Room20b

    Conrad reaches for the black mirror and the group is sucked into the reflective surface and then deposited in the same room. The mirrors, as expected, are gone and the door is sealed.

    Lamia walks to the edge of the fire pit and begins moving debris away from the low wall.

    “Smart idea,” Jora says. “We don’t want to risk the fire spreading.”

    The other adventurers join Lamia in clearing debris until the area around the fire pit is clean.

    Conrad squats next to the low wall and pulls his fire-making kit from his pack.

    “Did anyone bring any sausage?”

    “Just light the fire, you dummy,” Jora says.

    Conrad scrapes the flint and steel together creating a shower of sparks that fly into the woodpile. Half a dozen attempts later a small flame kindles deep in the pile. Conrad leans forward and gently blows on the infant flame until it begins to spread and grow.

    “Chief fire maker, that’s me.”

    The fire spreads through the logs and begins to climb up the stack.

    “Is the door open?”

    Lamia reaches for the door and yelps; the door remains sealed.

    “What else do we have to do?” she wonders. “The mirror didn’t show anything else.”

    The firepit is fully engulfed and a low grinding sound fills the room. The friends look around, seeking the source when Safir cries out and points to the ceiling above the fire.

    A narrow slot panel slides open above the fire pit. The slot is only a few inches wide but once open is several feet long.

    “I wonder what…” she says when a dark fluid sprays from the ceiling.

    The fluid, a fine mist, erupts violently when it hits the flame. The firepit turns into a massive inferno and more fluid pumps from the ceiling by the second feeding the flames.

    The fire spreads across the floor and onto the walls. The friends attempt to douse the fire but the spray increases in volume, soaking them until their clothing ignites from the flames nearby

    The adventurers scream and roll across the floor, vainly attempting to put out the fire. Their screams die as the fire grows, consuming everything in the room.

     

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