“That should do it,” said Claudia as she stoppered the last vial and placed it with the others.

“You don’t think we’ve overdone it?” asked Dmitri eyeing the collection of jars and vials containing various coloured liquids.

Claudia shook her head, “Not even nearly,” she said. “If I could have more I would, but we just don’t have the materials.”

Dmitri nodded, “Let’s get started then,” he indicated the door.

Picking up a particularly bulbous little jar, Claudia hunkered down behind a table they’d upended for this purpose and lobbed the jar across the room. The jar impacted the door and with a loud boom it shattered and a wall of dust exploded out at them. As the dust cleared, Dmitri and Claudia inspected the damaged, some crumbled mortar, but otherwise the door remained intact.

Outside the room, Mattief’s companion Thomas turned to him as the dust cleared, “What was that?” he asked, shock evident on his face.

“Nothing good, I’ll wager,” replied Mattief with a scowl.

“Should we tell Draycott?” asked Thomas warily.

Mattief sighed. He knew that disrupting Draycott could come with its own consequences. “I’ll do it,” he offered and then scowled again when Thomas nodded emphatically; Thomas had meant it to happen this way. They still weren’t treating him like one of the guards. He left the corridor and started to cross the courtyard. As he entered the main keep, another guard was heading in his direction, fury painted all over his face, his uniform spattered with blood and dirt.

“Wayte?” asked Mattief, somewhat startled to see him.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Where is he?” demanded Wayte.

“Who?” stammered Mattief.

“That animal Dmitri!” snarled Wayte.

“In his cell,” replied Mattief. “I’ll come let you in after I’ve seen Draycott.”

Wayte ignored him and stormed past him into the courtyard.

“Wayte?” called out Mattief, “I can’t let you in yet. I have to see Draycott. Wayte?”

But Wayte was no longer in earshot.

Wayte stormed up the corridor towards Thomas, “Let me in,” he demanded.

“But I can’t-“ he started but Wayte grabbed him.

“Look at me! This is all from that infernal woman,” he said indicating the blood and dirt all over him. “They knew this would happen. I want to give them a piece of my mind,” he finished with a snarl.

Thomas nodded and Wayte let him go, “Just don’t kill them,” pleaded Thomas. “Draycott will have my head if you do!” He got out his keys and unlocked the door.

“Don’t worry,” said Wayte, a dark gleam in his eyes, “I take full responsibility for what happens to them.”

Inside the room, Dmitri and Claudia were preparing another potion to use. As the door opened and Wayte entered, Claudia looked up, “Wayte!” Then she saw his expression and the state of his uniform. “What happened to you?”

“You two know what happened, you did it!” growled Wayte and swung the door hard and launched himself at Claudia.

The door slammed shut behind him and as he reached Claudia, his expression changed, “Act like I am assaulting you, I need to talk to Dmitri.”

Where Claudia’s expression had been one of fear as Wayte stalked towards her, it now turned to recognition and she smiled and nodded. She began to bang and crash around the room, making all sorts of pained moans and screams.

Dmitri was frowning at Wayte as he approached, “What is she doing?” he asked.

“Causing a distraction so we can talk,” explained Wayte. “As you may have noticed, the last that you saw me was carting Judith off with Birkett. Draycott had control of me than, but I somehow managed to break free. Normally when I had broken free in the past, I was sucked straight back in.”

“I think I know how,” said Dmitri and he went on to explain the nightmares that he and Claudia had been trapped in.

Wayte’s face took on a pained expression, “Is she alright?” he asked nodding towards Claudia.

“She seems to be,” replied Dmitri. “I entered her nightmare and helped her to escape. I think it is all behind her now.”

“What about you?” asked Wayte.

Dmitri brushed away the concern, “I’m fine. Now what happened?”

“Well, Birkett is dead,” started Wayte.