17
THE KING'S MADNESS
Princess Hurella led them out of the serving room and into the hall, taking them to a spiral staircase leading up to the palace's main floor.
They went past the throne room and into a side corridor where a large, elaborate tapestry made up of rich red and gold thread hung on the wall. The princess stopped in front of it, facing a part depicting a man kneeling by a giant tree, holding up a cushion with a crown nestled in the middle.
She lifted the tapestry and tapped the wall behind it rhythmically. There was a grinding sound and part of the wall opposite them opened inwards, revealing a passageway. They went inside, following it to its end, and found a small door with a rusted padlock.
'Father's room lies beyond this door. We wouldn't have been allowed through th
