Chapter 786 - 797 Crow Statue
Following Soveris, the group descended into the cellar of the Wolf’s Head Tavern. Wooden pillars and beams supported the ceiling, roughly ten feet high, and a thin mist floated above the cold floor. The cellar was filled with racks holding massive wooden barrels, suspended with their bottoms about a foot off the ground, and the air was tinged with a light aroma of fermenting beer.
Leading the party past these barrels of brewing beer, Soveris stopped in front of an ordinary-looking stone wall. He stooped down and fumbled beneath one of the barrels, then flipped a switch. With a series of clacking gear noises, a secret door in the wall swung open, revealing a much smaller room. Apart from a statue of a raven, there was no other furniture in the room, and near the ceiling, just behind the statue, there was a hole about three feet in diameter through which a slight breeze carried the scent of fresh air.
The group curiously inspected the raven statue, which was crafted of some sort of black crystal, with two deep red gemstones embedded in its eye sockets, looking exceptionally exquisite.
"This statue..." Tanya locked her gaze on the raven statue the moment she entered the secret room, "I can sense my mentor’s presence..."
"Your mentor?" Soveris raised one eyebrow, "The Raven Queen?"
"Yes." The half-elf nodded, her own eyes a shade of red, "But since entering this Demon’s Domain, I have not heard my mentor’s voice again..."
"In that case, you demonstrate for everyone. Place your hand on the statue and say, ’Praise the Raven Queen.’
Tanya did as instructed, and as her companions watched, a cloud of black smoke enveloped the half-elf. In just a few moments, a raven appeared in her place. The black bird looked up and let out a loud (though unpleasant) caw, fluttered its wings, and took flight around the secret room, clumsily flying back and forth beneath the ceiling.