e closer but did not finish him. Then he realized that
they could not. They were as fear, and could not physically harm him,
but only make him do the things to harm himself. So he cautiously
recovered himself, stood firmly on the tiny ledge, and put them from
his mind. There might be other obstacles to reach her, but these he
would not fear.

He reached up and continued to climb as the noise died away and only a
ghost image of the wraiths remained frozen in the air. Climbing
steadily, he had almost reached a level with the first buttress---one
last knot of stone---when a low studded door burst open from the
darkness of the wall to the extreme right, and four black wolves poured
out and rushed headlong toward the place where he would emerge above
the cliffs, and he was hard pressed to reach it before they did.

These were no illusion. He leapt to his feet and pulled the long knife
from its sheath as the first was upon him. One back-slash with the
blade as he dropped to a knee and it fell dying before him, its throat
cut. The others closed as he rose again and they snarled and tore as
he kicked and slashed, and after a time two more were dead but his legs
were badly marked and it was hard to stand, and he fell to the ground.

Then the last, the largest, which had bided its time was upon him,
going for his throat. The knife had fallen away and he reached up with
his hands to grab it around the neck and try to pull it off. He
succeeded partially, raising himself halfway; but it was soon at him
again, tearing at the side of his face. Driven by an overpowering
rage, he seized it just below the ear and dragged it away until he had
its neck firmly in his two hands, and squeezed and kicked until the
wolf moved no more. He let it fall to the ground as he rose, and
sullenly brushed the dirt from him and strained his eyes to focus on
the dark castle before him.

There was only one entrance, near to the small door which had emitted
the wolves, locked tight upon their demise. There it was: a vast arch
guarded by a spiked portcullis. To his amazement as he came forward he
saw that the grid was raised, the way open.

He stepped toward it cautiously, came to it, looked about him for some
kind of trap. But he found none, passed through and entered a long
corridor, which led in time to a double-door upon his right. He
entered a broad chamber of half-light, knowing he had reached the heart
of the Castle. He entered.