Chapter 7

The King's Throne

"Nice shootin', Tex.", Richard said as soon as he recovered his wits.

In the darkness Rebecca grabbed for Irene's hand and was happy to find it. She held it tightly. Ireena squeezed Rebecca's hand in turn, grateful for the comfort.

"Someone get one of those torches down.", Rebecca said, almost commandingly. "Okay Richard. You were right.", she said grudgingly. "It was all a big trap. So how do we get out?"

Richard didn't answer. He felt sick to his stomach. This was the kind of thing that always seemed to happen in his D&D adventures. He also knew that this was the perfect time for someone or something to attack them. Then he wondered if he could fit into the suit of armor. At least that would give him some protection.

Travis struck one of the magnesium flares, filling the dining hall with a reddish light. Anthony grabbed a torch from the wall and Travis brought it back it to life with the flare, providing slightly better illumination. Even in the light, Ireena didn't let go of Rebecca's hand for fear that Strahd, or one of his minions, would grab her.

Ismark was still stunned in equal measure by the illusory Count and the power of Travis' shotgun. He looked around wondering what he had got himself into. Anthony gave Richard his torch and went to get a couple more. As he passed near the organ he could see that what Travis had shot was nothing more than a mannequin attached to an armature that emerged from a small hole in the floor beneath the organ's bench.

"Richard?", Rebecca asked. "Come on. We're in a dungeon. How do we get out?"

Richard's mind spurred back to life. "If only it were that simple.", he began. "It might be a puzzle. It might be a quest. It might even require another key like the one Anthony found."

Richard looked around, amused by the attention that he was getting. "Did you notice that only distant doors closed? That one didn't.", he continued. "So our first step is, to go back through that door."

Everyone took a step towards the door.

"Unless.", Richard interrupted himself, causing everyone to stop and frown at him. "Unless that's what we're expected to do. He's probably closed off all the ways he doesn't want us to go, to funnel us where he wants us."

"Well, unless one of us has developed a knack for walking through walls, what choice do we have?", Ryan asked.

"Try the walls and floors for hidden doors.", Richard concluded. Then he pulled his machete out and rapped its butt end against the nearest wall stone.

Rebecca got frustrated with Richard. "Does everyone remember what Madame Eva told us?", she asked the others.

"She told me, 'The road and travel unimpeded'.", Anthony answered. "We've done that."

Anthony shrugged and went back over to the organ, examining that dummy and the hole in the floor. The hole was only a few inches in diameter and the wooden armature filled all but a small part of the open space.

"I remember what she said to me.", Rebecca began. "'This is the high card. It points to a place of dizzying heights. The road winds ever upward and evil awaits you but also the potential for great power.' I'll never forget it."

Rebecca thought for a while. "Argh.", she said angrily. "Why couldn't she just say, 'choose the left door' or something like that."

Ryan repeated what Madame Eva told him, "Knowledge of the ancient may help you understand a foe. A place of tranquility, a harbor for the mighty and powerful. It is in a place of wisdom, warmth, and despair. Great secrets are there."

Anthony grabbed the dummy and tried to yank it out of the hole, but only managed to shake it around. Then he stood back and sparred with it for a few minutes, working out his nerves by punching Strahd in the face.

" Go to the fallen prince of old. The brother of dark is light, and he rests in this place.", Richard said as he tapped.

"See the crown and not the strings of his advisors. Seek the King's throne.", Travis recited.

Kevin finished with, "Search amid the ruins in a place of supplication, where the pure at heart commune."

Richard kept tapping. The south wall sounded like solid stone. As he got around to the organ, he noticed that it was far enough from the wall so that a person could fit behind it. The wall there had a hollow ring to it.

"Hey! I think I found something.", Richard called out.

As Richard tapped one of the stones gave a little and slid back into the wall. Suddenly there was a loud grinding noise and a section of wall behind the organ slid open.

"Well, looky here.", Richard said, getting excited.

"Woah.", Rebecca said, squinting so that she could see what Richard was doing. "C'mon." She added, pulling Ireena over to the organ.

Ireena and the others followed. Ismark drew his blade in preparation of what might lay ahead.

"Wow. I actually did something right.", Richard said in amazement.

"Yay for Richard.", Rebecca said cautiously. "If you get us out of here I'll never sing that Toni Basil song again."

