Chapter 101. The Strange Pattern on the Stone Dais
As time passed, the blood-red pattern Murcus had drawn gradually sank into the statue.
A rumbling sound boomed, and the entire merperson statue shook violently.
The silt on the lakebed was jolted up, and Duncan's surroundings turned misty in an instant, so he immediately withdrew to a distance.
When the sound faded, Duncan flicked his wand.
Another waterspout formed ahead, shifting all the stirred-up muck farther away.
At the base of the merperson statue, a rectangular doorway appeared in what had been a solid, rough surface.
Steep stone steps extended down into an area shrouded in darkness, beyond the reach of the naked eye.
Murcus looked at the open door, an indescribable emotion in her gaze.
"The entrance to the treasure is below."
Duncan nodded but stayed where he was.
He did not trust Murcus much and feared it would be dangerous to go in first.
"All right, I'll go ahead.
Follow me."
Murcus understood what Duncan meant.
She swam forward and slipped into the pitch-black passage.
Duncan followed close behind and raised his wand to cast Lumos.
But Murcus placed her right hand on the wall and rasped out words Duncan could not understand.
The next moment, a hazy radiance flowed along both walls.
Gems set into the stone glowed to light the way.
"These were all left by my ancestors," Murcus said softly.
Duncan gave a slight nod, scooped up Pro—who, bubble atop his head, was trying to pry two gems from the wall—and tucked him into his arms.
He asked curiously, "You moved here on purpose and even built this statue to block the entrance.
What exactly do you want from this place that kept you at it all these years?"
Murcus hesitated for a moment.
"We only want one thing from inside—an old treasure of the merpeople tribe."
"A treasure of the merpeople?" Duncan asked, puzzled.
"Why would it be here?"
Murcus's tone carried a trace of resentment.
"Our ancestors fought Godric Gryffindor, one of Hogwarts's founders.
After losing, they honoured the wager and handed his weapon to Gryffindor.
Later, we heard Gryffindor placed that weapon here as a gift for future Hogwarts students."
"Oh?
So you're looking for a weapon—and this place is connected to Gryffindor?" Duncan asked.
"If what our ancestors left is true, this trove should be linked to all the founders.
It seems each of them left a little something inside," Murcus answered.
"As for whether our tribe's treasure is actually a weapon… I can't say for certain.
That's simply what our ancestors always claimed."
Duncan said, "Aren't you afraid there's nothing inside at all, and you've spent years for nothing?"
"Then that's our fate, I suppose," Murcus replied.
"Don't worry.
We only want that one item.
If it isn't there, we won't lay a finger on anything else.
And so long as you help us open the treasure's gate, you can come to us if you ever need anything.
If it's within our power, we will not refuse."
"I'll do my best…" said Duncan.
By then they had reached what seemed to be the lowest point of the stairs.
A massive stone door stood ahead.
A great bas-relief of a merperson was carved upon it, the workmanship surprisingly exquisite.
The crown and scales were rendered with striking clarity.
Murcus swam up and examined it for a moment.
She raised her hand, pressed the merperson's eyes, then pressed a few scales lower down.
When she pushed, the huge stone door trembled and slowly lifted, rising to reveal the view within.
"That is the entrance to the treasure," Murcus said, pointing ahead.
Duncan looked over.
In the centre of the chamber straight ahead stood a very conspicuous stone dais.
He followed Murcus into the room and bent over the dais's surface, which was carved with patterns he knew all too well.
A lion, an eagle, a badger, and a serpent formed a ring—very much like the wax seal on his Hogwarts acceptance letter.
Only, what they encircled in the centre was not the letter "H," but a somewhat strange design.
A man in wizard's robes hunched his back and stood with his back turned, head twisted to show half his face, wearing a chilling smile.
His hands were loosely clasped at his waist, and between them was an oval hollow.
At the innermost edge were several warped letters.
It looked as if they once formed a word, but after the ravages of time it was too blurred to make out.
"This should be where the key that opens the treasure's gate is placed," Murcus said.
"But we've found no clues about any key.
You'll have to handle this part—see if you can find useful information in the castle."
Duncan didn't answer.
Frowning, he kept studying the wizard's face.
"What are you looking at?" Murcus asked, following his gaze.
"I feel like I've seen this wizard's face before," Duncan murmured.
"As if I've seen someone who looks just like him…"
"No way," Murcus said in surprise.
"These ruins are a thousand years old.
Even if he was real, he lived a millennium ago.
How could you have seen him?"
"I'm not sure," Duncan said.
"It might just be that he resembles someone I've seen."
Murcus nodded.
"Have you memorised the pattern on the dais?"
"More or less.
Apart from this, is there anything else?" Duncan asked.
"No," Murcus shook her head.
"Everything else here was built by my ancestors.
Originally, only this stone dais existed."
"All right.
I'll head back first.
I'll return when I find information about the key," Duncan said.
The bubble was nearly spent, and it would be bad to be left struggling in the lake.
"No problem," Murcus said, swimming out with Duncan.
"You can check your library more, or ask those ancient portraits.
You might find something."
"Thanks for the reminder," Duncan said, darting out through the passage.
The Giant Squid spotted him and surged over at great speed, shielding him.
"She didn't give you trouble, did she?"
"No, I'm fine," Duncan said with a smile.
The Giant Squid nodded.
"You've been down a long while.
Heading back now?
I'll take you up."
"Sorry to trouble you," Duncan said, settling onto the Giant Squid's head.
He waved to the merpeople and rose toward the surface of the Black Lake.
Back on shore, Duncan dried himself and Pro with a gust, then thanked the Giant Squid.
"Thanks for today."
"It was nothing," said the Giant Squid.
"But don't trust those merpeople too much.
They're no saints."
"Right.
I know," Duncan replied.
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