Forest Kingdom Trilogy 2 - Blood and Honor

built into the ancient walls. Others claim there'd Wild Magic in the hill the Castle rests on. No one knows the whole truth. But for as long as anyone can remember, there have always been ghosts in Castle Midnight, day and night. They're mostly harmless, as long as you don't upset them, and after a while you get used to them. They're only people who have become lost in Time. Who wandered from the path, and cannot find their way back.'
    'And the monsters?' said Jordan, hesitantly.
    'There are a few monsters, every now and again. Our Stew-bard takes care of them, as and when necessary. I suppose I'd better tell you about her. Catriona Taggert is the third of her line to serve as Steward to the Castle. Good-looking girl, and tough with it. She has no Blood, but like all her family she's very proficient at the High Magic. She and Viktor don't get on. I think he disapproves of anyone outside the aristocracy wielding so much power. Anyway, it's the Steward's job to keep an eye on the Unreal, and make sure it doesn't get out of hand. In normal times, there isn't much for her to do.
    'You see, the combination of Real and Unreal in one place generates a hell of a lot of mystical power, a power the King can draw on through the ancient Stone set under his throne. The power amplifies the King's elemental magic enormously, and at the same time enables him to keep the Real and the Unreal in balance. This of course ensures that the power keeps on flowing, which means . . . and so on, and so on. However, at times like these, when there's no King on the throne, things can get pretty hairy at Castle Midnight. Without the King to maintain the balance, the Unreal starts trying to break loose and run free. All kinds of insanity take shape and form and come to life. Ghosts and monsters are only the half of it. And this, of course, is where the Steward really comes into her own. Her job is to hold things together as best she can with her sorcery, until a new King takes the throne, and restores the balance.'
    'You make it sound as though the Unreal is ... alive,' said Jordan slowly.
    Gawaine shrugged. 'No one knows for sure what the Unreal is. Ask ten different people, and they'll give you ten different answers. You'll see for yourself, when we get to the Castle.'
    'Wait a minute,' said Jordan. 'I think I'm missing something here. If there's that much power just waiting to be grabbed, why haven't Lewis or Dominic simply declared themselves King, and taken the throne by force? From what I've heard about those two, it ought to be the first thing they'd think of.'
    'As I keep pointing out, inheritance isn't quite that simple at Castle Midnight,' said Count Roderik.
    Jordan looked round sharply. Roderik and Argent stepped forward and warmed their hands at the fire.
    Jordan wondered if he ought to say something cutting, given their earlier slights, but decided against it.
    For better or worse, he had to learn to work with these people. And they were, after all, the ones who
    were paying him. Fifty thousand ducats, he thought grimly. And I'm earning every bloody penny of it. He realised Roderik was still talking, and paid attention to him.
    'In order to inherit the Kingship,' said Roderik patiently, 'the claimant has to produce both the King's crown and his seal of office, and present them to the Stone in the correct ceremony. The Stone then grants the King power over the Unreal. Without that power, no King can rule in Redhart.'
    'Don't tell me,' said Jordan. 'The crown and the seal have both gone missing, right?'
    'I said you were starting to think like a Prince,' said Gawaine. 'Viktor and his two brothers have been turning the Castle upside down since Malcolm died, but there's no trace anywhere of crown or seal.'
    'Wait a minute,' said Jordan, frowning thoughtfully. 'If Lewis or Dominic had killed King Malcolm, that would mean they'd have to have the crown and seal. Since they obviously haven't got them, that proves neither Lewis nor Dominic could have been the murderer! I mean, they wouldn't have been stupid enough to kill the King without being sure where the crown and seal were first. Would they?'
    'The best-laid plans can go adrift,' said Roderik. 'Or perhaps there was a third party involved that we don't know about . . . There's a great deal concerning the King's death that remains unclear. What is clear is that if it becomes known at Court that Prince Viktor is ill, and therefore vulnerable, he'll lose all hope of support. That's why we