No way he’s going to sleep alone!

As creepy as the prospect of sleeping in the strange ruins sounds, it’s a far more desirable option than the alternative of sleeping all by himself out by the horses. It takes Alex no time at all to make up his mind that he will join Roderick in staying in the ancient castle that night.

Having decided that, Alex hurries to complete his assignment of caring for the horses and retrieving their supplies for the night. When he returns to the castle, he finds that Roderick has been keeping himself occupied by exploring the large room.

“Look at this, Alex,” he says, upon seeing his squire return. “All of these statues are of the ancient kings. Here is Lexicor I, and this is Danby the Inquisitive. Over there is Secon, the king who gained Mirantia’s independence by defeating Kortrol at Burning Loch.”

“They sure had their thing for statues,” observes Alex. “I wonder if someone will make a statue of me someday. The inscription will proclaim my heroic exploits!”

“Why don’t you start those heroic exploits by making us some dinner,” says Roderick. You can use that fireplace over there. It looks like there’s some firewood already there for you.”

Alex takes in the sights as he gets to work preparing dinner. Now that he has been outside in the dark, taking care of the horses, upon his return to the castle it seems less frightening than before. It has a long way to go before Alex would call it “cozy,” but he is at least able to move beyond fears of being bewitched by simply being in the ruins.

“I wish I knew what drove everyone away from here,” says Roderick, thoughtfully. “Perhaps some plague? I heard stories about the Sultan of Hakoola being driven from his home by an outbreak of some nasty bugger that spread through his harem. By the time they figured out what was going on, they tell me that his ding dong putrified and melted off into a smelly pool on the floor.”

Alex winces and involuntarily reaches between his legs to give his crotch a reassuring pat. “How horrible! I can’t even imagine.”

“Oh, I’ve seen some nasty ones, my boy. Had a few close calls, myself. By the way, if you ever find yourself in New Layleigh, keep a healthy distance away from the schoolmarm. She may look sweet and welcoming, but trust me —- one dip of your stinger into her honey, and you’ll be itching your nether region for a fortnight.”

Alex listens to Roderick wax eloquently about his exploits as he continues to prepare their simple meal. He takes firewood from the box near the fireplace, and as he does so, one of the smaller branches seems to be stuck on something. Upon closer examination, Alex finds a metal ring, about the size of his palm, connected to a chain that disappears through a small opening in the bottom of the box. He takes the ring and gives it a gentle tug.

“Here now!” exclaims Roderick. “What’s this?”

Alex looks and sees the source of Roderick’s question. A large bookcase along the side of the room has shifted, revealing a dark opening into a hidden portion of the castle.

“Well, this just gets more and more interesting by the minute,” says Roderick. “I wonder what these old boys found so important that they had to hide it away here in the castle itself?”

He takes a torch from the wall and lights it in the fireplace.

“Wait,” says Alex. “You’re not going to explore it now, are you? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until later — like tomorrow, when the sun is up?”

“It doesn’t look like sunlight will make any difference in that place, my boy,” says the knight. “Why wait?”

Alex’s look of concern as he gazes into the blackness behind the secret door tells Roderick the answer to his question.

“Listen, my boy... If you hold out any hope of having a statue in your honor, and you want it to say anything other than, ‘He didn’t have the balls to do shit,’ you’d better start growing a pair and not run from every shadow. Opportunities for true adventure for a knight are like a beautiful virgin — very rare, and when you find them, you must take them!”

Roderick thrusts his torch into the darkness and peers inside. “It looks like a flight of stairs leading downward.”

Taking another look at his young squire, his face softens somewhat, and he says, “Tell you what, Alex.... Perhaps there is another ‘quest’ more to your liking. Although this castle is ancient, I dare say we might find a bed or two upstairs that has withstood the ravages of time. If you’d prefer to leave this to me, I’ll entrust you with scouting out some suitable accommodations so we don’t have to spend the night sleeping on these hard, stone floors.”

Alex looks up toward the top of the two sets of staircases and then looks back at the dark passage. “I don’t suppose there’s a third option... Something like, ‘Let’s eat our dinner and sleep on the whole thing so we don’t make any rash decisions we’lll later regret’?”

Roderick laughs and slaps the young man on the back. “That’s what I like about you, boy! Always joking! Well, I’m off to check out this mystery. Either join me or not — the choice is yours.”