61. Breaking and Entering
Rosella stood before the ominous iron door that was hinged into a mountainside. Tilting her head back a little, she
glanced up at the several ton rock awning above her head supported by four large marble pillars, blue eyes praying that
age hadn’t weakened anything. She unrolled the leather pouch that she had been holding for so long in her nervous
sweaty palm. The key dropped out clumsily with a clang on the smooth stone surface outside the crypt. Rosella
squinted as if the sound might wake the dead while crouching down and hastily picking up her precious item. “Jenna
said this key would open the crypt and that I would find Cupid’s bow inside in order to defeat Lolotte and save Tamir,”
mumbled the princess as if the words themselves reassured her of what it was she was doing.
The skeleton key slid into the old lock just as the tiny fairy had said it would with a click. Turning the key to the left, the
princess smiled as she heard the distinct sound of ancient tumblers falling into place, releasing the lock for the one who
holds the key. Rosella released the key, and turned her attention to a large iron ring fastened to the great door.
Wrapping her slender hands around the cold metal, she took a deep breath, and did her best to imagine what stance
would give her the best leverage in her awkward heels. While the image was most certainly comical to any of the
zombies that watched the wealthy girl from the graveyard, there was a fact none could deny. Despite her royal graces,
thin little arms, and foolish attire, Rosella had the grit to pull the giant iron door open with a little groan from her, and
great groan from the old hinges. She may have only opened it a sliver, but Rosella after all, was no more than a sliver
of a girl!
Careful not to snag the delicate fabric of her outfit, Rosella slipped inside the spooky crypt. The slightly opened door
allowed a shaft of light to cut into the low light of the torches that burned on the walls. How the fires remained lit for all
time was not something the pretty princess wanted to find out. Suffice to say, dark magic had its hand in things here.
The entranceway led onto a stone platform, high above the floor of the crypt. A long rope ladder lie in a heap by the
edge, presumably the only safe way down.
While the crypt was large, it was not so large that Rosella could not see it in its entirety from the stone platform. Against
the northern wall stood an ornate sarcophagus, resting place of the mummy. A shiver ran down her spine as she
imagined its red eyes, rotting bandages, and reaching hands. Hanging on a hook on the lid of the sarcophagus was a
simple little bow and quiver of arrows. “Cupid’s bow!” exclaimed Rosella immediately cupping her hand over her foolish
mouth. There was a moan that creepily filled the chamber and then nothing but the flicker of the torches. Daring to
breath again, the princess surveyed the rest of the crypt from the safety of the platform. In the southern corner was a
small black box with clawed feet. It was Pandora’s box, and sat exactly where Rosella had returned it on her previous
journey to Tamir. An odd thought occurred to her as she looked at its deceiving plainness. Certainly Lolotte would
have wanted to release all the evil stored in Pandora’s box. So why did she not retrieve the box when sealing the bow
inside the crypt? The question nagged at the girl’s curious brain, but ultimately it wasn’t pertinent to know at the time.
What she did need to decide was, how to safely get Cupid’s bow. What will she do?
Unravel the rope ladder and climb down
Can't trust the rope ladder... hang and drop