The Search for Sulphur
Daniella slowly put the Mercury Crest in its place to the left of the Salt Crest. She looked up toward the impressive pillars on the other side of the room, and after a few seconds, the second one began to move, just as she suspected it would. She felt the ground trembling beneath her feet as the massive stone pillar moved to the side beneath the water shot out of the mouth of the old man face carved into the top of the first one. That's when she realized... that's why she thought she'd seen Riccardo before! Whoever's face was carved at the top... it looked quite a bit like Riccardo's, except for those strange cracks that had been in his face. Maybe he was related to the former owner of this house... Still, she knew she'd seen him somewhere else, too.
Her attention back to the task at hand, she watched as the smaller pillar moved beneath the flow of water, the same face carved at the top of that one, the stone mouth sliding open as on the taller one, and the water shooting out, falling into the same pool of water, but close to the edge. If she could just get the third one into position, the water would be going into the empty, smaller pool in front, and she was more sure now than ever that something of value to her would happen. The way Fendari had been talking to her about it, as if he knew she would find something... He knew what was going to happen.
The movement stopped, and the room was still once more. She wondered where the last crest could possibly be as she watched Poppy jump around in the simulated jungle. She had been looking for any more painted doors... She assumed the last one would have to be yellow, since that was the color for sulphur in that strange "Azoth" puzzle, but hadn't noticed any offhand. She knew she could find it if she looked hard enough... but she wanted to get it done in as little time as possible. She knew with each passing second she was wandering those halls, she had a chance of being found by Fendari, or worse, the agent...
Daniella put her hand to her forehead. It was beginning to ache. The lack of sleep, all of the stress she'd endured, all the wounds she'd suffered... it really was taking a toll on her, and she was having a hard time just staying alert and thinking clearly. She looked upwards, past the glass dome, and sighed. One side of the sky was beginning to take on a lighter color, and she knew that daytime wasn't far away. And yet whoever was the owner of this mansion still hadn't returned. She thought about him, the notes he'd given her, their meeting in Fiona's driveway, and was beginning to wonder if he really did want to help her, or if there was something else going on...
She licked her dry lips and whistled, remembering how Fendari called Poppy, and wondering if he would still come to her. The dog jerked his head up, ears perked, and saw her, then trotted over, shaking all the leaves off of his body. She kneeled, praising him, then turned back toward the glass doors. The last crest was out there, somewhere... She just had to find it. She was so determined to complete the waterfall... she didn't know why, she just knew that part of her was missing, and that doing this could help her find it. But there was one stop she wanted to make before she started searching.
"All right... No, really, I'm okay... Thank you."
Anne Weston hung up the phone for what must have been the fifth time that night. She looked blearily out the window, seeing the brightening sky, then at the clock, which read 5:17 AM. She had been waiting all night for any news concerning her husband Jack, anything at all... but so far, he still hadn't returned. They told her at the office he had gone out to investigate a suspected drug operation, and that he had more than enough backup and should be fine... but still, she felt as if something were out of place.
Jack had left at around six last evening, telling her that he was working the night shift and he'd probably be back by three or so. She had sent Ron to bed, and would probably have gone to bed herself, not worried about it... but she kept getting this same feeling that there was something he wasn't telling her. Ever since that homicide investigation at Belli Castle he'd been acting strangely around her, trying to avoid talking about his work and reminding her a little too often how much he loved her and the kids.
She tried mentioning this to him a few nights ago, but he said that he would never keep anything from her, and then abruptly turned off the light and went to sleep. She decided to stay up and wait for him to return, just to make sure he got back safely... but still he hadn't contacted the station since they set out, and he was now quite late. He was probably fine, and this was all probably nothing... but she still worried about him. His was a risky business, and he knew that ever since he'd joined the force. Anne just hoped that he hadn't had to use his gun tonight...