(23) Two vampires, a ghoul and a shifter.

Piers put a finger to his lips as he and Linden moved across the ruble-strewn center of the castle grounds.

Roderick had left earlier in the evening, called back by the King. Piers spent the next half hour looking as if he'd break into tears, or alternatively start destroying things. Linden gave him time and then told him, forcefully enough that he'd listen, that they could get back to exploring the castle now. After wiping away incipient tears, Piers had agreed.

They gathered up what they thought they'd need, including ropes this time to make digging out the hole easier, then set out across the grounds and through the trees. They were almost to the castle when they both had the creepy feeling that someone was watching them.

Piers widened his senses before giving a shake of his head. "Nothing," he whispered. "Or, I suppose if there is someone or some thing, they're blocking."

Linden shivered at that thought but insisted they press on.

Now, he looked at Piers when he cautioned silence, lifting an eyebrow in question.

"Nerves, probably," Piers had mouthed in reply.

They made it to the 'kitchen' corner with no further feelings that someone was observing them, and soon had the large stone moved away from the steps. After they rigged one rope around Linden's chest to act as a harness, Piers lowered him into the hole.

Slowly but surely, between them, they cleared another six feet of rubble off the stairway. In the process they discovered that more steps were broken than remained whole.

With half the night gone, Piers and Linden stopped, both needing to give tired muscles a chance to unknot and relax.

"I bet we reach the bottom before it's time to go home," Linden said, stretching and then bending to touch his toes several times.

"Do you have any idea if there's a room or a hall at the bottom?"

"No, not yet, and if it’s a hall I'm betting it's not in any better shape than the stairs, unfortunately."

"Only one way to find out." Piers jumped off the stone he'd been sitting on, heading back to the stairway.

"Slave driver," Linden muttered as he joined him, waiting for Piers to reattach the rope harness.

Piers laughed. "Of course, I'm the vampire, you're the ghoul, it's the nature of our relationship."

Linden flipped him off as Piers lowered him back down into the hole.