Knarra queried, “And you have heard of reverse gravity? I never saw that even on…never mind. I’ve never seen this before.”
“I wonder if you could walk across the ceiling once you got there.” Nigel queried.
Roscoe answered, “Did you see how the rock accelerated as it approached the ceiling?”
“You’ve already said this is a one-way street,” Erinnia said. “With a little luck, maybe we will be able to exit from wherever the eventual goal of our quest lies and we won’t have to come back here. I’ll try to manipulate the device with an Animate Wood spell. It might work!”
Cara replied, “I know only of Druidical Magick what I have seen you perform. Please explain the spell.”
“I don’t know blue wood. Sometimes I can influence plant material to obey commands. This blue wood is so foreign…” Erinnia muttered.
“Can you make a tree walk?” Boomer asked facetiously.
“In certain circumstances, yes. But it must be a very cooperative tree,” the elf answered without hesitation. She continued, “This is a fairly small piece of wood. I feel like I have a good chance of being able to move it. If I can, no one will have to stay here.”
Nigel added, “Next question? Who knows how long that thing has been here? Who’s going to stand on it first? I recommend Boomer. If it supports him, it’ll support any of us!”
Erinnia asked Cara to hold the device in place. The druid walked over and inspected the thick cable.
She reported, “This rope is very old, but it’s elfish. I can’t imagine that it wouldn’t support as many of us that could fit on the dais. I wouldn’t want us to ‘fall up’! You can’t fall down here. I can’t see the bottom of the pit. Tie my rope around me. I’ll step onto the platform.”
“You weigh next to nothing! My arrows and quiver weigh more than you! I’ll do it!” Boomer declared.
The dwarf stepped on the dais and there was a tense moment when the device inched upward but the platform stabilized.
Kyrsstina said, “I’ll ride over with him.”
Knarra and Cara agreed that it was best not send not more than two or less than two on the first trip. Unlike many other situations they had encountered, the opposite side was in sight and within spell range.
Erinnia concentrated and squeezed a few berries of mistletoe. She directed the small device away from her and the platform carried Boomer and Kyrsstina to the opposite side.
Kyrsstina shouted, “There is an open door here. There is a blue wood table with an identical device. Hurry! I heard noises from the stairs. Is it Musick?”
benjamintowe 