the crate, thanking his lucky stars that he had put the lantern on the floor, making it almost impossible for anyone to see what he was actually doing. He carried the last shield into the outer chamber before going back for the lantern.

Once they were safely out of the vault and all the doors had been locked, three of the guards helped Jemryn carry the shields back down to the refectory where they dumped them on the refectory table. All the while Jemryn could feel the book inside his tunic, absolutely certain he was about to be discovered.

Sir Henrik was sitting in the garden and saw Jemryn arrive with the round shields and came through to see. ‘A bit dusty but not too bad. We’ll give them a wipe down, get the leather work replaced and then they can go back on the western wall. You’ve done well today lad. Polybolos were a success and now the shields have come home.’

‘Are they magic?’ Jemryn wanted to know.

Sir Henrik scratched his beard. ‘So they say’ he replied. ‘But we’ve never had a use for them. Our armour is damn near impregnable. And the heavy weapons work better against dragons. Blevin always liked them and used to take them down to train with them sometimes. I can’t think why he ever agreed with old Leif about removing them but he didn't seem to mind.’

‘Who was Leif?’ Jemryn wanted to know?

‘Preceptor before this one. Ho Lars. Come and lend a hand. Reckon young Jemryn has earned his freedom this day.’

Sir Lars had just strolled into the refectory with a jug in one hand and a jack in the other which he put down by the shields. He grinned and winked at Jemryn which astonished the boy. Sir Lars had always been the most dour and silent of the knights. He put the jug and jack across to Jemryn. ‘For you. Take them through to the garden. Thought you might need a drink after ferreting in that dusty old cave. Henrik is right. You earned a break. We’ll take these down to the workshops, get them fitted up like new and then your shields up on the wall, good as new.’

He and Sir Henrik picked up a couple of the heavy shields each, lifting them as though they were feathers and took them down the kitchen corridor, leaving Jemryn open-mouthed in shock. That was the most words he’d ever heard Sir Lars say to anyone. He heard the door clunk shut and looked around really cautiously to make sure no-one else was about and then took the beer out to the garden and sat down facing the door into the refectory. Sir Bjarne and Sir Anders were on duty in the Southern Hall, but they wouldn’t leave unless the alarm sounded.

He fished the book out of his tunic and opened it.