Chapter 26: Blood On A Pedastal
As Samantha slowly pushed open the creaky door, the anticipation of what lay beyond made her heart race with excitement and fear.
She knew the Royal Chevalier Palace was no ordinary Palace, it was an alarming feeling she got the moment she stepped foot into the Palace, as if it was some secret war zone she had unknowingly entered.
The dangers that lurked within the Palace itself could be compared to the ones outside. And places like this were meant to be heavily guarded, but when she’s given a free tour, who is she to say no?
When she stepped in and went down the stone stairs, the tapping of her shoe against the floor was the only sound that echoed around the still space, and for a second, she forgot how to breathe.
The barely lit courtyard before her was deserted, shrouded in an eerie mist that emanated from the cracks of the ancient stone walls. The air was palpable with a sense of secrecy and foreboding that sent chills down her spine, but she kept moving, as though there was a strange calling that demanded her attention.
Right there, something stood in the center of the courtyard, bathed in a soft ethereal glow that flickered like flame, and out of all the things in the courtyard, it was the only object that produced a strange unnatural light. As she approached the pedestal, a flower shaped object that was carved into the form of a water Lily rested atop the pedestal.
No, it was permanently fixed to the pedestal, and the edges looked as sharp as a blade, but the intricate carving didn’t stop there. The roots of the water Lily were also carved to the point it reached the bottom of the pedestal that was attached to the ground, and Samantha was by far intrigued. Her prying gaze landed on a hole at the center of the Lily, and it looked empty, as if waiting for something to be placed upon it.
"Wow."
Her curiosity was piqued, ignoring the strange dread that came with it, and like an impulse she failed to control, she was tempted to touch it.
When she looked around the secret courtyard that was shrouded in mist, it was empty, there was no one in sight. When she returned her gaze to the empty flower-shaped sculpture that had turned rust with years of being abandoned, her right hand reached forward to touch it, and as if timed, the sharp edges instantly pricked her finger, drawing out her blood that stained the object down to the pedestal.
"Ouch!" Samantha yanked her hand away when the sudden sting snapped her out of her dazed trance. Unaware of what she had done, her eyes widened in alarm when she saw her blood had stained the edges of the sculpture, and a drop of it fell right into the hole.