1.9

...and turned. Upon its release, the door began to float inward as if the ship were off-balance. A staircase descended into the dark. Markus grabbed a torch from the sailor beside him and peered into the doorway. The staircase appeared to go down about thirty feet. “This is impossible,” he mumbled.

“Be careful,” warned Sûlmain. “Be very careful. If the one who placed such an ancient rune on this door is down there, he is powerful indeed. Guard yourself well. And remember, I am the only one who can counter his magic. I will do my best to protect you and your men. But if I die, so surely shall you all.”

Markus glared at the sorcerer. He did not like this. Like everyone else on the Wavesplitter, he neither liked nor trusted this wizard. But Markus was loyal to his captain, and if his captain said dive, he would do so. Whatever deal the captain had struck with this walking mystery, it had better have been worth it. Markus returned his attention to the stairs. He began down, torch and sword in hand.

The staircase seemed sturdy enough. The air was dingy and damp. The smell of mold was in the air. The group’s descent was slow, wary of the dark. When they reached bottom, they found a stone floor. Again Markus muttered, “This is impossible!”

The floor on which they stood was carefully laid flagstone. As they held out the torches, they could not see any walls. They began to spread out, but only a little. Still no walls. “Now where?” asked Markus.

Sûlmain pulled forth his loadstone. It shone brightly and lurched directly away from the stairs. This time it did not dangle back into position, but hung in mid air. “This way.” Sûlmain looked down before proceeding. “Note the direction of the stones. If we go in a straight line, then we may be able to use their cracks as out guide back out. Pick a set of stone as your path, and do not go out of its boundaries.”

The group proceeded in a formation to surround Sûlmain, at his insistence of course. They walked for nearly five minutes. Sûlmain began to understand why he could not see inside the ship earlier. He knew that they were not actually inside the ship at all. It seemed to be a portal. To where, or what dimension, he did not know…and he did not care. What he did know was that he was very near to his destination. His year-long journey was nearly at an end.