Back to business

When you slowly pull out of her, Cassia climbs back to her feet in silence and slips back into her clothes. As much as you'd like to hold her in your arms for the rest of the night you realize she is probably right, and it is time to get back to business. Following her lead, you dress yourself in silence.

"Are you ready?" Cassia asks making no reference at all to the most meaningful experience of your entire life.

Looking into Cassia's clear eyes for strength you see her belief in you and your mission. Taking a deep breath to push away the doubt in your belly you nod your head slowly and say:

"Yes, thanks to you." Cassia's face gives no sign of either approval or regret, but her eyes hold yours for two or three seconds longer before she drops them to your feet and turns to the circle of glyphs carved into the center of the polished surface. Her lips move again speaking words which you can almost but not quite understand and as she speaks the writing on the surface glows slightly and a circular section of rock rises up from the dark plane until it was several inches higher than the rest of the polished surface.

"Slide it sideways." Instructs Cassia. It takes only a firm shove to move the circular disk away from the opening that it had been covering. The blackness of the hole must be caused by more than the absence of light, it seems colder and thicker than the darkest black you've ever seen. "There are steps on this side." Cassia points to her feet "You have to go first so I can close the gate behind us."

You understand now the fear in Cassia's eyes when she first spoke of the catacombs, if it were not for her presence and your determination to earn her approval you are not sure you could have stepped into the well of darkness. It feels almost like wading into swamp water, the blackness swallows your feet as your legs reach for the steps and you lower yourself into the shaft leading straight into the catacombs below. You cannot resist the temptation to take a deep breath before your head slips into the absolute darkness. Once inside you were able to climb down the carved steps easily despite the dark, the slots for your hands and feet are cut deep into the rock and evenly spaced so it is easy to climb down the steps making room for Cassia to follow. After the ninth step your trembling foot finds the flatness of the floor and you step slightly away from the wall as you hear Cassia's sandals descending from above.

As she gets closer your hand reaches for her waist and gently guides her for the last three steps. Cassia probably didn't need any assistance, but it is comforting to feel the presence of another human in this blackness. Cassia seems to agree because when she reaches the bottom of the steps she leans into your arm and places her hand on your chest. Your tunic is so threadbare that you can feel the warmth of her palm clearly as it rests against you.

"Creepy, isn't it?" Her voice was barely a whisper but in the still blackness it seemed to fill the room. "This will help." You hear her hands searching along the wall and then a cold blue light fills the room. Cassia presses an egg-sized stone into your hand, "This is a bluelight, it will give for as long as it is in contact with your skin."

Looking around the room you are surprised to see multiple shelves and cabinets. You see weapons and armor hanging in neat rows as well as cubbies stacked with ropes, tools and other equipment.

"The Temple of Apollo keeps these gate rooms well stocked, so we never have to go further than this room without the supplies we need." As Cassia speaks, she looks over the supplies. "We should change into warmer clothes and boots and fill one of these packs with whatever you think we may need." She hesitates as she reaches the armor rack. "Do you think we should wear armor?"