Lucy found herself standing in a room about five meters wide; her first reaction was to point at herself and say "I am Luke!"
She wondered for a moment if she needed to add her last name, but just "Luke" sufficed. At once, Luke was back to normal. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Maybe I'll leave this detail out when I tell mum and dad. It would be awkward to speak of."
A note suddenly in his hand caught his eye.
"It sure would! Excellent work stopping that King of Rogues. Now, the key here is in an obvious place, but remember where it is. This room contains some art you may want to have a look at as well. When you're ready, remember. Open sesame!"
"Thanks for the tip, mage." Luke could've sworn he heard the words "you're welcome" from somewhere, but maybe it was just his imagination.
The room he stood in was furnished with a dais, upon which rested a scale model of an elaborate Castle. Luke was impressed- the model had every little detail, right down to the murder-holes in the back entrance! The only thing out of place was a key, resting on the balcony above the front gate from which the King would address his subjects. Luke made a mental note of this.
He almost said open sesame right there, before remembering the mage mentioned art. Luke looked at the wall, which was decorated with a massive mural.
Behind him, there was a beautiful painting of a green field, dotted with homes and trees. But on the sides of the field were patterns of stone bricks, like walls, between the fields and an image of a torn wasteland. Walking corpses, grotesque fiends, and beasts foaming at the mouth were depicted across the blackened wastes.
Above them loomed a shadow with the visible eyes, wings and horns of a dragon.
What manner of image was this? The kingdom behind him was menaced by a dragon, and its dark forces besides... Like looked again at the castle. Maybe it would be able to hold out against this threat.
He could only hope. Luke looked once again at the balcony of the model castle as he held the key...
