They felt a low rumbling through the soles of their feet, then a section of the wall moved back, and slid to the left. James took out a torch and lit it.
They moved slowly into a dark entrance hall. It appeared to be carved out of the stones of the cliff, a rough tunnel somewhat resembling an abandoned mineshaft.
“Wait,” James said as they went through. He watched the door, silently counting. After a little more than one minute, it slid shut. He examined the wall around the door and found the release mechanism. He tripped it and the door slid open. Then he motioned for them to continue to wait and counted again. At approximately the same interval as before, it shut. James knelt and put the artifact back into his pack. “Just in case there’s another lock down the passage.”
Kendaric said, “Well, it’s good to know we can get through there in a hurry without it, if need be.”
“Agreed,” said Solon.
They started to walk slowly down the corridor, two abreast. James and Jazhara were in the lead, Solon and Kendaric close behind them. After traveling a hundred yards, Solon said, “Hold a moment.” He pointed to a spot on the wall and said to James, “Hold your torch there.”
James did so and Solon inspected the wall.
“This tunnel is ancient,” he said. “Centuries old. It was carved out of the rock long before the Kingdom came to these shores.”
“How do you know?” asked Kendaric.
“You spend your boyhood with dwarven lads, you pick up a thing or two about mining.”
“But these tracks aren’t old,” James said as he turned his attention to the ground beneath them.
Kendaric looked down. “What tracks?”
James pointed to odd bits of sand and mud at various intervals. “There’s no dust, but these bits are fresh, no doubt from boots that have been past here recently.” He peered into the darkness ahead. “Keep alert.”
Kendaric said, “As if you need to tell us, Squire.”
They proceeded slowly, and moved deeper into the cliffs below Widow’s Point.
They walked in tense silence for ten minutes until they reached a portal that opened into a large chamber that they entered with caution. The firelight from James’s torch cast eerie shadows on the rough-hewn rock walls. Solon’s hand flew reflexively to the hilt of his warhammer when he spied the first skeleton. Nine niches had been carved into the walls at intervals around the chamber. In each stood a skeleton wearing an ornate suit of armor; all had weapons and shields at their sides. A complex set of symbols had been carved into the stone floor, just deep enough to be seen in the flickering torchlight, without fully revealing their pattern.
As best as James could judge, the chamber was nearly thirty feet in height, a vast half-circle dominated by the far wall. As they approached the wall, its bas-relief design was revealed.
“Gods!” Kendaric whispered.
Creatures of nightmare were depicted in myriad ways, many of them involved with humans, frequently being sacrificed. The depravity of the scenes was abundantly clear.
Solon said, “Hike yer torch up, laddie!” in the thickest brogue they’d heard so far.
James lifted his torch to throw more illumination as they neared the wall.
“Abide!” instructed Solon, as he reached out toward Jazhara. “Lass, another brand! Hurry!” Jazhara unwrapped a torch and handed it to the monk, who lit it from the one James held. He handed it to Kendaric and said, “Stand ye over there!” pointing to the left.
“What?”
“Ah said, stand over there, y’ stone-crowned loon.”
Solon took another pair of torches from Jazhara and lit them. He gave a torch to Jazhara, and instructed her to stand over to the right. He raised a torch himself and walked forward. As he did so, the entire panorama of the carvings was revealed.
“By the Holy Saints and Heroes of Ishap,” he whispered.
“What is it?” asked James.
“Ya see the center, lad?” Solon pointed to a blank area that looked like a round window, around which the most horrible of the creatures knelt in worship.
“Yes,” James said, “it’s empty.”
“Nay, ‘tis not empty, m’friend. It’s occupied by somethin’ ye canna see.”
Solon paced back and forth along the wall, stopping occasionally to study closely one detail or another. Finally, he wedged his torch into a pile of rocks, and motioned to the others that they could lower their arms.
“What is this all about?” asked Kendaric.