Previously on TSOH: The trio hunting after the riddle manage to solve the first half of it and discover a hidden passageway leading straight down from the library they were exploring.
Chapter 10
Talking to Some Dead People
[Rose]
Terry dropped down into the hole, without so much as a sound. It was as if he did things like that every day. Rose walked over to where Harry was peering down at the hole in the spot where Terry had vanished not a moment ago.
“Ahh, that’s what they meant by ‘down you travel’ I suppose,” she said.
“Seems that way,” said Harry, ‘so, ladies first?”
“Aren’t the gentleman supposed to be taking dangerous risks first?” she asked, smirking.
“You know that’s kind of against fe…” began Harry.
“I know, I was only joking,” said Rose, rolling her eyes. Alright, here I go. She walked into the hole.
Rose felt the ground come up to swallow her as she dropped into darkness. Her body hit the side of whatever tunnel they were falling along and she was pleasantly surprised by the feeling. It felt like she’d just hit a cushion. Thank the fates these people were smart enough to put a spell like that in.
The fall seemed to go on forever like some giant waterless water slide of doom headed straight for the core of the Earth. She finally felt the lip of something like an entrance and suddenly she landed on something solid with a muffled thud. It felt cool to the touch like stone but it also seemed to have the same cushioning enchantment put on it that the tunnel had.
There was a muffled “whoa” from above her and she moved aside. Not a moment too soon. Like a giant human torpedo, Harry rocketed out of the tunnel, glowing blue hands first and performed something that must've been the most painful belly flop of all time.
“Did you seriously dive into a hole Danvers?” asked a voice from the gloom. Taking a page out of Harry’s book, she lit her own hands, pink light illuminating the shape of Terry, who was on his feet and a Harry who was lying sprawled on the floor like a piece of roadkill.
Harry let out a groan and Rose quickly crawled over to him as a third light, purple this time, now gave the chamber a respectable amount of light.
“Are you okay?” she asked, kneeling down beside him.
“Yes,” said Harry, “but regretting my life choices at the moment.”
“Idiot,” she said, punching him lightly on the back.
“Ouch,” he said, although this time it was very clear he wasn’t actually in pain as he rolled over to reveal a smile on his face.
“Alright, alright,” said Harry, holding out a hand to Rose, who quickly got to her feet, before hauling him up.
“Alright I’m guessing storied gravel meant the library floor or something,” said Terry, “so I think we can dismiss that.”
“Yup,” said Rose, nodding, “that whole stanza is possibly just describing the place.
“Yes. A place of great promise, a place of demise, very cheerful way to describe something," said Terry.
“Yeah, maybe we're in some kind of tomb maybe, at some kind of building that one's promising for some reason,” said Harry, “I dunno, that is a bit of a weird combination of things for one place to be."
"Well a tomb does sound likely,” said Terry,” although on the other hand the demise could be just referring to it being abandoned after being a bustling hub of activity. I guess the only thing to do is to go in and find out, that very elaborate entrance has to be correct, so what we're looking for must be here.”
“True,” said Harry, “These things always have far too many possible interpretations.”
“Well, it is a riddle after all, it would be far too easy if there was only one possible interpretation,” said Terry. "So let's get going shall we?"
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