The Sceptre of Samnos

The Emerald Oracle - Part 7

      As they followed the corridor, they noticed that it was getting hotter and that a strange roaring sound was coming from somewhere ahead, and when they turned the corner they saw what it was. Beginning about thirty feet ahead, blue flames were issuing from holes in the walls along a twenty foot stretch of corridor, meeting in the middle and completely blocking their passage. They got within ten feet of it, but the intense heat prevented them from getting any closer.

      "Terrific," said Shaun. "Anyone got any ideas?"

      "Yes," said Matthew. "Try the other way. We did agree to go that way first, remember?"

      Returning to the entrance room, they went through the door to the right and along the corridor. Turning the corner, they saw that it turned one hundred and eighty degrees so that it headed back towards the entrance room, except that it came to a dead end. An opening halfway along it on the right led to a parallel corridor, but standing in front of it were a dozen empty suits of steel armour, carrying swords and shields. As the questers cautiously approached they stirred and came to life, advancing menacingly and brandishing their swords, clanking and clattering as they came. The travelers backed away in alarm, but as soon as they got back to the corner the animated suits of armour stopped and froze in place. Evidently, their purpose was only to guard that stretch of corridor and prevent anyone from passing, not to hunt them down wherever they went. That, at least, was something to be grateful for.

      Fire one way, and animated suits of armour the other," said Shaun in exasperation. "Now what do we do?"

      "We have to get past them somehow," said Diana. "There must be a way."

      "I suppose fighting the suits of armour is out of the question," said Matthew.

      "Using swords it is," said Shaun. "If we had clubs or warhammers we might be able to smash them to pieces, but I doubt that swords would do much good." He looked at Lirenna. "I'm afraid you might need to use another of your scroll spells."

      "Only when we're sure there's no other way," she replied. "Remember that each of them can only be used once."

      "I'm sure that fighting isn't the answer," said Thomas thoughtfully. "I've got a feeling that solving this maze will depend on brainpower, not violence."

      "All right," said Shaun. "What do you suggest?"

      "Let's go back to the fire," said Thomas. "I've got an idea."

      They returned to the fiery stretch of corridor and Thomas, getting as close as the heat would let him, squinted into the flames as if trying to see something. "What is it?" asked Diana curiously."

      "Try to see all the way through the flames to the corridor beyond," said Thomas. "Can you see that lever in the wall?"

     They all stared, but it was hard to look straight into the bright flames without hurting their eyes. Lirenna's sensitive demi shayen eyes soon grew sore and she had to look away, but the others, one after another, soon agreed that they could see the lever. "What about it?" asked Diana.

      "I was just wondering what would happen if we pulled it," said the wizard.

      "Well, there's only one way to find out," laughed Shaun. "Go and pull it. Of course, you've got to get through the flames first."

      "No I haven't," said Thomas, smiling. He pulled out his spellbook and quickly checked his spells to see whether they’d changed since the last time he'd looked. None of them had. Then he reached into his pocket, producing the pair of linked wooden rings he'd carved back in the Overgreen Forest, and cast his Invisible Servant spell. Soon, the barely visible, shimmering form of the mindless magical creation formed before him, awaiting his instructions.