The Icebound Land- Character Reaction

6

It was an hour later when they returned to the room; a problem arose immediately. "Where's Halt?" Will asked looking around, at the same time Wulf asked, "Where's Ulf?"

Will and Gilan both exchanged a glance. "He...he meant what he said, didn't he?" Gilan asked. Will facepalmed.

Hal looked at them, an eyebrow raised. "You mean with the moat?" The two former apprentices nodded, while the rest of the Araluans hid a smile.

Before anyone could say anything else, the door swung open and a certain Ranger walked in, looking rather pleased with himself.

"Halt," Pauline said mildly, "what did you do?" Halt shrugged.

"Where's my brother?" Wulf demanded. Halt jerked a thumb towards the door. They all turned as a sopping wet figure entered the room.

The Herons took one look at their crewmate before bursting into laughter. Ulf scowled at them all, and turned to Halt, deciding to rib the Ranger one last time.

"You didn't even get the right twin," he accused. Halt raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes I did, Ulf," he said mildly. "I'm not that blind."

"Wait." Gilan looked between the two. "You can tell which is which?" Halt nodded. "How?" Gilan—and the rest of the occupants—explained. He only shrugged, and Gilan scowled.

"I'll read next," Horace offered as they sat down. The book was passed to him.

CASTLE ARALUEN, THE SEAT OF KING DUNCAN'S RULE, WAS A building of majestic beauty. The tall, spire-topped towers and soaring buttresses had an almost lifelike grace to them that belied the strength and solidity of the castle. It was beautiful, surely enough, built in huge blocks of honey-colored hardstone, but it was almost impregnable as well.

"Oh my lord," Horace interrupted himself. "These descriptions are going to be the death of me." The others snickered, though they agreed, and the two Couriers hid their smiles.

The many high towers gave the castle a sense of light and air and gracefulness. But they also provided the inhabitants with a score of positions from which to pour arrows, rocks and boiling oil on any attackers who might be unwise enough to assault the walls.

"Well, don't go shouting out the places," Duncan muttered. The Skandians all grinned.

The throne room was the heart of the castle, situated inside a series of walls and portcullises and drawbridges, which, in the event of a prolonged siege, provided defenders with a succession of fallback positions. Like everything else about the castle, the throne room was vast in scale, with a vaulted ceiling that towered high above, and a paved floor finished in black and dull pink marble squares.

"What's the relevance of this?" Crowley asked mildly. "We've all seen it before."

"We haven't," Stig said, grinning. The Ranger Commandant turned to him.

"It's a big castle. And a big throne room." Everyone laughed.

The tall windows were glazed with stained glass that glowed brilliantly in the low angle sunshine of winter. The columns that added immense strength to the walls were grouped and fluted to heighten the illusion of lightness and space in the room. Duncan's throne, a simple affair carved from oak, surmounted with a carving of an oak leaf, dominated the northern wall. At the opposite end, wooden benches and tables were provided for the members of Duncan's cabinet. In between, the room was bare, with space for several hundred courtiers to stand. On ceremonial occasions, they would throng the area, their brightly colored clothes and coats of arms catching the red, blue, gold and orange light that spilled through the stained-glass windows, sending highlights sparkling from their polished armor and helmets. Horace shook his head.