Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

still standing. 'Do sit down, gentlemen, you make the place look untidy.'
    Guillam bobbed his head quickly, and sat down on the edge of the chair nearest him. He smiled briefly at Darius and Cecelia, as though apologising for his presence, his pale blue eyes blinking nervously all the while. Bedivere stood at parade rest, his back straight and his hand near his swordhilt. He made no move to seat himself. Darius studied him narrowly. Bedivere had replaced his damaged chain-mail and jerkin, and apart from a slight paleness to the face, no sign remained of the ordeal he'd suffered at the Astrologer's hands. And yet despite his calm features and relaxed stance, he was no more at ease than a cat waiting at a mousehole. There was a deadly stillness to the man, as though he was merely waiting for his next order to kill somebody. Who knows, thought Darius, maybe he is.
    Blays brushed disdainfully at a length of cobweb clinging to his sleeve. 'You really should do something about your bolthole, Darius. The acoustics are appalling and the walls are filthy.'
    'It was also very draughty,' said Guillam petulantly. 'The length of time you kept us waiting there, I wouldn't be at all surprised if I caught a chill. What is that place anyway? The tunnel we were in seemed to go on for miles.'
    'It does,' said Darius. 'It's a part of the air vents.' He sighed quietly as he took in the Landsgrave's puzzled face, and decided he'd better explain, if only for the sake of good relations. 'Sir Guillam, you must have already noticed that my chambers, like the majority of rooms in this Castle, have no windows.
    It is therefore vitally important to keep air circulating throughout the Castle, if it is not to turn bad and
    poison us all. The many vents and tunnels within the Castle walls are designed to draw in fresh air from the outside, and carry out the foul air. Over the years I've spent a great deal of time exploring and mapping the endless miles of air vents within the Castle; more than once they've proved an invaluable asset when it came to ... gathering information.'
    'I suppose it beats listening at keyholes,' said Blays sourly.
    Darius smiled politely. 'If nothing else, Sir Blays, you must admit that the air vents do provide an excellent escape route for us, should the need arise.'
    'Maybe,' said Blays. 'But you'd better do something about that bookcase door, it's far too slow to open and close. In an emergency, it'd be no bloody use at all.'
    Darius shrugged. 'The counterweights are very old, and I lack the expertise to repair or replace them. As long as they still serve their purpose ...'
    'What about the migration?' said Blays suddenly. 'Will that affect you?'
    'I haven't moved from these chambers in fifteen years,' said Darius calmly. 'No one knows the secret of the bookcase but you and I.'
    'Migration?' said Guillam, frowning. 'What migration?'
    'I'll tell you later,' said Blays. 'Now, Darius—'
    'I want to know now!' snapped Guillam.
    Darius looked to Blays, expecting him to put the other Landsgrave in his place, but to Darius's surprise, Blays swallowed his irritation and nodded curtly to Guillam. Interesting, thought Darius. It would appear Sir Blays isn't as much in control of things as he'd like everyone to think.
    'You have to remember,' said Blays to Guillam, patiently, 'that because the interior of the Castle is so much greater than the exterior, it causes certain unique problems for the occupants. One is the lack of windows and fresh air. Another is that with so many layers of stone between the inner and the outer rooms, there can be extreme differences in temperature within the Castle. The thick stone walls retain heat, so that the innermost rooms are always the warmest. Thus, in summer, the King and the higher members of society live on the outskirts of the Castle, where it's coolest. When winter comes, they move to the centre of the Castle, where it's warmest. Those in the lower strata of society live in a reverse manner. And those who hover somewhere between the two extremes, like Darius, don't migrate at all. Is everything clear to you now, Sir Guillam?'
    'It sounds very complicated,' said Guillam.
    'It is,' said Darius. 'That's why the timing of our rebellion is so important. With the migration well under way, the general confusion will work to our advantage.'
    'Thank you,' said Guillam politely. 'I understand now.'
    'Then perhaps we could please get down to business,' said Darius heavily. 'We do have a great deal to