I didn’t decide to follow the soldier, I just did. I gave him a couple of seconds, and then rushed through the door, sword at the ready. Behind the door was a larger chamber, slightly less ostentatious but still extravagantly draped in red and purple. The soldier was just exiting through the doors straight ahead, but there were several doors and doorways leading off both right and left.

I hesitated, but it felt wrong to just continue after him. Those doors were tall and looked like they were made of white stone with the Dimran crest in gold. It looked too formal and too important. I chose one of the corridors leading to the left instead, and ran down it as quietly as I could.

There wasn’t really anything behind my decision, except for a completely unfounded idea that maybe this floor was like the first, so that this corridor would run parallel with a large hall in the center. It wasn’t impossible, judging from the large, gold-inlaid doors to the right and the much more utilitarian doors on the left.

I ran down the length of the corridor, without seeing anyone. There was a doorway to the right at the end. I stopped at it and tried to convince myself this was crazy. Sure it was, I agreed, but - so? There was nothing I could do, or did I want to run back and down those stairs? I’d had the luck of a madman so far, but did I really think it would last? And if it did, why not continue?

I suppressed a cackling laugh at my own ridiculous thoughts. I wasn’t talking to myself aloud, at least, but it wasn’t far off. But I was right, there wasn’t really anything else to do. As carefully as I could, I opened the door and peered through.

There was indeed a large hall, with marble floor and pillars, tall green palm-like plants, and red and purple everywhere. I crept through the door, holding my breath, and tried to stay in the shadows. To the left were tall glass windows, looking out over a huge balcony and beyond it, the square. To the right, less than twenty meters from me, stood a group of men.

One of them was the blue-clad soldier that had run past me. He was standing at attention and looking unhappy while another man yelled at him. That man wore a much more elaborate version of the blue uniform, and a big silvery helmet with a blue feather plume. I’d guessed that was the Duke even before I saw the sword in his hand.

It was long and slender, and looked light and elegant. The hilt was elaborate, but the most eye-catching aspect was definitely the flames running down it. Pale violet flames, that seemed to flicker out from the hilt and dance down the blade.

That had to be the Dragonblade.

“You are dismissed, Captain!” the Duke said in an angry voice. The soldier saluted, turned around and hurried away. “So!” the Duke continued, wheeling to face another man, in ornate blue-and-white robes and shaved head. “You said they were all waiting. Nobody would challenge the Blade, until they had reinforcements.”

The robed man held up his hands. “And so they haven’t,” he said in a conciliatory tone. “It is just a small band of adventurers, a tiny group really, who are trying to free one of their own from the dungeons. It is not a large matter.”

The Duke advanced on him, brandishing the flaming sword. “They are trying to free Caveria,” he hissed. “You also said that she must be removed, as she had seen through our deception and were about to sound the alarm.”

“My lord,” the robed man said, “remember our deal. I am still maintaining the flames, but I will not continue if you threaten me.”

The Duke lowered the sword, but he was shaking with anger. “We cannot hold the palace for very long. They will soon know he is here.”

He gestured towards the back of the room, and I gasped as I looked in that direction. There was large golden throne, draped in red and purple, and before it, a golden cage, with a man locked inside. He was standing straight with his arms across his chest and staring defiantly at the Duke. That had to be - the king.

The robed man almost turned towards me, but the Duke interrupted him. “What do we do now, Lecander?” His voice was smooth, but his eyes burned.

“I have already proposed a plan!” the robed man - Lecander - replied. He sounded annoyed. That was good, perhaps. They weren’t perfect allies, it seemed.

“A crazy plan!” the Duke shouted. “I cannot walk around the palace and shoot fireballs, like a cheap market magician!”

“You cannot stay up here and shoot fireballs across the square either! There are too many soldiers still in the palace grounds. If they see you with the blade, their courage will break. The blade is nothing if it is not seen!”

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The Duke growled and looked as if he wanted to strike the other man. “I should never have listened to you! I should have continued until I found the real Blade!”

“Careful, my lord!” Lecander said sharply.

I decided it was time to leave. I didn’t know who this Lecander guy was, but it sounded like he was creating an illusion of flames along the sword, to make it look like the Dragonblade. Which it then wasn’t.

I took a step back towards the door, but froze as a fireball shot from Lecander’s hand. It stopped right in front of me, hanging in the air and burning fiercely.

“It appears we have a spy,” Lecander said, as the fireball floated through the air towards him, driving me before it.

“Who the hell is that?” the Duke said.

“Some kind of ranger, from his clothes, although I’ve never seen that setup before...”

I didn’t dare to turn away from the fireball, and so just walked backwards towards the men. I tried to think of something to do, or what to say, but the fireball held my attention.

Suddenly, one of the tall windows above the balcony exploded. The fireball winked out as a hail of arrows thudded into the floor around the Duke and Lecander.

