Aelgren`s assault on the broken, mouldering stone had soon made a hole that was wide enough to squeeze through.

　　"It looks like a library", said Elizabeth, clambering after the others. "There are books everywhere!"

　　The light from Aelgren`s flickering torch flooded the room with shadows. Every wall was a bookcase, and each bookcase was crammed full to the point of collapse. Dust and cobwebs sought out every crack and crevice.

　　Luella wrinkled her nose. "But it smells like a tomb".

　　"I`m afraid there`s a good reason for that", said Izzario, gravely.

　　Elizabeth`s heart almost burst free of her chest as she discovered what he meant.

　　There, on the floor, in the middle of the room, was a pile of skeleton bones.

　　The bones were draped in robes of crimson, and beside them, on a chair, was a crown.

　　There was the terrible echo of silent thoughts as one by one they all realised who it was.

　　"It looks like King Velyn got his wish at last", said Aelgren. And Elizabeth thought that the light from the torch might have dimmed in a show of respect.

　　Next to the chair was an antique desk, a long-dead candle and a book.

　　"What was he reading?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

　　"It`s a map of the Old Lands", Izzario reported, gliding over and gently brushing the dust aside. "From a time when this tower stood in Orrica`s defence".

　　"Lots of things have changed since then", Luella remarked.

　　Even with the light from the torch Elizabeth had to squint to see the map properly. "So why was he looking at this?"

　　Izzario placed a finger on the farthest edge of the page. "The White City of Erle was where Velyn was born. He was brought to Caranthis after his parents died in the Plague of Shivers".

　　Elizabeth charted the rough, jagged lines of the coast that held back the Endless Sea, alighted the curves of the river Oon and followed them inland until her eyes reached the Caradeen forest. The route there was just as Luella had described it when they had floated high above the clouds in the Odyssey.

　　"It`s a very long way", she said, absently.

　　"For a boy of eleven it would have been like stepping into another world".

　　Elizabeth fell silent. She knew exactly what that was like.

　　There was a fumbling sound.

　　"Well I never!"Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

　　Elizabeth lifted her gaze to see Barnaby wrestling with a weighty leather-bound volume. He carried the book with some considerable effort to the desk, saw that there was nowhere to put it and dropped the thing onto the floor with a definite thump!

　　"It looks like the original plans for the Darkstone Tower", Barnaby said, wafting away a plume of musty air. "The King`s own personal copy".

　　Barnaby pored over the stiff and brittle pages. "These look like the stairs to the Skycage. Which means that this must be the Fool Pit. And so this . . . has to be where we are now".

　　Elizabeth tried to make the faded lines match up with her surroundings. "So what`s that?" she asked, pointing to an even fainter pattern connected to one of the walls.

　　"Good question", hummed Barnaby. "It looks like it`s coming from over there".

　　All eyes swivelled to the shelves from where Barnaby had taken the book.

　　"Oh not another secret passageway", Luella complained, making it perfectly clear that she had really had enough of them.

　　But Barnaby was already off to investigate, sliding out books, turning them upside down and generally doing whatever he could think of in an effort to find the switch.

　　He had just finished fiddling with The Secret Life of Numbers when the bookcase sank, almost noiselessly, into the floor.

　　Hidden behind it was a small, round opening.

　　"So where does it go then?" Luella asked, unexcitedly.

　　Izzario was studying the plans. "Where doesn`t it go? From these drawings it looks as if that tunnel is part of a whole network. The tower is riddled with them. The living quarters, the vaults, the kitchens - they go everywhere".

　　Barnaby was gazing down into the depths of the hole. It was big enough to crawl into, but not much else. "King Velyn was surrounded by enemies", he murmured. "I imagine that being able to move around freely would have been a very useful thing".

　　"So that`s the way to the vaults", said Aelgren, "but how will we know which one belongs to Penelope?"

　　"Oh that part`s easy", Luella sniffed. "It`ll be the biggest one".

　　The passageway was even rougher than it looked. Barnaby led the way, following the plans on torn out pages, reading them as best he could by the light that came from the torch. On at least two occasions he almost set fire to what remained of his candyfloss hair.

　　Aelgren moaned like a dripping tap the whole way. "Vols are nae made for holes", he grunted, each time he bumped his head.

　　Slowly through the tunnels they inched, on hands and knees like coal-struck miners.

　　There were ladders as well, an endless stretch of rungs that reached high and low through stone shafts into the dark.

　　King Velyn must have had a very good memory, Elizabeth thought. One wrong turn and you could be lost in here forever.

　　She only hoped that Barnaby knew where he was going.

　　After a final flurry of twists and bends, the tunnel ground, abruptly, to a halt.

　　Barnaby turned the plans about, first one way then the other. "If I`ve understood this properly", he said, sounding not-at-all-convinced that he had. "We should be directly beneath Penelope`s vault right now".

　　In the low stone ceiling above their heads was a deep-set circular groove. Barnaby pushed up on it using both hands, with a wiggle and a clockwise twist.

　　"Who`s going up first?" he said, trying not to appear relieved as the stone circle slid out of the way.

　　Luella didn`t need to be invited twice, pulling herself up through the hole before anyone had a chance to speak. The others followed behind her.

　　And the vault was a sight to behold! Priceless paintings framed with gold hung like berries from the walls. The floor was covered in exotic rugs of every conceivable colour. Marble busts of figures looked on with thoughtful, clean white faces. Silken robes and dresses and gowns were suspended from a long curved rack. There were enough shoes there that the owner would never even need to think of the same pair twice. There were glass displays that glittered and shone with the fabulous opulence of the riches inside, an unimaginable store of rings and bracelets, necklaces, tiaras, and so many precious gemstones that even Elizabeth would have had trouble counting them all. In the centre of the vault was a solid onyx plinth that was draped in velvet of the deepest red.

　　And right there, on top of it, was the greatest treasure of the lot.