Locked away

[obligatoryass]

The door closes behind Meg with an ominous 'thud.' It sounds like doom, and it echoes even more ominously.

"Hey!" Logan yells, startled by this unexpected turn of events. He bangs on the door loudly and yells again, with little hope of an answer. It was a very deliberate action on the part of Lord Julius, and from the condition of that room, it's unlikely that anyone else has been there for a long, long time.

Still, the banging relieves Logan's feelings. When his hand is sore, he turns back to Meg. "So. I guess we're captured."

He takes a moment to survey the room. There's a long, thin window far above them, giving enough light to show the room's contents. A desk and chair, free of dust, with a few papers, a quill and a candle on it. Some boxes. And, luckily, a box of matches.

Comments

[noteful]

"Well, if it starts swelling or anything, let me know. There's not a lot we can do with the supplies available to us here, but we'll figure out something."

Simple medicine and common sense. Meg has never encountered any situation in which they weren't helpful.

"You go left, I'll go right?"

[obligatoryass]

"Will do," Logan promises.

He certainly doesn't want a major hand injury coming out of this misadventure. He'll let her know.

Nodding, he heads left and begins to explore the outer edges of the room.

[noteful]

Stone walls. One window, out of reach and too thin to be useful, anyway.

Less and less light coming through the window all the time, and almost none by the time Meg and Logan meet on the opposite side from their starting point.

"Maybe . . . maybe we just need to sit down, and rest, and one of us will think of something."

[obligatoryass]

Logan nods, then yawns. "At least, if we get some rest, we'll be fresher. My brain's pretty well tapped out. S'been a long day."

He yawns again and sits on the floor. "Plus, we can't get much done in the dark."

It's not going to be a very comfortable night's sleep, but Logan's so tired he doesn't even care.

[noteful]

Meg settles into the desk chair. She's not at all certain it's going to be any more comfortable than the floor, and it might even be less so, but if he's going to be gallant enough to leave it for her, she's going to be gracious enough to accept it.

And no, it doesn't make for a very comfortable night's sleep, but there is some fitful dozing, and that's better than nothing.

It lightens slowly, until suddenly the sun reaches the long narrow window at the top of the room, and a bright band of sunlight hits the opposite wall.

[obligatoryass]

It's just enough that Logan feels refreshed, although it would be hard not to, after how tired he had been the night before.

Still, he's been watching for that light to start coming in for some time now, and he's glad to see it, if only because it makes their situation seem slightly less dire.

Peering over at Meg, he sees she's stirring but not quite awake.

He takes the opportunity to pace the room. The light is...well. Not better, really, but at least different. Maybe he missed something last night.

[noteful]

Meg wakes up a little stiff tries to rub the crick out of her neck.

"See anything?" she asks, watching Logan pace.

She'll get up in a second. Just as soon as she gets feeling back into her feet.

[obligatoryass]

"No," Logan says, sounding frustrated but managing not to hit anything this time. "Noth-"

He pauses, then steps back. "Maybe."

He steps slightly further back, cocks his head, and then grins. "I see a door, that's what."

[noteful]

Meg looks at the wall.

"You do?"

She gets up and comes over, but she mostly still just sees . . . a wall.

[obligatoryass]

"There's an edge, right there," he says stepping forward and tracing it slightly. "Do you see? Now, how to open it..."

He leans into the door, trying to see if simple pressure will open it.

No dice.

[noteful]

Meg frowns.

"Try . . . maybe try the stones around it? I mean, that works in books, sometimes, but this whole place is . . ."

She trails off, pushing her hand into one of the stones next to the outline she can see now that Logan has pointed it out.

And then another.

And another.

[obligatoryass]

"This could take forever," Logan mutters, still pressing on stones.

And then, one of them gives. "I've got it," he cries out, applying a little more pressure.

The door slides open and Logan peers inside.

"Having no idea where that goes, I am pretty sure I can say with certainty that it's better than here."

[noteful]

"Candles," is all Meg says.

It's probably an agreement.

Does Logan want to go first?

[obligatoryass]

Logan nods and collects the candles, lighting one for himself and handing another to Meg.

"Let's get outta here."

He leads the way.

[noteful]

It's not a terribly long passageway. It's probably not even as long as it feels.

"Do you have any idea where this might be going?" Meg asks. "Old story you heard on a previous visit? Anything?"

She's not terribly hopeful, but she has to ask.

[obligatoryass]

"Not the slightest," Logan says, sounding slightly worried but not overly so.

Luckily, they are not be in suspense for very long. The passage ends in a large door, although there is still no handle.

Logan bangs on the door. "Hello? HELLO? Anybody over there?" he calls.

[ordinary_sorts]

The calls cannot be heard on the other side of the door. (It's a very thick and very strong door.)

But the banging? That gets attention. And as the room on the other side of the wall is the so-called War Room, into which the Prince and Princess have been moved for safe keeping? The attention is not necessarily the sort Logan will like.

It's a long moment -- this door, like the first, is secreted behind a set of shelves and Lord Terence has to figure out how to open it.

And then the door opens quite suddenly, and Logan will find Lord Terence's wand leveled at his heart. "Who the blazes are you?"

Things could get very messy indeed, here, given that Lord Terence's orders from the Queen were to kill anyone who threatened her children, or at least to turn them into frogs.

Fortunately, he is not the only person there, and his daughter recognizes the people in the passageway.

"For heaven's sake, Father, point that somewhere else before someone gets hurt," Lady Rosalind says. "It's Logan. One of the Queen's friends. You remember."

Lord Terence lowers the wand slightly and squints at Logan.

"Good heavens, so it is," he says. "Half the palace staff is looking for you, boy. Where have you been?"

[obligatoryass]

"It's a long story," Logan says swiftly, stepping around Terrence. "We need to see the Queen immediately."

No one argues, and they're whisked off to see Amy posthaste.