Richard hoped that Rebecca was telling the truth. "I, I'll try.", he said to her, unused to the pressure of being needed. Then he looked into the secret passage and said to himself, more than anyone, "This is so coool."

"Okay.", Rebecca said, peering into the space behind the organ. "Let's go."

The sound of the storm grew louder as they gathered around the passage doorway. They could feel the wind and smell the rain as they filed through the opening and into the passage beyond. The small grey stone hallway led south to a T-intersection. To the east was a long, narrow corridor. Cobwebs filled the hall and obstructed sight beyond a few feet. To the west a high domed ceiling capped a the three-foot-diameter room. Frescoes, faded with age, adorned the ceiling but were impossible to make out. Thin arrow slits, two feet tall and four inches wide, peered out over the courtyard.

Richard was grossed out by the cobwebs. Then he remembered something that he read once. "Did you know that spider webs make good bandages?", he spoke up. "They're sterile."

Richard walked up to the cobwebs. "Since we can't get out through an arrow slit.", he said, thrusting the burning end of his torch at the webbing. "Shelob's lair!"

The webs promptly caught fire and burned. In a short span the hall was clear of the sticky webbing.

"This might lead out of the castle.", Richard said. "Hear the rain?"

"We need to get to the chapel, remember?", Rebecca replied.

"We don't know where the chapel is.", Richard pointed out.

"Old castles sometimes have catacombs, which would be under the chapel, so somewhere near ground level?", Anthony proposed.

"Let's go east.", Rebecca said.

"I wish I had my compass.", Richard mused. "Anyone got paper?"

"What do you need it for?", Kevin asked.

"You guys used to pick on me for carrying a clipboard, and several pens, and a ruler, calculator.", Richard continued. Then he got to the point. "I want to draw a map as we go."

Ryan nodded. The castle was large and he realized that they could easily get lost, especially sneaking around in secret passages. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper which he gave to Richard. Richard pulled a ballpoint from his pocket and began drawing out what they had seen so far.

Rebecca checked her purse. "I've got some lipstick.", she said. "We could use it to mark on the walls."

"Good idea.", Richard said.

Rebecca handed the lipstick to Richard. Who wasn't quite sure how to make it come up.

"Just hold the middle and twist the bottom.", Rebecca told him.

Richard got it, then made a mark on the wall.

"Wait. I do have a mirror.", Rebecca said, pulling out her makeup kit. "Aha!"

Once Richard had his map drawn out, they moved on. At the end of the corridor they found a spiral staircase leading both up and down.

"So, up?", Rebecca asked.

"We could flip a coin.", Richard said. Rebecca stared at him. "Up is fine.", he conceded.

The stairs led up and up. After going around three times they came to a landing. The corridor it met was a twin to the one they had just left. The stairs also continued further upward. The sound of the storm crashed down from above.

"Probably goes up a tower.", Richard suggested.

"That's where I need to go.", Rebecca said quietly. "But we need to find the chapel first. So let's see what's on this floor."

As they walked down the musty corridor Anthony and Richard both noticed that a section of the floor was marked with a semicircular pattern of wear and scratching. The half circle emanated from the inside wall to their right about midway down the hallway. Anthony examined the wall where one edge of the semi-circle met it. Rebecca was still holding Ireena's hand. She gave it a squeeze. Ireena seemed to have calmed since the incident in the dining hall but she was still plainly nervous.

"We're going to outsmart him.", Rebecca assured her.

Ireena squeezed back. "I believe you.", she replied.

Anthony figured that the scratches were probably caused by a secret door just like the one downstairs. He searched around and found a loose stone which slid back into the wall. With a loud grinding sound a section of the wall before him pivoted out, allowing access to the chamber beyond. Rain and wind burst into the room through the broken glass and iron framing of a large window in the long wall. The immense room stood in chilly, brooding darkness. Hundreds of dusty cobwebs draped the room, hiding the ceiling from view. Directly across from the window were a set of double doors, the ornate carvings in their wood obscured by a thick layer of grime. A single door was also tucked into the same wall, like a lost and forlorn child.

At the near end of the hall, a huge throne stood atop a raised platform. The back of the throne was turned to the rest of the room. At the far end of the hall, opposite the throne, twin staircases led down into the darkness. At the foot of the regal throne lay an alabaster shield bearing the image of a golden lion's head.

"Hey.", Rebecca said. "The King's throne."

"Kick ass!", Richard added.

