As Wayte and the other guards lead Dmitri through the castle, he felt as though he was being led through a web to the spider in the middle. The guards took him into the throne room, where perched upon his throne like the spider in the web they’ve just traversed, was the Lord Draycott, his contemptuous expression looking down upon Dmitri. To his side on a smaller less ornate throne sat the wizened old man Arcaedus. Dmitri could feel something, something that resonated with his own magic. But it was darkness, very black and corrupted. Dmitri surreptitiously studied the pair, trying to determine the source of the darkness, but to no avail.
Draycott looked at the guards, “Where is the First Merchant? I told you to arrest two people yet I see only one.”
“My Lord, she must have caught wind of us and she fled, leaving the wanderer behind,” replied Wayte carefully.
Draycott leaned forward and stared down at Dmitri, “I am the Lord Draycott. You, wanderer, have trespassed on my land. By what reason have you done so?” he asked.
Dmitri bowed his head slightly; Draycott’s icy glare hardened at the affront of the lack of respect shown, almost as if equals.
Dmitri knew that he was in the right place and felt that he should ignore Uriel’s warning about telling people of his task, “I am no wanderer; I am Dmitri Romanovic and I come here with a purpose,” he replied, “I am here to defeat a great evil.” He finished and looked up at Draycott, directly into his icy blue stare. The standoff was broken by a cough from the old man. Draycott whipped around to glare at him, but Arcaedus unable to see the tension in the room, said “My Lord, I know of what this man speaks. His past is written all over him.”
Dmitri’s eyes narrowed at this, the old man’s eyes were the white of boiled eggs, how could this pupil-less gaze see anything?
“Ah,” said Draycott, noticing Dmitri’s expression, “I see our guest has only just noticed that you are blind Arcaedus. Wanderer, know that Arcaedus can see deeply into any man's soul and know what he has hidden there. In your case, he understands what this ‘great evil’ is that you speak of.” He turned to Arcaedus, “continue.”
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Arcaedus nodded and continued, “It seems that our wanderer here has met Akahaziel.”
Draycott turned to stare at Dmitri once more, “How is it that you still live?” he asked sharply.
“I was lucky to get away,” replied Dmitri steadily.
Draycott’s mannerisms take a swift detour, the darkness that was in the air expanded, it felt even more sinister and oppressive, “Lucky?” he barked, “You fled. You ran into hiding and that infernal Uriel took you away!”
Both Arcaedus and Dmitri stared at Draycott, Arcaedus with an outraged and angry expression on his face, and Dmitri incredulous and startled.
Arcaedus called out to a guard, who enters. “Guard, take this man down to the dungeon, lock him in with the woman.”
The guard looked over at Draycott who nods his head numbly; his expression shows that while silent, he is seething with hatred below the surface. The guard calls for another and he comes in and together they march Dmitri out of the room.
Arcaedus turns to Draycott, “Pardon me my Lord, but have you taken leave of your senses?” he asked sharply.
“Careful Arcaedus,” Draycott said warningly, “I doubt you are the only Seer in these parts.”
“Careful?” Arcaedus shouted, “Like you were just now? He’ll figure it out now you realise?”
“And what can he do about it? He is within your dampening field, your spell with my power, he can’t do anything.”
With Wayte leading the way, the guard Birkett jabbed Dmitri in the back, forcing him towards a corridor. Finding himself with no other choice Dmitri moved where Birkett directed him. They descended deep into the bowels of the keep, the corridors here were too deep to receive day light and were lit with torches which crackled and spat oil. Descending further, they reached some dungeons which were dark and dank. The sound of rats echoed into the darkness, accompanied by a dripping sound. As he was led along the corridor, Dmitri could sense a resonance in his magic, similar but with a subtle difference to what he had felt in the throne room. But where Dmitri had felt oppressive darkness during Draycott’s outburst, here he could sense something else; a faint glimmer of hope within a forsaken place. The guardsman Wayte stopped in front of a door in the corridor, the door behind which Dmitri was sure the source of the resonance lay! Wayte unlocked the door while Birkett stood next to Dmitri, roughly jabbing him in the side with the blunt end of his pike.
Having unlocked the door, Wayte turned back to Dmitri to indicate he should enter. Birkett jabbed him roughly again to start him moving. Wayte, seeing Birkett’s behaviour, sighed and shook his head. Still sensing the resonance but unable to pinpoint the source within the dark cell, Dmitri tentatively stepped inside.