OOC: Mr. Frodo, let me carry the ring!
IC:
The huntress glared at Annic in cold, hard eyes as Dram hand him the amulet. She stiffly turned her head towards Dram, but her expression softened when she realized just how sick he was. She reached for it, but Annic held it back, adjusting his position to allow for Dram's weight.
"Easy," he said, gesturing for her to follow.
They were close to the cave. Through the thick bush and trees Akenu could make out the approaching a jagged stony wall, a gray-white color with moss and vine growing on its surface. Akenu touched it, feeling no draft or mechanic or any indication of a door. She stepped back and looked at the ruby. She guessed, and at the light of recognition in her eye, Annic nodded.
"Hold him would you," he told her.
Akenu nodded and hoisted Dram's arm around her shoulder, using hers to hold him around the chest.
"Stay with us," she said.
Annic held out the ruby to the stone wall. He looked rather silly, posed there with the necklace.
He's reciting a spell, she realized.
The rumbling in the earth happened first. Akenu could feel the ground under her rumble softly, as if being roused from a deep sleep. A star shaped light began to glow red directly in front of Annic, chest height. Its light spilled into a spiral until the pattern expanded into what Akenu calculated to be a ten foot wide circle. The round door then began to open, cracking the vines that had grown over it. Marik clung to his mistress. Akenu could only gasp, seized at once with awe, fear, but strangly delight. This was the sort of things that happened in epics, after all. She couldn't help but to admire the magical brilliance.
A secret door in a mountain...
Her fantasy was cut short as the earth's rumbling stopped and the door layed open before them. Annic gestured for the party to follow into the dark caves. Akenu frowned, nervous. It was dark. How were they going to see? Maybe if Marik lit a torch, but where were the torches? Still, she did as she was told. Annic held out the ruby. Realizing that he was offering it to her, Akenu slowly took it, and carefully put it into one of her pouches.
The light of the outside world began to be concealed as if by an ellipse. Akenu turned her head to watch the door close, encasing them in darkness... But only for a moment. A glint of light shone above her. Then one to her right. Than another not too far from the right... Stones of many colors embedded in the walls of the cave began to softly glow until the path was dimly lit before them. Enchanted, Marik tried to claw out one of the star stones, but could not.
"They're beautiful," Akenu said, feeling sick. She made a noise to signal Marik to come back to her side.
"Spit that out," she ordered. The dragon sheepishly threw up a tiny glowing emerald.
