339
Mentally you recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell Mind Charm while you hold the Drakkar with your eyes. You say nothing, but within moments the brutish soldier breaks off his stare and stands aside, as if you had given him an acceptable answer. With exaggerated bravado, you thrust open the heavy iron portal and stride into the corridor beyond. The door slams shut behind you with a dull boom.
The corridor ends at a landing where a gallery overlooks the cavernous lower level. Nearby there is a staircase, leading down, and a black oak door set flush to the wall.
Slowly you approach the gallery’s railed parapet and look down at an unnerving sight.
