SECRETS OF THE CASTLE
The passages Prince Rawley found
Castle Kingsmere is very old, which means it has had plenty of time to acquire doors that are not obviously doors, stairways that appear on no official plan, and corridors whose original purpose has been forgotten by everyone sensible enough not to crawl through them.
Prince Rawley is not one of those people.
Over the years, he has explored an astonishing number of the castle’s hidden passages and kept careful—if rather informal—records of what he found. His maps are practical things, named for where they begin and where they eventually deposit you, with warnings added whenever experience has proved them necessary.
The one shown here leads from the White Stag tapestry to the kitchen pantry.
Apparently, that is useful information to have.
From the journals of Prince Rawley…
I found a new door today. There were seven staircases inside the passage going up and down. I thought it would let me out in the third tier, but instead I landed right outside Father’s door. I hope the guard knows about it.
There is a passage behind the western guest rooms that ends at a blank wall. I am almost certain the wall moves. I am also almost certain I bruised my shoulder proving that it does not move in the direction I first guessed.
The White Stag passage reaches the kitchen pantry. This is excellent news. The bad news is that the middle stretch is so narrow I had to turn sideways, and there are spiders the size of cherries. I am choosing to believe they are harmless.
Found another stair behind the carved panel near the old music room. It goes down much farther than it should. I stopped when the air started smelling like river mud. I’ll go back with a better torch.
Someone sealed one of the lower passages with bricks. Which, naturally, means I now need to know what is on the other side.
Would you like to see more of The Court?