The Midnight Watch

Chapter 4

I dragged my suitcase along behind me, feeling every bump and jerk as the wheels travelled over the rough ground. The rucksack on my shoulders was easier to carry, but after half an hour of walking, it was starting to feel like a dead weight. My feet were rubbing against the insides of my new walking boots, and I was beginning to regret packing so much. I would never complain, though. I'd die before I complained.

There were exactly two dozen of us in the group. Of those twenty-four candidates, seven were girls, three were over eighteen, and one was Prince Kaeden. That had come as the biggest shock. He was dressed in casual clothes and talking to a boy of his own age quietly, but he was still very definitely the prince. Kaeden wasn't all that hard on the eyes. His windswept dark brown hair was outdone only by a pair of distinctive hazel eyes that seemed to run in the Llewellyn family.

What the hell was he doing here? Shouldn't he, I don't know ... be sat in a palace throwing banquets or something like that? Not walking in the mud with us mortals.

My mum had dropped Alex and me off as close as cars could get to Evarlin Fortress. It was located in a highly defensive valley with just a single overgrown footpath leading in. A few guides had been waiting to escort us to the fortress. They hadn't said a single word to any of us — just started walking and expected us to follow.

When we reached the top of the hill, my priority was to take off my shoe and start shaking it in a futile attempt to get out the tiny piece of grit that had been bothering me. That was, until everyone around me started gasping and whispering excitedly. Alex nudging me, combined with my attempt to look up suddenly to see what was so interesting and the fact I was still on one leg, made me promptly fall backwards on my butt.

Sniggers echoed out across the group. My face red with embarrassment, I flipped myself over and rose unsteadily, pulling my shoe back on as I went.

"Sorry, Sav," Alex said quietly. I just shook my head, telling him it wasn't really his fault.

I scanned the amused faces, searching for potential enemies. Three girls weren't bothering to hide their smirks, so I earmarked their faces to be crossed out with red pen later. Most of them had already lost interest by the time I was back on my feet, but the prince for one didn't even seem to have glanced over at the spectacle. I must have been quite far beneath his notice.

Examination done, I turned my attention towards the view ahead of us and let out a gasp of my own. Evarlin fortress stood tall in the valley, its pale, circular curtain wall rising far above the trees. A gatehouse stretched out from the front and the spiked turrets around the walls gave the castle the appearance of a crown. How symbolic. A moat curled lazily around one side, while the other was defended by rows of trenches filled with sharpened stakes.

All in all, it was pretty indestructible. Most castles would be built on hills, so the defenders would be fighting downhill. However as a werewolf, getting the lower ground was an advantage. It gave you an easier shot at your enemy's throat. Whoever had built Evarlin knew that.

"Get a move on, you lazy idiots. We can't gowk at the view all day," someone shouted at us. I took in a short, stocky man with a whistle around his neck and a long, smooth staff in one hand. He nodded briefly at our guides, dismissing them. They melted into the trees around us without a second glance.

He strode onwards so he was in front of us and blew the whistle, just for the intimidation factor. I winced at the high pitched noise. "Make a line! I want to see what sort of incompetent fools I have to work with this summer."

I took a hurried step backwards at the same time as Alex. We narrowly avoided tripping over each other's feet and fell into line with everyone else. He walked up and down, eyeing each of us in turn.