Travis slowly stepped into the room. He slung the shotgun over his shoulder and went to the shield, kneeling in front of the throne.

"Wow.", Travis says, admiring the craftsmanship of the throne and the shield.

Travis carefully picked up the shield and strapped it to his left arm. It looked like it suited him well. He grinned back at the group. "Now, this is pretty cool.", he beamed.

"It's your fortune.", Rebecca said excitedly. Then she thought about the tower and what it held for her.

Ryan looked at the shield. "I bet it's worth a fortune.", he gasped.

"We need to find the crown right?", Rebecca whispered.

"That part may have been symbolic.", Kevin replied. "That phrase was part of the pattern of verses hinting at a location. She talked about guardianship and protection. Maybe the shield is what he was meant to find?"

"Okay.", Rebecca looked around, a little confused.

Richard looked around the throne room. The walls were bare. Everything that had once hung from them had been torn down long ago. He noticed that, judging by the markings on the floor, there once had been a second throne in the room.

"I feel safer in the secret passage.", Rebecca said, looking at all the doors and exits in the throne room.

Anthony didn't agree. Boldly he crossed the room to the single door and tried to open it. It was locked. Anthony fished the key from the carriage out of his pocket and tried it for size. The key slid in easily. The others watched him nervously and their mood struck Anthony as well. He wondered if this was one of the 'not all doors were meant to be opened'. Travis came over to the door and readied his shield just in case.

"Looks like they key from the carriage fits this door.", Anthony said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Rebecca, can you cover the doorway as I open it?", he called out. He waited for her to indicate that she was ready.

Rebecca went back to the passage with Irene. "Ready.", she said, pointing the rifle at the door.

"Okay, here goes.", Anthony said as he turned the key and attempted to open the door as quickly as possible.

Beyond the doorway dusty scrolls and tomes lined the walls and were scattered across the floor. In the center of all the clutter stood a huge accountant's desk. A man sat hunched atop a tall stool, scratching at a seemingly endless scrolls of paper with a quill pen. A rope hung next to him from a hole in the ceiling.

Anthony pulled the key back out of the lock and noticed that the notches of the key were not in the same configuration as before. "Magic.", he mused as he put the key away.

Richard peered into the room. He didn't like what he saw. It was too much like working at his dad's office.

The man looked up from his scribblings. "Well? In or out? Make up your minds.", he said snobbishly.

Anthony shrugged, and stepped into the room. 

Travis stepped in after Anthony. "Who are you?", he asked.

In a very grumpy tone the accountant replied, "Who am I? Who are you? My name is Leif Lipsiege. I am an accountant in service..." He then stuck his leg out from behind the desk, revealing that it was bound by an iron shackle. "...to Count Von Zarovich."

"They've found someone.", Rebecca whispered to Irene. She carefully loaded a round into the chamber of the rifle.

Ismark moved out of the passage and toward the accountant's room.

"We are…possibly the people who will free you...", Anthony began, but Travis interrupted.

"Why does he need an accountant?", Travis asked.

Leif scoffed and spoke to Travis as though he were an imbecile, "He's a Count. He collects taxes and those taxes must be accounted for. Thus he employs an accountant."

"Everyone needs an accountant!", Richard spoke up. "At least that what my old man says.", he mumbled to himself.

Leif nodded to Richard. "Indeed. Your father must be a wise man.", he replied.

"Numbers are about all he knows.", Richard said. He tried to cover the lump in his throat when he wondered whether he'd even been missed.

"We could remove that chain.", Travis said to the angry old man. "You could leave with us."

Anthony moved towards Leif, crouching to examine the leg-iron. It was locked tight. Anthony wondered if his key would work on it too.

Leif looked at Travis over his small glasses and spoke as though to a child. "And where would I go, hmm? Off to some magical happy land? Hmm?", the accountant scowled. "No, no, I've seen plenty of your type come through here over the years and there is one thing that never changes. You all end up dead. Here, I stay alive."

Travis was starting to get a little irritated by the clerk's belittling tone. Ismark took the lead.

"We're looking for something that the Count 'collected' recently. An amulet bearing a sun symbol.", Ismark asked. "Have you seen it?"

Leif sighed and rested his quill in an inkpot. "If I tell you where it is will you leave me in peace? Hmm?", he asked in his most annoying tone.

Ismark nodded.

