<strong>Alice Bond</strong><br/><br/>My feet have been killing me and the pack feels like it weighs a ton, but upon the sight of that wall all my discomfort vanishes in a rush of excitement.  I've<em>found it!</em>The golden leaf emblem is exactly as father had sketched it.<br/><br/>I sit outside those gates for a long time, sipping water from my canteen and just thinking about father.  He'd been on the right track.  If he'd survived he would have found this place.  I find the realisation enormously comforting; I'm not bettering him.  I'm just continuing his work.<br/><br/>The minutes tick by, and after a time I feel rested enough to continue.  I get to my feet, and pull the pack back onto my shoulders.  I unbuckle the pistol holster at my hip and withdraw the Webley, checking it one more time.  It's not so much the tomb I'm concerned about - I've been in scores, and each time the residents have been dead peaceful, no trouble at all - but a girl travelling alone has to be careful, and any of the yokels from the village could follow the carvings I'd made on the trees on my way here.<br/><br/>I push the gate open and head inside - and I immediately realise something is seriously amiss.  Is this place<em>occupied?</em>The lawns should be thick undergrowth and the drive should be...well, anything but impeccable.<br/><br/><em>Odd.</em>I head off the driveway and onto the lawn, skirting off to the right around the inside wall.  I plan to walk around the perimeter, sizing up the manor from all angles.