Page 24 of Paladin's Hope

“When you say it like that, it sounds weird,” said Piper. “But isn’t this fascinating?”

“And horribly dangerous!”

“Oh no, not nearly as much as it looks,” said Thomas hastily. “As long as you don’t do anything foolish like run into the middle of the room. That triggers all the traps immediately. Now, this next room for example? Perfectly safe if you stand in the corners this time. Here, I’ll show you.” He palmed the switch beside the door and it slid open. “Come on, follow me, you have six minutes…”

Galen wanted to scream. Intellectually, he knew that this was probably not nearly so dangerous as it seemed, but his nerves were ringing like church bells and the battle tide wanted to rise but there was nothing to attack.

“Up against the corner, scoot, scoot,” said Thomas, making shooing gestures. Galen grimly herded Piper into the corner. Thomas stood on the other side of the room, still beaming like a proud father, beckoning to Earstripe.

“A gnole thinks ancients were crazy,” muttered Earstripe, heading toward the corner.

“I’m sure it makes perfect sense if we only knew what they were using it for,” called Piper. “I mean, a mill must seem like some kind of horrible torture device if you don’t know about grinding grain.”

“A gnole thinks our bone-doctor may be crazy too.”

“Exactly!” said Thomas, ignoring the gnole. “We just don’t know what it’s for. Now, my personal theory—and this is only a theory—is that it’s meant for some kind of religious pilgrimage.”

“The Church of Sharp Falling Objects?” asked Galen.

“Not quite that, my good man. We have no writing from the ancients, so we can’t know as to their scriptures, but imagine a kind of proving ground where the acolyte has read the holy texts and knows where to stand. Imagine the act of faith, to kneel in the proper place while blades come down around you.”

“Imagine the mess, if you don’t remember the text correctly.”

“It’s only a theory,” said Thomas, sounding slightly hurt. “I could be completely wrong, of course. But imagine such a pilgrimage, through multiple rooms, stopping to pray at each place, until arriving at last at…well, whatever they arrive at.”

“You don’t know?” asked Piper.

“Not—oh, hang on, nearly time. Do make sure you’re in the corner, please.”

Galen set his feet, Piper wedged into the corner behind him yet again. “We seem to keep doing this,” said the doctor.

“Because we keep going into these rooms.”

Click. Click. The walls slashed down again. This one came down at an angle, three feet away. There was technically plenty of space, but Galen felt a chill wash of adrenaline nonetheless. His fingers were locked on his sword hilt. He shoved backward even farther, his back against Piper’s chest. Piper lost his balance and grabbed for him, one hand on his arm and one at his waist.

If we weren’t in an ancient death-trap, I could really enjoy this part.

“It’s the same as the other one,” Piper said, craning his neck over Galen’s shoulder.

“Yes, and I hate it. We’re going back.”

Piper squirmed, trying to wriggle out of the corner, and Galen had to close his eyes. Adrenaline turned to arousal much too easily and there was a very attractive man moving against his back and this was not the time, not at all the time—

Piper stilled so suddenly that Galen feared he’d fainted. I can’t have been pushing him that hard. No, he’s breathing fine. He half-turned, and then Piper’s breath was warm in his ear, and there were too many shadows to read the man’s eyes, but he could see a line of white around the irises.

He’s frightened. Galen felt a sudden mad urge to gather the man up in his arms and protect him from whatever had alarmed him. Yeah, that will certainly work well when he’s frightened of giant blades falling from the ceiling.

“We can’t leave,” the doctor said, very softly.

It took Galen a moment to make sense of the words. “What?”

The lights that Thomas and Earstripe were carrying cast beams of light through the holes in the walls, leaving a pattern of cut-out shadows across the walls. Piper’s lips were almost against his cheek. “We can’t,” he whispered, “because this is where those men died.”

Twelve

“Are you sure?” asked Galen, just as softly. Piper nodded. “How do you know?”

Piper’s breath caught. “I’ll explain later,” he whispered. “But it was in a room like this one.”