Again to Lady Vessa's chambers

Pacing up and down near the window, lost in thought about today's events, you suddenly remember the sealed box. The sealed box in Lady Vessa's chambers. Following an impulse, you head there, unlocking the door with your master key. Strolling around for a while to make sure you are alone, you peek here and there to see if you find something of use, of value, of interest.

But no. Nothing.

So you return to the Mage's bedroom and pull the boxes out from under it. They seem strangely warm to your touch.

You pull your hands back and put your gloves on before you touch them again. Cannot be to careful now. Mages are fickle and easily angered.

Placing the boxes upon the bed, you wonder what they would hold. Something to keep close, obviously. Something secret, perhaps. For a moment, you study the craftsmanship of the containers with fascination: the wood is smooth, worked to perfection. Each carving seems almost alive, the animals and plants and elvish runes.

Taking what seems like forever, you finally understand the mechanism holding the first box closed. It's a riddle, really, and will only open if its sides are correctly pressed or stroked.

You think back what you know about Lady Vessa, and swiftly find the correct combination by trial and elimination. The lock opens with a whispered click.

Careful not to trigger any trap, you open the box which folds apart rather than opening like a chest or strongbox. Elves, you think, and study the items inside.

Phallic objects, carved from a wood unknown to you, with runic carvings, edges and knobs. Oh yes. This was for certain something one would keep hidden. A small smile creeps on your lips as you notice it to be smaller than you. “If only you'd known, Lady Vessa.” you murmur to yourself.

There is a small letter, as well. A lover, it seems, from her times when she was just an apprentice, perhaps. Nothing new could be learned here. He visited her once every decade, it seems, but you were not sure about the words. The language was just as complex as the magic of the elves fancied so much.

There was another part, a curious note at the back of the letter itself. It talked about some sort of relative of Vessa, and a ritual to be performed regularly, and something to remember. You frown and put everything back where it was, slowly and carefully, before closing the box.

Placing it under the bed again, you begin to put your attentions to the other box when you suddenly feel somebody staring at you from behind.

You whirl around, and ...