A/N: sorry for the wait real life and writers block intruded thankfully you can help with the second. I need a villan (all inerested parties may apply)

CH 3

The Choice (prt2)

Several hours later Sam found herself standing outside of the first door she had found. She had hiked for what seemed like miles along the twisted hallways, and every time she looked back the hallway had closed behind her. Quickly Sam checked the door and finding it locked pulled the key from her pocket pausing for the first time to look, to truly look, at the key.

It was a large, highly ornate, warded key. Fashioned of wrought iron and covered in bone designs, it was a true skeleton key. Fitting the key to the lock, Sam opened the door and stepped into the Heart. Looking around she found herself in a circular room with vaulted ceilings towering three stories above her. The room was easily twenty feet across. But despite the awe inspiring architecture what truly drew the attention was the disc of wood fifteen feet across set in the center of the room.

The intricately carved surface of the circle was divided into eight sections each depicting a phase of the moon. In the center was an octogram around a strange symbol and elaborate Celtic knot work adorned the rest of the circle. An old memory dredged itself up out o her past.

Ida had told her a tale about a magician who built an enchanted manor. The magician had places a circle of wood, identical to the one before her no, at its heart. The wood had been cut from the Child of Yaggdrasil, the world tree, by Merlin and used as the round table. But after the fall of Camelot it had come into the possession of one of the magicians ancestors. Something clicked in Sam's mind. The story fit. It was the only thing that explained how she knew what she knew, what she had seen. She stood at the heart of the magician's manor.

Sam paused for only a moment as she recalled the rest of the tale. Specifically the location of the stone room where, her grandmother said, "the magician kept his secret." That was where she was most likely to find her answers. It took her only a minute to find the deeply recessed staircase, carefully avoiding the wooden disc. She vaguely recalled her grandmother saying something about it acting as a passive defense, something about sudden paralysis.

At the top of the stairs Sam found what could only be the master chambers; the master bedroom, a kitchen, a small den, the master bath, and several closets the size of Danny's bedroom; all exactly like they were described in the story, right down to the spiral stair in the den. As Sam climbed the stairs a strong feeling of anticipation began to build in her. The study she found herself in was, at first glance, a near perfect replica of her father's, or perhaps her father's was the replica.

The books here were older and seemed to be written in some ancient script, the furniture had an antiquated feel and appearance, and of course the room itself was circular. But perhaps the most significant difference was the black-veined marble lectern that sat in front of the desk. Resting on the lectern was a closed book bound in black leather. Embossed in gold and silver the front cover bore the same design that was carved into the floor of the Heart. When Sam opened the book the feeling of anticipation surged almost staggering her before fading back to what it was before.

Wondering what the hell was going on with her emotions Sam looked down at the first page of the book and frowned. Beneath what she assumed was the title was a full coat of arms, in place of the helm was a skull crested by a raven atop a shield depicting a fanged skull with a black rose in it's jaws on a quartered field of black and green. Twin skeletons, one on each side, supported the shield with one hand and beckoned with the other while beneath it all twined a scroll bearing the Latin phrase "Memento Mori." Strangely this seemed almost familiar to her.

A glint of light finally snapped her attention away from the book. Resting next to the book was a large silver ring. Carefully Sam picked it up some how knowing it was a signet ring. It bore the symbol from the center of the octogram. The symbol was made up of a 'V' with two small slashes above it angled in opposite directions. The ring was curiously warm, as if it had been removed just a few moments ago. Sam slipped it onto her right middle finger oddly comforted by its warmth.

Fiddling with the ring, it was slightly big, Sam looked around. Seeing a door tucked between two bookcases she opened it finding a spiral staircase that wrapped itself around the inside of the tower. Behind the first door she came to was what could only be described as some sort of lab. The second door led out to a balcony that ringed the tower. As she opened the final door the feeling of anticipation which had still been building vanished. It didn't fade or fall, it was just…gone.

The room she now stood in was completely bare except for the covered pedestal in the center. In what seemed a dream state Sam approached the pillar and threw back the weighted cloth. She was suddenly hit by a wave of intense nausea. Staggering away from the dark green stone she had uncovered Sam vomited the entire contents of her stomach and collapsed. Just before the abyss claimed her she felt someone open her mouth and slip something hard and cold beneath her tongue, something like a coin.

Jeremy paused in his work when he felt the necrostone be exposed. Closing his eyes he sent up a quiet prayer "O' Grandfather Destiny let her find the proper path. O' Grandmother Death accept her offering and help her walk the twilit path. Forgive me Pamela." After a moment he turned back to his task.

Amity parks local half-ghost lay in his bed sleeping peacefully. Slowly he began to twitch, then to toss and turn as if a storm grew within his dream. As he lay there tossing and turning he muttered a single sleep muffled word "Sam."

R&R please