Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

fiercely at the rough stone step, and waited for her heart to settle.
    'Hang on, Julia,' said Bodeen quietly. Til jump across, and then pull you up.'
    'No! Stay where you are, Bodeen!' Already Julia could feel the step shifting. There was no chance of it supporting the guard's weight as well. Slowly she pulled herself up over the edge of the step, stopping every few seconds to let the shifting stone settle. Her arm muscles ached unbearably, but she didn't dare hurry herself. Eventually she was able to hook one knee over the edge and then, with one heart-stopping lunge, she hauled herself up on to the step. For long moments she just lay there in an ungainly heap, feeling the stone creak and groan and grow still beneath her. Her heart hammered furiously against her breastbone, and sweat trickled down her face and sides despite the chill wind. When I get inside , she decided shakily, I am going to brain the Seneschal with the nearest blunt instrument. She eased herself down on to the next step, and only then got to her feet and turned to look back at Bodeen, watching anxiously from the far side of the gap.
    'All right, Bodeen, come across. But aim for this step, I don't think the other will take your weight.'
    Bodeen nodded calmly, and made the jump look simple. The stone slab absorbed his landing with only the faintest of tremors, and Julia turned her attention to the open Treasury door before her. After all I've been through to get here, she thought slowly, the Treasury had better be worth it . She took one last look at the Forest spread out below, and then stepped through the doorway.
    Once again, gravity changed while she was still in mid-air, and she only just got her feet under her in time. She looked around for the Seneschal, and then had to jump to one side as Bodeen came somersaulting in. He landed awkwardly, and Julia put out a hand to steady him. He moved quickly away, and Julia was surprised to note the man was blushing. She grinned as the answer hit her, and carefully rearranged her dress so that her legs were once again modestly covered. Bodeen concentrated all his attention on shutting the Treasury door, until he was sure it was safe to turn round again.
    'It didn't bother you on the stairway,' said Julia, amusedly.
    'That was different,' said the guard firmly. 'Here, it wouldn't be at all proper. I mean, what would the Seneschal say?'
    'Something vexing, no doubt,' said Julia, staring curiously about her. As her eyes grew used to the gloom, she realised they were in a vast hall, illuminated only by the sparse light that trickled past the edges of the many shuttered windows. The timbered ceiling towered above them, choked with cobwebs.
    Thick streams of the dirty gossamer hung from every surface, though there was surprisingly little dust.
    Tightly packed bookcases lined the walls, and dozens of chairs stood before dozens of desks, all joined one to the other by their cobweb shrouds.
    'I wonder what this place was,' said Julia.
    Bodeen shrugged. 'If this was the Treasury, I suppose this could be the old counting house.'
    'Right first time,' said the Seneschal, appearing suddenly from a doorway to their left. 'Who knows how many tons of gold and silver and copper passed through this room? The whole wealth of the Forest Kingdom must have passed through here at one time or another.'
    Julia's eyes gleamed suddenly. 'Do you suppose,' she said demurely, 'that any of the gold and silver and copper might still be around?'
    The Seneschal chuckled. 'Who knows?'
    'I'm beginning to be glad I came,' said Julia, and Bodeen nodded solemnly.
    'Let's find the Old Armoury first,' said the Seneschal dryly. 'Then perhaps we can consider a little treasure-hunting. This way, Princess.'
    Julia grinned, and she and Bodeen followed the Seneschal through the side door into the next room. Julia stopped just inside the door, and wrinkled her nose as the smell hit her. The darkened antechamber would have seemed small and dingy even when it was still in everyday use, but after thirty-two years of neglect the place stank of damp and decay. There were no windows, the only light the familiar golden glow of the Seneschal's lantern. Mildew and wood rot speckled the wall panelling, and what had once been a rich, deep-pile carpet crunched dryly under Julia's feet as she moved slowly into the room. A single chair lay overturned in a corner, cocooned in spiderwebs. The Seneschal turned as though to say something to Julia, and then froze. From