21. Anything goes
I had walked into a trap. How could I have been so careless? How had these fiends learned of Sir Magnus’s plans? Well it was no use crying over spilt milk, I had about five minutes before I was due to go toe-to-toe with one of the toughest, fiercest brawlers in the whole of London. I had to make good my escape. I dropped the lamp, plunging the room into darkness, and rushed straight for the open door, but just as I got to it, an unseen pair of hands threw it closed. I heard the rasp of bolts being drawn on the other side. Then from behind me there was another noise. It was the sound of the huge barn door opening. What I saw on the other side was utterly terrifying.
I was below ground level looking into a ring made of rickety wood panels. Around the ring, standing above