“Run, Peter!” It was Tiriel’s voice, but I couldn’t see her. Something was moving incredibly fast along the walls just under the ceiling, firing arrows at the men. They were diving for cover, and I took the opportunity and ran. Right out on the balcony. I stopped by the railing and looked around. What now? I couldn’t jump.

Another floor exploded, and Tiriel landed in a hail of shards. She was laughing as she took my hand and pulled me away at a run, toward the end of the balcony. “Hold my hand!” she laughed. “We’ll jump!”

We rushed towards the railing, and towards far too wide a gap. The only thing we could possible land on was another balcony at the far end of the palace, but that had to be a hundred meters away. She couldn’t be serious, but I kept running anyway.

Just before we reached the balustrade a fireball streaked past, but it went wide.

“Hold on!” Tiriel called, and pushed off from the stone railing.

It was impossible, but we sailed upwards. Up into the air, as if we weighed nothing. Up we went, up and around to the right, until we landed on the roof ridge. She let go of my hand and ran across the ridge, light as a feather. I swayed and very nearly fell, but managed to drop down on hands and knees and clutch the roof tiles.

I closed my eyes to chase away panic. We were probably thirty meters up, with a steeply slanting roof on both sides. Tiriel was leaping off the ridge and onto a flat terrace fifty meters ahead. She spun to look back at me.

“Peter!” she called. “You can do it!”

I couldn’t. I was terrified of heights. I could feel the flagstones down on the square, pulling at me. Pulling me down. I gripped the tiles fiercely.

Another fireball streaked past, close enough that I felt the heat. I could choose between falling, and being blown up. Great. I muttered a sarcastic thanks to the moon goddess and her sense of humor as I staggered to my feet and ran.

It was worse than my misadventure in the castle, and I nearly fell to my death, twice. Somehow I didn’t, though, but instead I approached the gap between the ridge and the terrace. Three, four meters? Too far, anyway. No way I could do it.

I upped my speed and screamed as I clumsily threw myself into the air, expecting to simply fall.

Instead, I landed even more clumsily, and crashed on the stone floor, hitting my head. I rolled over twice and curled up.

Somebody pulled at my shoulder. “Wonderful! That was wonderful Peter!” Tiriel. I opened my eyes and gazed up into the bubbly elf’s radiant, breathless face. She looked exhilarated as she grinned at me. “Wonderful jump! She reached out and caressed my cheek, soft as a feather. Then she jumped up.

“Come on! Get up! We have to get out of here, they’re chasing us!”

I clambered up. My legs were shaking and I felt sick. I’d lost the sword in the jump, but it was just a few meters away. I grabbed it and stumbled after Tiriel, on wobbly legs.

She seemed to have a plan, so I just followed, even she led me up on a ledge, around a corner and down on another terrace. She raced across it, and then stopped abruptly.

“Look!” she said as I came up to her. “Caveria!” She narrowed her eyes. “Oh no. They’re going to throw her over the edge of the balcony.”

Just ahead and slightly below us was another balcony. Three men were lifting something from a small wheeled carrier, carrying it towards the edge. It was tall and narrow and looked like a metal net, or mesh. “Is that Caveria?” I asked.

“Yes,” Tiriel said, aggravated. “They’ve put in her in a magic net. She can’t do any magic in there. The fall will kill her. Come on!”

She screamed the blood-curdling scream of hers, and jumped up on the balustrade and into the air, pulling her bow into her hands. I didn’t even think, I just followed her. It wasn’t a big jump this time, just about two meters across and about the same distance down, but I had plenty of time to curse myself, Tiriel and the moon goddess again on the way down.

I landed with a thud. Tiriel had her knife out and was battling one of the men. The two others were still trying to hoist the now thrashing Caveria over the edge.

“Peter!” Tiriel screamed. “Cut the net!”

One of the men saw me and let go of Caveria. He tried to push me back over the edge. I thrust back at him with the sword, and hit him in the throat. I stared, horrified, as he gurgled blood and fell backwards of the edge himself.

“The net!” Tiriel screamed. She was being pushed back towards the doorway by her opponent, who was much bigger and stronger than her. I wanted to help her, but... The net. I wasn’t sure how to do it, so I just stuck the tip of the sword in at the bottom, and pulled upwards with all my strength. The sword cut through it like it was cloth.

Caveria tore it off and screamed as she shot a fireball at the man who had been trying to push her, and then at the man attacking Tiriel. She blasted them both over the edge. Then she jumped up on the balustrade, and exploded. At least I thought so, but she didn’t. She just glowed bright red like fire, all over her body. Like she’d done in that previous fight.

“Lecander, you fucking bastard!” she screamed. Then she jumped into the air and took off like a rocket on flames shooting out of her feet.