Excerpt: Contact!

Althea heard the door to the tower room slam, and quickly turned from the packing she was doing. It shouldn't really be possible to slam a dooor made of that much thick wood, and it hadn't sounded like the door simply shutting under its own weight. She left the bedroom and met Cassandra in the hallway.
"What's wrong Cassie." She asked.
"Help me pack Alth. We need to get out of here as quick as possible."
"What's wrong? Has there been another message from the Guild?" Althea was clearly worried.
"No." Cassandra answered quickly. "But we'd better get out of here before I do something that'll get me locked up."
Althea smiled "Being locked up can be fun."
"Not like that Alth."
"Well, the King and Queen like you, I'm sure they wouldn't let you be locked up."
Cassandra stopped in the bedroom doorway and span round to face Althea.
"Somehow I don't think that'd help if I actually slapped the Queen for being a nosey bitch, Alth."