Doors and doors

Thanks for reading! This blog shouldn't be taken too seriously. I don't always put a lot of thought into the entries; they are merely a way for me to: (a) test out a few jokes (b) work on dialogue and scene (c) develop the world of Korin, where my fantasy stories take place and (d) appear busy while I eat lunch, so I can avoid human interaction. Feel free to let me leave a comment or critique. 

Shonfiddylchamevven led us behind the bar to where a stack of old kegs was piled against a wall. He ducked behind them, and I saw a door that had been hidden. It was a stout thing, thick, ancient-looking wood reinforced with iron bands. Merrick's brother fished in his pocket and produced an enormous ring of keys. We waited while he searched through them, holding a few up to the weak light and immediately discarding others. 

"I know it's here," he said, somewhat apologetically. 

"I'm impressed that you were able to handle that taunting without killing seven or eight people," I told Broo Fang Tane while we stood by. "Perhaps you are one step closer toward having full control of your anger."

He gave me a meek, half-hearted smile, but said nothing. 

"Ah! This must be it!" Shonfiddylchamevven held up a key that looked no different than any others, then inserted it into the lock and twisted. I heard a click and the door parted from its jamb. He grinned and pushed it open, revealing a ten-foot cube with another stout door on the other side. He walked up and began fiddling with the keys again. "I know it's here somewhere," he mumbled.

"We might be here a while," Seymuhr said. "Perhaps we should have brought a chair with us."

"Safety first!" Shonfiddylchamevven called cheerfully. "This passageway leads almost directly into the queen's audience chamber. We cannot simply allow petitioners to walk in on her."

"Of course." 

After a few more minutes, he exhaled loudly, put a different key into the doorlock. "Fortunately, she doesn't get many visitors this way."

He pushed the door open, revealing another cube and another door.

"Bones of Barnok," I whispered, then added, louder: "What do you do when the matter is urgent?"

"There are only a few more," he replied, then returned his attention to his key ring. "I could have sworn I left them in order." 

I leaned against the wall, which was made from smooth, cut stone, and thought about what I would say to Pheadra if and when we finally got our audience. I was still slightly upset at learning of Merrick's Ministry of Human Preservation from Merrick, and not directly from the queen. I had had plenty of dealings with her and thought our relationship was more cordial than it would be with an average subject. Surely someone responsible for chronicling the history of Korin, as I was, was worthy of such a confidence? I wondered if I had been an unwitting participant in the MOHPs agenda in the past. 

"Here it is!" Shonfiddylchamevven sounded triumphant. I held my breath but released it after he opened the door to find another cube that differed from the previous two in that it contained two stout doors. "Let's see," he said. "Which one is it again? The left or the right? I always forget..."

I glanced at Tane, who looked lost in thought. I tried to adopt his attitude. Patience, it appeared, would be an important trait today. 

Catching up

Thanks for reading! This blog shouldn't be taken too seriously. I don't always put a lot of thought into the entries; they are merely a way for me to: (a) test out a few jokes (b) work on dialogue, and scene (c) build up the world of Korin, where my fantasy stories take place and (d) appear busy while I eat lunch, so I can avoid human interaction. Feel free to let me leave a comment or critique. 

I told him the tale of the mountain witch's end, and Merrick's role in it. He grew somber as I recounted Merrick's final moments and our attempts to help him. Then he sat quietly, absorbing everything. A single tear spilled out of his eye and rolled down his cheek. He wiped it away, then grunted with a single nod. 

"A fitting end."

"I did not know him long, but I knew him well," I said. "He was a great man. We live on in his shadow."

"Everyone lives in his shadow," Seymuhr added. I was about to give him a nod of appreciation for the sentiment, but then he nudged Merrick's brother and said: "because he was fat. Not as fat as you, of course--that would be rare, indeed--but fat enough to cast a shadow that many people could li..."

"I think we understand your jest, if that is what you want to call it," I told him, then turned back to Merrick's brother. "Forgive my companion. His words are about as graceful as a two-legged mule."

He glanced at the prone body, then at Seymuhr, who stared at him with an inviting smile on his face. If he thought about answering the insult, he gave no indication. 

"Now you seek to deliver this news to the queen?" He asked, instead. 

I nodded. "I have had some dealings with her in the past, although not to the extent that your esteemed brother did. I would carry the news to her in person. For some reason, we were guided to this place, instead."

"I would think you would understand, given the nature of your companions and their appearance," he said. "The queen gets many, many requests for an audience each day and we cannot just let anyone greet her. It was only because you showed the symbol at the gate that you made it this far."

"We cannot?"

He stood and offered his hand. "Precisely. Call me Shonfiddylchamevven. I can take you to the queen."

"Shonfiddyl...."

"Aye, Shonfiddylchamevven," he repeated impatiently. "Just like it's spelled. Come now, and bring your companions as well."

We stepped over the body on the floor and headed, not to the front door of the tavern, but toward the back. Shonfiddyl--Merrick's brother--swept aside a curtain that revealed a dimly lit, but perfectly straight, hallway that led into the hill. Seymuhr fell insto step behind me and Tane followed him, still wiping the dampness from his ear.