On a nearby rooftop, Pierre was busy helping Larson regain his footing.
They, too, had changed their clothes since the Opera House, and both now
wore more casual clothes. Larson wore his usual cowboy boots, jeans and
red shirt, while Pierre wore boots, black jeans and a purple shirt under a
vest.
When Larson finally stood upright again, he aimed his gun at Lara. And he would have hit her, had Pierre not shoved his arm up. He watched Lara whirl again, and point her guns in their direction. "Idiot! Idiot!" Pierre cried, although with his French accent, it sounded more like "Idio! Idio!"
"What does the cowboy hope to achieve with this mindless firing?"
"Ain't mindless." Larson defended himself. "Or ain't we tryin' to kill her no more then?"
Pierre glared at him. "You were kicked in the head by a horse, oui? So the brain does not work correctly?"
"How'd you know about that?" Larson asked curiously.
"Never mind! Never mind!" Pierre snapped. "We wait until she collects the other pieces. In this fashion we have the full prize for no extra effort."
"You are one clever cookie, boss." Larson said with admiration.
"Comparatively, yes." Pierre told him. "Come, let's get off this roof and I will buy you a milkshake."
* * *
I holstered my guns again, but stayed alert, just in case someone else wanted to take a shot at me again. To my right, I noticed a small room with an empty pool inside it. Since I could see not other ways out, I dived in. The water was freezing! I checked for hidden levers or switches, but there were none.
When I exited the room, I shivered slightly, as the breeze raised goosebumps on my skin. Then I noticed a doorway to the side of the gatehouse, set in the stone wall. I jogged through it and up a winding ramp until I came out into another garden.
There was a large white building, sitting on top of a platform above the garden. Stairs led up to it on either side, and a large bell was nestled in between the thick white pillars. The building was very similar to the gatehouse, with the same temple-like appearance.
But below the platform were three locked gates: one on the left, one on the right and one in the center. I walked up to the one on the left, and peered in. Nothing was inside. But when I looked past the gate in the center, I saw what I was looking for. The second stone.
The gate wouldn't budge, no matter how hard I shook it or kicked it, and shooting it didn't work. I tried looking for a hidden latch, but wasn't surprised when I couldn't find one. It would have been too easy.
I jogged up the stairs to the temple, only to find another locked door. And no way to open it. "Think, Lara!" I muttered. I knew I was missing something.
As I thought, I watched golden light creep over the horizon as the sun began to rise. The golden light crept up, and hit the large bell, turning it a rich bronze colour.
Of course, the bell! Grabbing the gun with the laser sight, I aimed it carefully at the big bell and let off a shot. It hit the bell and a deep ringing sounded out across the city. I glanced back at the door, but it remained shut. The gate?
I ran back down the stairs, and then noticed the now open door in the wall on my right. I vaulted up into the opening, and stared down at a familiar alley. This was where I had found the second garden key.
Opposite me was another opening set into the wall of the next building. I took a running jump and landed safely beyond the doorway. Unfortunately as soon as I did, a swarm of bats attacked me. I waved them away from my face as I walked forward to a now familiar carved face set in the wall and pushed the button.
I returned back to building with a bell, to find the door open. I walked into a large room with a brightly coloured mosaic on the floor. At the back of the room was a marble platform with two raven statues set on pedestals at either end. As I walked towards the platform, I noticed the two open doorways in each of the back corners.
I vaulted up onto the platform and looked at the pedestals. They looked as if they would turn . . . but I couldn't move them. It seemed it was the doorways then.
Choosing the doorway on my left, I jogged down a twisted passage, and found a switch next to a metal grating. I pulled it, and watched, amazed, as the raven statue on the left exploded in a shower of clay shards. Beneath it was a white statue of a dove.
I ran back to the platform, tried the pedestal. It turned once, with a loud grinding sound. It was followed by a creaking noise that made me look up. I noticed a decoratively carved battering ram swinging above me. It seemed to be protecting a platform, from which a groove ran along the wall to a shadowy ledge. Another switch?
I turned and ran down the passage on the right, hoping to find another switch to shatter the second raven. Instead I found another narrow passage leading up. I followed it, and found myself facing the battering ram.
I watched the battering ram swing back and forth. It was swinging too fast to run past, and it was too big to walk around. Or maybe not . . .
I turned to the side with my back to the wall, and edged along, watching the battering ram, until I had edged past the wall. I just fit between the edge of the platform and the battering ram. Stepping backwards, I dropped and grabbed the edge, so I was now hanging from the platform.
I traversed along the edge, above the tiled floor below, until I reached the corner. I gripped the next edge, and swung my body around with a grunt, catching the edge with my other hand before I fell.
I continued to the next corner and repeated the movement. Then I traversed, hand over hand, along the stone groove I had seen from below and pulled up onto the shadowy ledge. I shook my arms, trying to loosen my protesting muscles.
I lit a flare, after digging it out of my backpack, and it lit up the alcove to my right, which did indeed contain a switch. I stepped forward and pulled it. A grinding noise sounded within the wall. I rolled and ran to the edge of the ledge and looked out across the room. Nothing shifted or moved. What . . ? Then I grinned. The gate!
I turned again, stepped back, grabbed the edge and dropped, landing in a crouch. I immediately started sprinting out the door and down the stairs to the garden. The gate blocking the center passage was gone, and the next stone lay gleaming in the early morning light.
