“So, what do we do, sir?” one of the guards asked.

“How many guards are actually in this keep?” Lucas asked. “And why are you four here, but no one is manning the gate? There was a moat. Wasn’t there anyone defending the drawbridge? Why aren’t people on the walls stopping a battering ram from breaking through?”

“The . . . umm . . .” The guard frowned. “The moat is for decoration. Sir Rowland wanted the keep to look right and proper so as to impress Lady Dennings when they were still courting, so he put a single layer of stone across all the walls to dress it up and then had a one-foot-deep moat dug before she showed up. It won’t hold anyone out as they can just walk across it, and the worst that will happen is they’ll get soggy shoes. That’s why no one is defending it.”

“Freaking hell.” Lucas felt like saying many more cuss words, but the person he wanted to cuss out wasn’t paying attention to anything but Dennings’ tongue. Any complaints he had now would just fall on deaf ears. “What about my other question? How many people are defending?”

“Ah . . .” The guard looked over at the other one. “There are about 20 of us total. There’s also the . . . err . . . Well, the thing is . . . It’s . . . umm . . .” The guard seemed to be stammering.

“What? What is the thing? Out with it! We’re kind of pressed for time. That door is going to bust down any minute now, and I need info!” Lucas practically shouted, frustrated with how long this process was taking. Do they not have any sense of urgency? I saw the mob heading toward this place. They might already be inside for all I know.

“We have 20 guards . . . and a Grobendiss,” the guard said.

“What the heck is a Grobendiss?” Lucas asked.

“It’s . . . uhh . . . a giant, green beast. It’s a monster Rowland found in the forest and decided to keep. It’s rather tame, though. Listens to orders well. You’ll just have to see it.”

“Well, I will. Get everyone in here right now. All of you can go if you have to. I want this Grobendiss and all 20 guards in this room immediately.”

“But what will we do if they ransack the rest of the place?” the guard asked. “How will we account for any losses if the peasants steal from the other rooms? We need to defend each—”