Ward sets me down at the top of the staircase, and although there are a few bodies here, there are none near the gate. The bloodstains inform me that Ives and Tyrus have probably already moved them. Ives is waiting for us by the 'guard house'. Really it's not more than a simple hollow cube of stone that could protect one or two men as the controls are operated for the gate. Another set of controls are down below, so that at a pull of a lever, a system of pulleys and weights starts the gates opening.
“My Queen.” Ives dips his head briefly in a bow of respect. “This one says he knows you.” Ives jerks his chin toward the ground outside the gate, where I see a rather large group of men stirring. Now that I'm visible over the battlements, they begin to stand and one at the front is grinning br