"Go through that door...", the accountant began. He pointed to a door opposite the one they had just entered. "And follow the stairs down one floor. Take a right into the entry hall and another right through the double doors. Follow the corridor straight ahead and through another set of doors you will find the chapel. There you will find your little trinket. Satisfied? Hmm?"

Travis went to the door and waved for the others to come over while Richard scribbled the directions on his map.

"Each of you hold one of Irene's hands.", Rebecca whispered to Kevin and Ryan. "It her that he wants. We have to make sure that he doesn't get her."

Rebecca stepped out into the middle of the room so that she had everything covered. Kevin offered his hand to Ireena. She looked at him and their eyes met. She smiled a little and her smile was matched on Kevin's face. She placed her hand in his. Ryan seemed a bit more shy about touching Ireena. He took her other hand and kept looking back down the corridor they had come through. Rebecca smiled as she watched Ireena and the two handsome young men.

Travis left the room and approached Rebecca. "There's a guy in there that says he knows where the chapel and that holy thingy is.", he told her.

"Okay, we'll bring him along.", Rebecca said.

"He's chained to his desk and he says that he doesn't want to go with us.", Travis added.

Rebecca stared at him, looking a little confused.

"He's some kind of accountant.", Travis explained. "He basically said that it's safer to sit there and do his job than walk around the castle with us. He's pretty much a dick. I say we leave him if he doesn't want to go."

"Well of course it's not safe.", Rebecca said, a little angry. "That's why we need him to lead us there."

Travis shrugged. "He gave some directions that Ricky wrote down.", he said, knowing that he wouldn't be able to say anything that would change Rebecca's mind. "You can try to talk to him. Good luck."

Rebecca looked over at Richard. "Your an accountant, right? Talk to him.", she hissed at him. "Tell him there's a Star Trek convention in the chapel or something."

Richard stared back at Rebecca. "Not all of us are geeks. He's more like my father than me.", Richard said indignantly. "And numbers are probably all he gives a shit about."

"So we're just going to leave him there?", Rebecca said, exasperated.

"You'd rather force him at gunpoint?", Travis replied.

"He probably locked himself down to keep people from moving him.", Richard added. "He probably even has the key on him."

"The minute we leave he's going to tell Strahd where we are.", Rebecca argued.

Annoyed by the continued presence of Anthony and Ismark, Leif made an exasperated sigh and went back to his calculations.

Travis glanced over at Ireena, Kevin, and Ryan and whispered to Rebecca, "Uhh, why are they holding hands?"

"My idea.", Rebecca said smiling a little. "So Strahd can't sneak up behind us and grab her, like in all those horror movies."

"She does have a brain!", Richard thought to himself. "I'd suspected something like that, but I had my doubts with the rock star boyfriend thing."

Travis looked a little skeptical. "Uh huh.", he said, remembering a few too many horror movies himself. "Well, anyway, I'd guess that Strahd probably already has a good idea about where we are. It is his house."

Rebecca shrugged. "I guess that you're right.", she said. Then added, "I want to ask him a few things."

"Alright, are we going to leave them there getting clammy palms while you do?", Travis asked.

"Yeah.", Rebecca insisted. "I didn't come all this way to find Irene only to lose her again."

Rebecca stepped carefully over to the accountant's room, leveling the rifle at the old man. Leif took no notice of Rebecca. He continued to scribble in his ledger.

"Okay, umm, accountant guy.", Rebecca started. "Those directions lead us to the chapel, right?"

Leif stopped writing and looked at Ismark. "You said that you would leave me alone.", he said in a frustrated tone. Then he shifted his attention to Rebecca and spoke slowly. "Yes, young lady. To the chapel."

"And how many traps are there along the way?", Rebecca asked.

Leif sighed. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about.", he explained.

"Cause if you don't tell us we're going to take you with us.", Rebecca said, thinking that she was more clever than she really was.

"We need to cut the signal rope.", Richard said, pointing at the rope hanging next to the accountant and pulling out his machete.

"And tie him up with it.", Rebecca added.

The accountant didn't like the sound of what was being planned. His thin arm darted out and yanked on the rope. Before anyone could react a loud gong sounded from above.

"Great.", Richard moaned.

"I suggest you run.", Leif said with a hint of a grin. "I suggest you run very quickly."

"Why?", Rebecca asked, still pointing the rifle at him.

"Because if you don't you're all going to die.", Leif smiled.