Oh yeah. There's more. I'm going to continue posting until I reach the end! Btw the next chapter is going to be called 'Level One Part One'.

Chapter 9

When dawn broke the following day, it showed them Knightmare Castle. They wondered how they had not seen it before, until Cat had pointed out that sometimes things were so large they were too large to see and so it was with Knightmare. The castle stood on the top of a tall pinnacle of rock. It stood like a tall black craggy finger pointing crookedly at the sky. The castle itself was barely visible, standing right at the top. Cat shaded her eyes from the sun as she looked up at it.

"What gets me, is how they got the building materials up there." Cat said thoughtfully. As they approached the base of the rock, they saw a thin, steep path that wound around the rock. They started up it, Cat going first with her sword drawn. Their biggest enemy however was not the imagined enemies that Cat feared would be sent against them but the path itself. It soon became difficult, some of it having fallen away leaving large gaps they had to jump across. Missing wasn't an option, a very long fall awaited the person who missed. Sidriss tried her best, deciding to close her eyes and jump blindly, luckily Cat caught her. Majida was proving more of a problem.

"Are you mad?!" Majida shouted at them at the latest gap. Sidriss had made the jump and was now pressing herself as firmly as she could against the rock. Cat and Pickle had already made the jump fairly easily.

"Come on Majida! We'll catch you!" Cat insisted. Majida crept forward she her feet were on the edge of the gap. The wind whipped up and nearly caught her off balance.

"You are mad! You are all insane!" Majida waved her hands theatrically.

"Unless you have a better idea for getting us there!" Cat shouted impatiently.

"Yes I do!" The genie snapped back.

The next thing Cat knew she was tumbling forward in an inky blackness.

"Where am I?" She whispered. "Pickle?" She called out uncertainly.

"I'm here too mistress..er Cat." Pickle answered her somewhere to her left.

"Isn't there any light?" Sidriss said from behind her. Cat heard someone clap and the torches and the fire in the grate suddenly leapt into life. Majida looked smug.

"Thank you Majida." Cat said. Majida nodded sagely. "Where are we?" Cat asked.

"This is the master's antechamber. Where he met dungeoneers to send them on their quests." Pickle answered before Majida.

"That's what I was going to say!" Majida complained. Cat looked around the room. They were standing on a large flagstone floor. The walls were of grey stone bricks Cat walked up to them and ran her fingers over them, feeling the texture. Also in the room was a large wooden chair, ornately carved and inlaid with gold and covered with dust. There was a plain bench on the floor, not ornate in any way. In front of it was a mirror which was dark. The whole room had about an inch of dust on the surfaces. Sidriss ran her finger through it and looked at her distastefully. There were two doors from the room. One archway that seemed to lead to a corridor also lit by torches. Cat couldn't see through the other archway, a yawning blackness filled it. For some reason it fascinated her. Pickle looked at the chair then at the bench his face contorted into a frown.

"Cat there's something…"

"I can't get the mirror to work." Sidriss was sitting on the bench waving her hand up and down in front of it.

"Here let me try." Majida said and siting down beside her tried tapping the mirror and using all kinds of hand waves. Pickle was in the centre of the room.

"Cat I think..!" Pickle began more urgently but Majida interrupted.

"Hey Pickle, you try." Pickle started to move towards the mirror, but he saw Cat heading for the dark arch. He ran towards her and grabbed her arm.

"Don't go that way!" Pickle looked at her urgently. Cat looked at him at first as though she couldn't see him. Then she shook her head.

"Sorry. No of course not."

"Don't go that way." Pickle insisted.

"No need to tell me twice." Cat said sarcastically and they walked towards the bench.

"So this is where the quests started?"

"Yes." Pickle answered.

"The dungeoneer was allowed three advisors to help them." Majida said.

"That's a coincidence!" Sidriss said still distractedly trying to get the mirror to work. Pickle looked at Cat, who looked at the floor.

"Why?" Majida asked, then answered her own question. "Of course, there are four of us!"

There was a moment's silence, then they all looked at Cat.

"Before we get carried away, how does this work? What does it do?" She indicated the mirror.

"It sees into the dungeon. The advisors use it to guide the dungeoneer." Pickle answered.

"It doesn't seem to be working." Sidriss said.

"Well I don't know try this." Cat tapped the side of the mirror and it blinked into life. Sidriss, Majida and Pickle looked at her.

"Well how about that." Cat said unconvincingly. Pickle smiled

"What are you doing here?" Majida asked suspiciously.

"To help Treguard." Sidriss answered. Majida looked at Cat through narrowed eyes. "Are you sure we have not met before?" Majida asked.

"Lets see what the mirror has to show us." Cat said ignoring her. Majida and Sidriss turned their attention to the mirror whilst Pickle drew slightly back with Cat.

"That's what I was trying to say." Pickle whispered. "Three and one." He pointed to Cat. Cat looked at the portal to the dungeon.

"Yes, that's what worries me."

"Mildred said Treguard was deep in level three." Pickle pointed out.

"What are you two saying?" Majida asked suspiciously.

"That Treguard was being held in level three." Cat said.

"Well, there's nothing on the mirror but empty rooms." Sidriss said.

"I bet they fill up as soon as a quest starts." Cat commented. She sighed and looked back at the arch. The blackness seemed to have a tangible texture, shadow crept along the floor and occupied corners.

"Cat?" Pickle asked.

"I'm going down there." She said decisively.

"I'm sure the master wouldn't...I mean this doesn't have to be your concern." Pickle said gently.

"Wasn't it you who said that you didn't believe me coming here at this time was a coincidence?" Cat retorted thoughtfully. She moved towards the arch. Pickle followed and placed a restraining hand on her arm.

"I think this is a trap." Pickle said. Sidriss had joined them and nodded.

"Lord Fear undoubtedly wants one of us to go down there." She said. "It doesn't have to be you."

"Lord Fear wants us to challenge the dungeon! We play his game he will cheat! He always cheats." Majida complained.

"Nevertheless. Treguard is being held somewhere in level three. Unless any of you have a better way of getting to him." Cat said slowly. Pickle, Sidriss and Majida fell silent. Cat nodded.

"I didn't think so." She looked back at the archway leading to the dungeon.

"Yes but it doesn't have to be you that goes in! It should be me! I am a genie. I have magic. You don't even know Treguard." Majida said. Pickle looked at Majida sharply. Cat merely shrugged, still not looking away from the archway.

"Well how do we decide who goes in?" Sidriss asked. Cat looked at her, then she straightened looking towards the archway in the opposite wall.

"What's that?" She asked. Obediently, Pickle, Sidriss and Majida looked at the archway. Only Pickle looked back in time to see Cat disappearing through the arch that led to the dungeon. Majida harrumphed theatrically. Sidriss looked puzzled. Pickle sighed and said quietly.

"Good luck."