Chapter Twenty-FourMelcorka saw Dun Dreggan from across the flat landscape. It stood on an isolated rock stack, 100 yards off the grim coastal cliffs with the sea frothing and boiling around its base. Flocks of seagulls circled, screaming, with skuas competing with herring gulls to see who could make the most noise. Between the edge of the mainland cliff and the castle, a slender rope bridge swung crazily above the sea.
“That is a hard place to visit unless the owner invites you,” Bradan said.
“That is Dun Dreggan,” Astrid said soberly. “Once I have guided you there, you are on your own.”
The castle was unlike any Melcorka had seen. The base rose sheer, nearly like a continuation of the rock stack, with a profusion of turrets that soared skyward. The single entrance that faced the mainl
