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. "Do that."
"Care to wash up, change clothes . . . ?" I began, as we walked away.
"The Pattern," she said.
"It would involve a lot more stairs," I told her.
She turned toward me, her face tightening, but saw that I was smiling.
"This way," I said, leading her to the main hall and through it.
I didn't recognize the guard at the end of the brief corridor that led
up to the stair. He knew who I was, though, glanced curiously at Coral,
opened the door, found us a lantern, and lit it.
"I'm told there's a loose step," he remarked as he passed me the light.
"Which one is it?" He shook his head.
"Prince Gerard's reported it several times," he said, "but no one else
seems to notice it."
"Okay," I said. "Thanks."
This time Coral didn't object to my going first. Of the two, this was
more intimidating than the stairway on the cliff face, mainly because you
can't see bottom and after a few paces you can't see much of anything beyond
the shell of light within which you move as you wind your way down. And
there's a heavy sense of vastness all about you. I've never seen the place
illuminated, but I gather that the impression is not incorrect. It's a very
big cavern, and you go round and round and down in the middle of it,
wondering when you'll reach the bottom.
After a time, Coral cleared her throat, then, "Could we stop for a
minute?" she asked
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