248
You hear the dial turning, but you sense at once that it has stopped at the wrong number. There is a faint buzzing sound, followed by a heavy click; then your pulse quickens when you realize that you have inadvertently set off an alarm.
Suddenly the south doors burst open and into the hall rushes a troop of a dozen guardsmen armed with crossbows. They catch you kneeling beside the north door and they quickly surround you before you have a chance to get away.
‘Surrender!’ shouts their leader. ‘Surrender at once or I shall order my men to fire.’
