The Sceptre of Samnos

The Maze of Samnos - Part Two

     "Welcome," he said, shaking hands with each of them in turn, and Thomas noticed that he had a ridge of hard callous running along the edge of his palm, confirming his suspicions. Probably Maltano, he thought. A bare handed attack technique. This unarmed man could probably put down an entire regiment of ordinary soldiers without raising a sweat.

     "I am Estinas, caretaker of the shrine of the Sceptre of Samnos. You have had a long, hard journey, and will doubtless want to relax and refresh yourselves before making your bid for the Sceptre. If you will follow me, I will show you to your rooms."

     "Our rooms?" asked Shaun in confusion as Estinas opened the door in the far side of the room and led them through into a wide, brightly lit corridor.

     "Yes," said the priest. "It is my Lord's wish that all who come here are fully rested and refreshed before attempting the Maze. He is a fair God, and would not want anyone to fail because they were still weary from their journey. Therefore, everyone who comes here is given a day and a night to recover in what is probably the most comfortable and luxurious boarding house in the world. Every comfort is provided for, everything you could possibly want to help you relax and recover. If you have any injuries, I will channel my Lord's power to heal you before you enter, and if any of you should emerge alive from the other end of the Maze, you will be healed again and allowed to spend another day and night here before you leave."

     "Just how difficult is the Maze?" asked Thomas apprehensively.

     "People do occasionally manage to win their way through," said Estinas. "Those who prove worthy. The last to do so were Rellenious the Righteous and his followers, about two hundred years ago."

     "And how many have failed since then?" asked Shaun.

     "There have been twelve attempts to solve the Maze since then."

     "So we're number thirteen," said Jerry. "Lucky us."

     They reached a stretch of corridor that had doors at regular intervals on both sides. "Here we are," said Estinas. "You may have a room each, or you may share a room between two, whichever you prefer. This room here is the common room, where you may sit together until you choose to retire for the night, and further down is a temple where you may pray or meditate if you wish to do so. Each room has its own facilities, and room service is provided by my own good self. All you have to do is pull the bell rope."

     "You live here by yourself?" asked Lirenna, staring at him in astonishment.

     "I have my Lord for companionship. I require no other company." He opened one of the doors and showed them in. "Every room is identical, so I will just show you around this one. All the others are just the same, and you can each pick one for yourselves afterwards."

     Each ‘room' was in fact three rooms. The door in the corridor opened into a large sitting room, luxuriously furnished with beautifully patterned rugs and carpets. One wall was lined with glass cabinets containing books for the betterment of the soul and there were three comfy looking padded armchairs and a long sofa piled high with cushions arranged around a central open space. The other walls were hung with tapestries and paintings depicting religious and battle scenes, and a pair of crossed swords had been hung between a couple of stuffed monster heads above a veined marble fireplace in which a log fire burned. The room was illuminated by a shining globe three inches across that hung from the middle of the ceiling by a delicate silver chain.

     There were two open doorways in opposite walls, leading to the bedroom and the bathroom. The bathroom was huge, outfitted in blue veined white marble and, aside from its essential furniture, sported a huge oval bath large enough for all of them at once. The room was filled with the fragrance of expensive soaps and oils and Lirenna stared around in sheer adoration, as though she could lock herself in here and never emerge. She picked up a carved crystal bottle of bath oil, removed the stopper and sniffed it with an expression of pure bliss. She tried to remember the
last time she'd had a proper bath. Not since leaving Lexandria, unless you counted that awful steel tub in Thomas's house and the primitive facilities offered by the cheap boarding house in Seaton.