The Saturn Stone!
I ran forward and picked it up, spun and headed back down the passage to the first garden.
When Larson finally stood upright again, he aimed his gun at Lara. And he would have hit her, had Pierre not shoved his arm up. He watched Lara whirl again, and point her guns in their direction. "Idiot! Idiot!" Pierre cried, although with his French accent, it sounded more like "Idio! Idio!"
"What does the cowboy hope to achieve with this mindless firing?"
"Ain't mindless." Larson defended himself. "Or ain't we tryin' to kill her no more then?"
Pierre glared at him. "You were kicked in the head by a horse, oui? So the brain does not work correctly?"
"How'd you know about that?" Larson asked curiously.
"Never mind! Never mind!" Pierre snapped. "We wait until she collects the other pieces. In this fashion we have the full prize for no extra effort."
"You are one clever cookie, boss." Larson said with admiration.
"Comparatively, yes." Pierre told him. "Come, let's get off this roof and I will buy you a milkshake."
* * *
I holstered my guns again, but stayed alert, just in case someone else wanted to take a shot at me again. To my right, I noticed a small room with an empty pool inside it. Since I could see not other ways out, I dived in. The water was freezing! I checked for hidden levers or switches, but there were none.
When I exited the room, I shivered slightly, as the breeze raised goosebumps on my skin. Then I noticed a doorway to the side of the gatehouse, set in the stone wall. I jogged through it and up a winding ramp until I came out into another garden.
There was a large white building, sitting on top of a platform above the garden. Stairs led up to it on either side, and a large bell was nestled in between the thick white pillars. The building was very similar to the gatehouse, with the same temple-like appearance.
But below the platform were three locked gates: one on the left, one on the right and one in the center. I walked up to the one on the left, and peered in. Nothing was inside. But when I looked past the gate in the center, I saw what I was looking for. The second stone.
The gate wouldn't budge, no matter how hard I shook it or kicked it, and shooting it didn't work. I tried looking for a hidden latch, but wasn't surprised when I couldn't find one. It would have been too easy.
I jogged up the stairs to the temple, only to find another locked door. And no way to open it. "Think, Lara!" I muttered. I knew I was missing something.
As I thought, I watched golden light creep over the horizon as the sun began to rise. The golden light crept up, and hit the large bell, turning it a rich bronze colour.
Of course, the bell! Grabbing the gun with the laser sight, I aimed it carefully at the big bell and let off a shot. It hit the bell and a deep ringing sounded out across the city. I glanced back at the door, but it remained shut. The gate?
I ran back down the stairs, and then noticed the now open door in the wall on my right. I vaulted up into the opening, and stared down at a familiar alley. This was where I had found the second garden key.
Opposite me was another opening set into the wall of the next building. I took a running jump and landed safely beyond the doorway. Unfortunately as soon as I did, a swarm of bats attacked me. I waved them away from my face as I walked forward to a now familiar carved face set in the wall and pushed the button.
I returned back to building with a bell, to find the door open. I walked into a large room with a brightly coloured mosaic on the floor. At the back of the room was a marble platform with two raven statues set on pedestals at either end. As I walked towards the platform, I noticed the two open doorways in each of the back corners.
I vaulted up onto the platform and looked at the pedestals. They looked as if they would turn . . . but I couldn't move them. It seemed it was the doorways then.
Choosing the doorway on my left, I jogged down a twisted passage, and found a switch next to a metal grating. I pulled it, and watched, amazed, as the raven statue on the left exploded in a shower of clay shards. Beneath it was a white statue of a dove.
I ran back to the platform, tried the pedestal. It turned once, with a loud grinding sound. It was followed by a creaking noise that made me look up. I noticed a decoratively carved battering ram swinging above me. It seemed to be protecting a platform, from which a groove ran along the wall to a shadowy ledge. Another switch?
I turned and ran down the passage on the right, hoping to find another switch to shatter the second raven. Instead I found another narrow passage leading up. I followed it, and found myself facing the battering ram.
I watched the battering ram swing back and forth. It was swinging too fast to run past, and it was too big to walk around. Or maybe not . . .
I turned to the side with my back to the wall, and edged along, watching the battering ram, until I had edged past the wall. I just fit between the edge of the platform and the battering ram. Stepping backwards, I dropped and grabbed the edge, so I was now hanging from the platform.
I traversed along the edge, above the tiled floor below, until I reached the corner. I gripped the next edge, and swung my body around with a grunt, catching the edge with my other hand before I fell.
I continued to the next corner and repeated the movement. Then I traversed, hand over hand, along the stone groove I had seen from below and pulled up onto the shadowy ledge. I shook my arms, trying to loosen my protesting muscles.
I lit a flare, after digging it out of my backpack, and it lit up the alcove to my right, which did indeed contain a switch. I stepped forward and pulled it. A grinding noise sounded within the wall. I rolled and ran to the edge of the ledge and looked out across the room. Nothing shifted or moved. What . . ? Then I grinned. The gate!
I turned again, stepped back, grabbed the edge and dropped, landing in a crouch. I immediately started sprinting out the door and down the stairs to the garden. The gate blocking the center passage was gone, and the next stone lay gleaming in the early morning light.
The Saturn Stone!
I ran forward and picked it up, spun and headed back down the passage to the first garden.
