The Blue Room was warm and comfortable. Neil headed immediately for the log fire that burned in a huge white marble fireplace and warmed his hands gratefully while Count Vassili and Major Sallis settled themselves in armchairs as footmen, carrying trays laden with food, proceeded to lay the table.
On the way there, Neil had, rather nervously, asked the count about Clara.
The count, however, had been brief. “I saw her yesterday morning,” he’d said quietly. “She’s still a prisoner but she’s well. No one has harmed her.”
Neil felt an enormous weight lift from his shoulders. Clara was okay. He’d known all along that she’d be alright but sometimes, he thought ruefully, things didn’t always work out as planned. He loved Clara dearly, but there was no getting away from it; she had a mind of her own and it often got her into trouble.
It was only after they’d eaten that Neil told the count what had happened to him. He felt relaxed and relieved for, during the course of the meal, the count had mentioned that he no longer worked for Lord Jezail, and Neil believed him.
“Well, Sallis,” the count said thoughtfully when they had finished listening to Neil’s tale, “it seems we have more than one problem to attend to!”
The major nodded as Neil looked enquiringly from one to the other.
“We must, of course, help the McArthur and his men,” the count said.
“But we don’t know where he is,” Neil interrupted, “the carpets could be hundreds of miles away for all we know.”
The major smiled. “We have eyes and ears everywhere and it won’t be long before my spies find them.”
Just as they picked up on me, Neil thought, eyeing him shrewdly.
“Then there’s Lord Jezail,” the count continued. “We heard this morning that he’s left Stara Zargana — with Dragonslayer, of course! He and his men took the road north so they are obviously heading for the Valley of the Dragons!”
“Arthur’s there already,” Neil said, “at least I hope he is! He went to warn them that Lord Jezail had Dragonslayer.”
“Did he, indeed!” the count sounded surprised.
Neil then told them the story of the tournament and when they’d finished laughing, the count’s face again became serious. “Nevertheless, Dragonslayer is still a threat to the dragons. They’ll need help from us if they’re going to survive Jezail’s attack.”
“If Jezail and his men have left the citadel,” Neil interrupted, “then we could quite easily rescue Clara.” He stretched out his hand so that the count could see the magic ring on his finger. “If I became invisible, I could walk in, free her and more or less walk out with her. She has a magic ring, too, you know!”
“I do know,” the count said with a wry smile, “but Lord Jezail has it now. It was the first thing he took from her when she was captured. Besides which,’ he paused, “Clara isn’t in the citadel any longer.”
“Not in the citadel!” Neil exclaimed, looking alarmed. “Then where is she?” he demanded, sitting forward in his chair.
The count then told them everything that had happened from the time that Clara had been hexed into the crystal ball at the circus to their arrival at Dragonsgard.
“Dragonsgard,” Neil repeated. “It sounds … exciting,” he said.
The count’s face hardened. “As far as I’m concerned,” he said with a frown, “Dragonsgard is among the most terrible places in the world. Lord Jezail’s own soldiers dread being posted there. It’s high in the mountains and even in summer the temperature is close to freezing. Now, with winter on the way, the castle will be like an icebox.”
There was a silence as Major Sallis looked at the count apprehensively.
“What’s more,” the count added heavily, remembering the fateful letter, “Lord Jezail has instructed that she’s to be kept in the topmost tower of the castle.”
He stopped abruptly, not wanting to worry the boy more than necessary and shot a warning glance at the major, who had stiffened at his words. Like everyone else, Major Sallis had heard tell of the dreadful room in the topmost tower of the castle and cringed inwardly at the thought of the circle of deep slit windows that gave no protection whatsoever from the biting, icy winds that swirled round the mountain tops. It was no place to keep a grown man far less a child.
“Would it be difficult to rescue her?” Neil asked, doubtfully.
A mental picture of the grim, grey fortress flashed through the major’s mind. “Virtually impossible,” he said quietly, “but we’ll have to try.”