Chapter 25
WHILE EVERYONE WAS celebrating victory—or merely confused—Master Thiele’s men moved into the palace.
The master himself was not there, but Nellie recognised several of the dark-clad men who came into the hall. They sealed the entrances. They made sure the servants went back downstairs and all the people who had streamed into the palace left again.
Master Thiele himself came in later, in the company of three heavily armed guards. By this time, Casper and the noble youngsters had already cleaned up a good deal of the mess: the broken plates, the spilled food, the remains of burnt items. Wet carpets were replaced with dry ones, and the tables put back in orderly fashion.
Nellie helped with this, although her dress made the work uncomfortable because one side kept slipping off h
