THIRTY-TWO
When Bernard had managed to make his way down and then up the stairs again, three times in the same day without resting, he knew he was ready for more. Venturing outside into the snow and ice to help Ursula bring in fuel for the fire was a bit more ambitious than he had in mind, though. With a walking stick in one hand, he wouldn't be able to carry much wood, anyway – he'd be more a hindrance than a help.
If he went to the kitchen...he might manage to carry Ursula's basket up the stairs with his free hand. Of course, he had to find the kitchen first, but the castle wasn't that big. He'd find it before he had to sit down and rest, surely. The castle couldn't have anything worse than the tower stairs.
After only a few wrong turns, he found the kitchen. He would have found it
