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                               Sangrelysia

                          by Vivian Darkbloom

A Message Delivered

   Ever since the poisoning affair, the Princess now habitually
   dined with me. I could picture the scene in the outer hall that
   morning, as she and I sat in the sunlight that streamed through
   the window. We sat in the company of several of her
   girls-in-waiting, eating scones for breakfast.

   Meanwhile out in the hallway, some flunky the King had sent,
   humming to himself, wandered down the corridor with a scroll to
   deliver. Spotting the sturdy oaken doorway set in the massive
   stone arch, he strode over and reached for the brass ring of the
   knocker, which hung from the nose of an imposing lion's head.
   Before he could touch it, the doorway moved to the right by a few
   feet.

   He froze for a moment, scratched his head, looked around, and
   shuffled a few feet to the right, reaching once again for the
   knocker.

   Again, before he could reach it, the doorway slid, this time to
   the left.

   "What's the matter, can't you read?" demanded a tiny, angry
   voice.

   The flunky looked around to see who had spoken, but nobody was
   there. Looking back at the doorway, he wasn't sure but that the
   lion's head looked different somehow. At any rate, he now noticed
   the sign next to it, and began trying to sound out the words.

   The lion's head rolled its eyes, and spoke: "Oh good God. Here,
   let me read it for you." The syllables lit up as the lion's head
   spoke them. `Please announce yourself before knocking.'" The
   lion's nose ring swung back and forth absurdly as it
   gesticulated.

   Nearly suffering a heart attack to see the sculpted brass
   figurehead come to life, the flunky stumbled back a few paces.
   Meanwhile, a young elfin maiden carrying a bucket with a
   collection of mops and brooms approached. "Housekeeping!" she
   announced in a shrill but friendly voice.

   "About time. Boy could we use some sanitizing around here,"
   prattled the lion's head. "I mean, you should just see the place.
   Sheesh, what a mess. I should warn you though, I recommend
   extreme caution in the vicinity of the kitchen sink. Gruesome
   experimentation determining the effects of fungus on leftover
   food particles."

   The maid laughed. "I'm sure I've seen worse." She deftly slipped
   through the little doorway that opened up inside the main door.

   The flunky, seeing his chance, attempted to follow.
   Unfortunately, he was too tall, and his head thudded against the
   main door as the smaller one slammed shut, nearly catching his
   shirtsleeve.

   "Back to reading lessons," continued the lion's head. "State your
   name, the nature of your business, date of birth, mother's maiden
   name, and all available credit card numbers with expiration date
   and security code."

   It began to occur to the flunky that this might be an appropriate
   time to get annoyed. "I got a scroll what I'm supposed to deliver
   for the wizard," he said.

   "Wise guy, eh? Don't you know what a mail slot is for?" A slot
   just big enough for the scroll appeared in the middle of the
   door.

   "I'm supposed to hand it to him personal-like."

   The lion's head rolled its eyes once again. "What's the matter,
   don't you trust me? I'll be sure he gets the message. Relax,
   don't you worry one bit!"

   While hardly eager to rely on the word of a talking brass lion's
   head, the flunky was nonetheless relieved to hear some sort of
   solution, so quickly he lifted the hinged mail-slot cover, and
   shoved the scroll through it.

   "Now that wasn't so difficult, was it?" the Lion's nose ring flew
   about disconcertingly with the head's gesticulations. "Pleasure
   doing business with you. Have a nice day!"

   With that, the two columns of he archway slid together, slamming
   shut as the doorway disappeared completely, leaving only a blank
   wall in its place.

   The poor guy stood for a moment, scratched his head, then set off
   back from whence he came.

                                                           Chapter 7

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