Rejoinder Fabian looked over at Dread again, wondering if he had enough justification to ignore the necromancer's gesture, but again he got a gesture indicating he should stay where he was. He tensed, ready to stand and hurry over, but still his trust of Dread's ability to make decision made him hesitate. Then they heard footsteps on the stairs again. "I think they're coming up to look for us," said Rystin, his voice now a mere murmur. Fabian stayed tensed, no longer intending to run around but now ready to run for his life, and looked around again. There were the usual sets of double doors on either side of the atrium where the statues of Esmaranth were situated, and for the first time he glanced up and realised something he also realised he should have known. They were nowhere near the top of the Halls of Sunset, which as a building was only slightly shorter than the New Imperial Museum. The main staircase didn't continue up, but that made sense to him -- the Museum had the same issue; the designers had wanted to basically capture the visitors in the Museum in separate sections and make it harder for them to leave without seeing something else to look at. From the fire-management perspective it was horrible: there were no clear routes for fire exits through the building, and any changes had to be carefully examined to see if they would cause crowding, panic or just death in the event of a fire. Knowing what he was looking for now he looked around again, and found a smaller door set in the middle of the back wall. "That door," he said pointing to it and nudging Rystin to pay attention, "is probably the staircase up to the next floor." "Wouldn't one down to the exit be better?" asked Rystin, looking back to the main staircase. "Maybe, but if this is like our Museum you won't get one until you've gone up another floor or two," said Fabian. "So if we have to run, go that way. There are probably Auditors down the main staircase, waiting for us there." "There might be at the bottom of the other stairs." "If they can cover all the staircases then we're screwed whatever happens," said Fabian, just a little more snappish than he meant to be. But it was how he felt. "So we can either play the hand we have or fold right now." Rystin humphed. "Didn't take you for a poker player, Director," was his rejoinder, and Fabian had to stifle a laugh. He was terrible at poker. Two figures ascended the main staircase into view. At first there was just a bobbing shape that might have been a head, but gradually they revealed themselves as long, thin shapes dressed in some kind of light robe over which were a leather chest piece with metal pinned to it, and then leather trousers of a kind that came down to just above the knee and also had metal plates pinned to them. Fabian stared. "What exhibit did they steal that armour from?" he muttered. "That has to be nearly a millenium old!" They stopped at the top of the staircase and looked around them. One turned to the other and said something quietly that Fabian couldn't make out, and then the other nodded and looked at the statues. "We are sure you're here somewhere," it said, and its voice was harsh and cracked and sounded like it needed a drink badly. "We will find you before we leave. You would do better to hand over the key to the Halls, which is not your property, and accept suitable punishment." Fabian's eyebrows had shot up at the suggestion that the key wasn't his property and he fumed silently while the Auditor finished talking. They waited for thirty seconds or so and then the first one shrugged, making its armour jingle. "We did not expect that you would agree," it said. "We will be back. Don't go anywhere." They both laughed and turned away, descending the main staircase again.
2 comments:
Rejoinder
Fabian looked over at Dread again, wondering if he had enough justification to ignore the necromancer's gesture, but again he got a gesture indicating he should stay where he was. He tensed, ready to stand and hurry over, but still his trust of Dread's ability to make decision made him hesitate. Then they heard footsteps on the stairs again.
"I think they're coming up to look for us," said Rystin, his voice now a mere murmur. Fabian stayed tensed, no longer intending to run around but now ready to run for his life, and looked around again. There were the usual sets of double doors on either side of the atrium where the statues of Esmaranth were situated, and for the first time he glanced up and realised something he also realised he should have known. They were nowhere near the top of the Halls of Sunset, which as a building was only slightly shorter than the New Imperial Museum. The main staircase didn't continue up, but that made sense to him -- the Museum had the same issue; the designers had wanted to basically capture the visitors in the Museum in separate sections and make it harder for them to leave without seeing something else to look at. From the fire-management perspective it was horrible: there were no clear routes for fire exits through the building, and any changes had to be carefully examined to see if they would cause crowding, panic or just death in the event of a fire. Knowing what he was looking for now he looked around again, and found a smaller door set in the middle of the back wall.
"That door," he said pointing to it and nudging Rystin to pay attention, "is probably the staircase up to the next floor."
"Wouldn't one down to the exit be better?" asked Rystin, looking back to the main staircase.
"Maybe, but if this is like our Museum you won't get one until you've gone up another floor or two," said Fabian. "So if we have to run, go that way. There are probably Auditors down the main staircase, waiting for us there."
"There might be at the bottom of the other stairs."
"If they can cover all the staircases then we're screwed whatever happens," said Fabian, just a little more snappish than he meant to be. But it was how he felt. "So we can either play the hand we have or fold right now."
Rystin humphed. "Didn't take you for a poker player, Director," was his rejoinder, and Fabian had to stifle a laugh. He was terrible at poker.
Two figures ascended the main staircase into view. At first there was just a bobbing shape that might have been a head, but gradually they revealed themselves as long, thin shapes dressed in some kind of light robe over which were a leather chest piece with metal pinned to it, and then leather trousers of a kind that came down to just above the knee and also had metal plates pinned to them. Fabian stared.
"What exhibit did they steal that armour from?" he muttered. "That has to be nearly a millenium old!"
They stopped at the top of the staircase and looked around them. One turned to the other and said something quietly that Fabian couldn't make out, and then the other nodded and looked at the statues.
"We are sure you're here somewhere," it said, and its voice was harsh and cracked and sounded like it needed a drink badly. "We will find you before we leave. You would do better to hand over the key to the Halls, which is not your property, and accept suitable punishment."
Fabian's eyebrows had shot up at the suggestion that the key wasn't his property and he fumed silently while the Auditor finished talking. They waited for thirty seconds or so and then the first one shrugged, making its armour jingle. "We did not expect that you would agree," it said. "We will be back. Don't go anywhere."
They both laughed and turned away, descending the main staircase again.
Greg - oh boy, this doesn't seem good.
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