The Unsuspecting Mage - Brian S. Pratt [66]
Whispering, he says to Miko, “Now I can understand why those rooms have been unused for so long. This secret door must have been forgotten. Let’s see if we can figure out how to open it before we go any further. I’d hate to not have a way out of here if things go bad.”
Nodding his agreement, Miko takes the lantern and keeps watch for anyone approaching while James feels around to see if he can find the opening mechanism. He searches the wooden wall, feeling for any grooves or indentations that might indicate a trigger, also checking the floor for any loose boards. Returning his attention to the wall, this time taking more care in his search, he discovers a small knothole in the wall that is a little loose, but doesn’t move when pressed. He also finds two others that are loose as well and tries pressing them all at the same time. As he applies pressure, all three simultaneously sink into the wall about a quarter of an inch and a barely perceptible click is heard as the door swings open on a silent hinge.
“How’d you figure that out?” asks an incredulous Miko.
Smiling with great satisfaction, James replies, “I’ve read stories about stuff like this. It isn’t too hard if you know what to look for.” Also, years of role playing games and designing dungeons doesn’t hurt either, he adds to himself in satisfaction.
Shutting the door again, he turns and heads down the right hand passage, one direction being as good as another. Keeping the light as dim as he can while still being able to see, he tries to locate cracks of light coming through the walls which may indicate other secret doors. Ten feet further down, the passage turns sharply to the left and after another six feet they reach a juncture where they are faced with the choice of continuing straight or taking a very narrow stairway up.
James inspects the footprints in the dust and sees that the majority of the tracks follow the corridor straight ahead, while only a small portion continues up the stairs. Deciding that following the main body of tracks will most likely lead to a main exit, he continues down the passage past the stairs.
After another ten feet or so, he detects a faint outline of light in the shape of a door on the left wall. Pointing it out to Miko, he whispers “Looks like another secret door.”
Nodding in agreement, Miko says, “Look,” as he points to the tracks they’ve been following. “Most of the tracks end here. This looks like a well used entrance to the secret passage.”
“I think you are correct,” agrees James. Using the lamp to inspect the wall, he finds a simple latch keeping the door closed. He pauses momentarily as he places his ear to the door. Not hearing anything from the other side, he slowly lifts the latch and opens the door just far enough for him to be able to see through to the other side.
He cautiously looks out and takes a quick look around. Finding the room empty, James opens the door wider and steps into the room, signaling for Miko to follow. As Miko passes through he closes the door behind him.
The room looks to be a richly furnished den. The door they came through turns out to be a life sized portrait of a man that has been hinged to the wall, concealing the secret entrance. A large mahogany desk and chair dominate the room, with a large picture window in the wall behind it. Across the room from the desk sits a brick fireplace, now cold and unused. Several shelves line the walls containing many books and other knickknacks. From the looks of this room, the owner is a very rich individual indeed.
The only exit from the room, other than the one they came through, is a door to the left of the portrait. Nodding to the door, he whispers to Miko, “See if you can see or hear anything.” While he checks the door, James walks across the room to the window behind the desk to see if it can be opened. He finds it held closed with a simple lock and can easily