By David C.Daoust
Page 7 of 10
The brick here was lighter in color, and not just because he now used a light. Visibly it was lighter in color than the previous two areas; along the top of the walls was gilded bronze work, intricate in design and detail. The hall was three times as wide as the upstairs, with pillars smack dab in the middle, running down its length. On the sides of each pillar, was more of the black inked writing. The front of each, held a small bronze bowl at about waist height, for a human anyway. Efreet had to stand on tip-toe to peer into the empty bowl, still showing signs though of where the water lines appeared as it evaporated.
The hovering light skittered forward leading the way as Efreet moved throughout the room. There was quite a bit of this black writing, truly it did not match the bronze work, or the bowls, as though it was added later, maybe a shift in purpose of the rooms. At the far end, behind the farthest pillar, parallel with the door he just came through, was another door leading out. This made the room a bit of a disappointment, as it seemed it was just a hall into the next room. It was beginning to look less and less like the ruins of an old keep and more and more of some ancient temple. But why hide a temple? What could be worshiped here, that warranted such secrecy?
Interestingly enough, the far door, on the other side of the room, was so intricately wrapped in bronze work, that Efreet could find no way to open it. In fact, he was no longer sure it could be deemed a door… beside of course the matching wood, still visible under the metal. It appeared as though the metal had grown around the sides of the door, and then twisted intricately to its center.
Magic, it had to be magic. A magic lock maybe? His belt full of tools and picks wouldn’t help him with this. There had to be a key to it, maybe a puzzle to it. Efreet sat down, and dug a small square biscuit out of his pack; leaning against the nearest pillar he pondered the situation. It was probably more clever than practical, something in this room, which from here, looked like a room of bowls, Or at least originally a room of bowls. Honestly the black scrawled writing, on everything, looked to be more defacement, maybe an attempt to desecrate the temple, than anything else. The intricate bronze work actually started at the bowls, and stretched up the pillars, around the room, all leading to the far door.
Having finished his biscuit he got back up, examining each bowl, he was thinking water, water for the bowl? And then it hit him like a flash. He walked over and quite simply closed the other door. As soon as it was sealed the bronze-work, magically, began to shift. The intricate metal receded off the far door, traveled along the top of the walls and reformed on the door he just closed. Whoever set this up, wanted to make sure only one door could be opened at a time.
Efreet walked to the far door and popped it open quite easily which led him to… a balcony.
“…A balcony?” Efreet questioned out loud.
