The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [65]
The illumination from his orb shows that the room is small and looks like it had once been used as a storage room long ago. There are several barrels as well as a couple boxes stacked around the room, all of which have a thick layer of dust coating them. Examining the floor, he sees the only footprints disturbing the dust are the ones he and Miko have made. The single exit is a small, narrow hallway leading away into darkness.
“Doesn’t look like anyone has been in here for a long time,” observes James.
“Yeah, I wonder who used to use it,” adds Miko. He pokes into several of the boxes and barrels that are still intact but fails to come up with anything worthwhile, just old clothes long past the time when they were serviceable. Looking at James he says, “Nothing of any use here.”
Finding an old lantern in a box, James takes it and places his glowing orb inside. Now the light from the orb illuminates even better. He crosses the room to the hallway opening and shines the light down it, discovering a simple hallway which extends further than the light can reach.
“Wonder how far it goes?” Miko asks from behind him.
“Don’t know,” he replies as he moves into the hallway. The hallway continues for well over a hundred feet before ending at a flight of stone steps leading up. He directs the light toward the top and sees where it ends at a trapdoor in the ceiling.
He makes his way up the stairs to the trapdoor. Putting his shoulder against it, he pushes and manages to raise it a crack. Amazed at how much strength it took to raise it even that far, he sets the lantern down on a step and braces himself for a second try.
This time lifting with all his strength, he manages to raise the trapdoor far enough to allow light from his lantern to illuminate what lies beyond. Beyond is another small room, this one as untouched as the one below had been. No one has been in this area for a very long time.
Then letting out with a grunt of exertion, he raises the trapdoor several more inches, just enough for Miko to scramble through. Holding it open, he says, “Go through and help lift it from the other side.”
Miko scrambles up the steps and while James holds the trapdoor open, wriggles on through.
James’ strength is about to fail when he feels the weight ease up as Miko takes hold from the other side. When it’s open far enough that Miko can hold it by himself, James picks up the lantern and hurries through to the room beyond. Now he can see why the trapdoor was so heavy, a barrel was firmly attached to it. Perhaps in order to hide its existence and keep this way secret. He sets the lantern down on the floor and helps Miko to carefully close the trapdoor. They don’t want it slamming down hard and alerting whoever may be around. Just because this area has remained unused for a long time, doesn’t mean a nearby area is likewise deserted.
After the trapdoor is once more closed, he picks up the lantern and pans the light around the room. The room has stone walls on three of its sides, with a wooden one on the fourth. A door stands closed in the wooden wall. Around the room are more dust covered barrels and boxes. A quick search shows that there is nothing of interest in any of them, only some old cloth that has long since deteriorated.
Intrigued by the hidden rooms, James wonders where the end of it will lead. He goes over to the door and puts his ear to it. Not hearing anything, he cautiously opens the door and finds that it opens onto a dark, narrow passageway extending both to the right and the left. Shining the light on the floor reveals footprints in the dust, an indication that there has been someone through here recently. Upon closer examination, he finds the foot prints head in both directions.
Entering the hallway, he shines his light first down to the right, then the left. It looks as if they are standing in what could be a secret passage that might connect to several rooms. Miko enters the hallway behind