"No - NO!" Peach's hands flew to her mouth. "NOOOOOO!!!"
The King and his Aides stood by and watched as Daisy and Éclair rushed to Peach and were also struck with terror as they realized what was happening. Takanyar laughed a long, low laugh.
"It is all just as prophesied, Sire."
"Yes," returned the Shadow King. "Get them together and lead them into the Hall of Sorrow. We near our destination." Takanyar and Zaron rounded up the girls and led them trembling out of the Oracle Chamber, following the statue's pointing finger, into the Hall of Sorrow. Immediately all three princesses were struck with grief and began to weep quietly. The spell that hung over the Hall of Sorrow, thus giving it its name, had done its work well.
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"Almost there!" cried Athos to those behind him as they ran onward, emerging from the forest. "I see the mountain!"
"Did we make it in time?" breathed Mario as he dashed alongside Athos.
"Only time will tell, Mario. For now, we do our best to get there as fast as we can, and hope for the best," Athos replied, his grim tone not giving Mario much hope. The group rushed on toward Mount Orento.
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As the King led his group out of the Hall of Sorrow, the emotional effect died out, leaving the princesses bewildered and frightened. They stood now in a large open room, high-ceilinged and bare of furnishings. A sinister black door at the end of the otherwise-white room was the only real feature of the chamber. It was the Approach Hall, last room before the fated destination of the King and his captives.
"Come. Your doom awaits," invited the King, beckoning the princesses toward the black door.
"No!" Peach exclaimed. "I won't!" She backed away, terrified.
"Seize her!" commanded the King, and Takanyar and Zaron grabbed her arms.
"Now then, Princess Peach, are you coming?" asked the Shadow King with a sinister glare.
Peach's eyes glittered with defiance. "No!"
"Very well. Teach her to disobey me."
Zaron and Takanyar held her fast, and the Shadow Warrior drew his dark blade and struck her with its blunt side. She crumpled under the powerful blow.
"Get up and come!" spat the King. The Aides dragged the Princess to her feet and forced her to move toward the door.
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Athos reached under the boulder and pulled the red handle, revealing the hidden staircases.
"Follow me!" cried Mario as he leaped to the center staircase and began bounding down, three steps at a time. No time to lose.
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The Shadow Warrior flung open the black double doors, and the princesses were led inside. They stood now in a dimly-lit room with two black stone altars in it, side by side, about three feet apart. Seven golden candlesticks with unlit black candles were scattered about the room in a symmetrical pattern, glinting in the torchlight. Against the far wall stood a single white pillar with four iron rings protruding from its sides, two to a side. The place was filled with an ominous atmosphere.
"At last," relished the Shadow King, "we reach our destination. Welcome to the chamber where all of you will meet your fate. This is the Sacrifice Chamber." He stepped forward and stood in the space between the altars. "Bring Peach and Daisy." The two were pulled away from Éclair and forced to lie down on the altars, to which they were bound with iron clamps attached to the altars' stone surfaces. Peach struggled and fought so fiercely that the Shadow King had to intervene.
"Cease this nonsense!" he ordered, moving to Daisy's side. The Shadow Warrior handed his dark blade to the King, who took it and held its point against Daisy's throat. Her eyes got wide, and she froze beneath the threat.
"Princess Peach," the King said to the still-fighting princess, "you will stop now, or I will slit Daisy's throat before your very eyes. Choose."
Princess Peach lay still and allowed herself to be bound to the altar.
"Good." The Shadow King approached Éclair, who trembled violently. "Come, my Princess Éclair. It is time to give you that great honor." He took her and led her up to the white pillar, fastening her wrists and ankles into the iron rings so that she hung from the pillar, her feet not touching the floor. In her weakened state, Éclair found no strength to resist.
"All is in readiness," announced the King. "Let us begin!"
