Swamped Chapter 192 Page 3

As she scoured the lakebed in hopes of finding the passage, she noticed something odd. A particular kind of stone had been scattered about the lakebed in strangely regular patterns. Kenton realized it was meant to divide the lakebed into a grid, with a different number of stones in each tile, the Loremaster explained. But only a few of these tiles had stones. They were unusual stones, and surprisingly heavy for their small size. Kenton was sure they had been placed deliberately.

What I find stranger than any details of this puzzle is that it existed at all, you interject. Kenton and Afer came to this cabin and found it empty, except for a weapon hidden in the slats of the bed. Then they searched outside, and found a water siphon, used to open a secret passage. A passage which, I assume, this puzzle points to.

And why do you find that odd? the Loremaster asks.

Who put the puzzle there? If it’s the priest and woodcutter who lived there, they could easily just mark the passage itself for their own use, you continue. But if the abductor were doing it, why point the place out, and for that matter, why leave the water siphon? The only reason I can see to do that is if they were expecting somebody else to come, somebody who didn’t know the details but had enough info to figure them out.

An interesting thought. Keep it in mind as I continue, the Loremaster replies. Normally I like to share the details of how the puzzle works, and give the audience a chance to solve it, but I will skip that in the interest of saving time. The puzzle pointed to a particular spot underwater, and a little work with the siphon revealed the hidden door. So they opened it to find a ladder, and climbed down to see what was below. At first glance, it looked like a storeroom.

This seems needlessly elaborate for extra storage space, you comment.

Kenton and Afer had the same thought, the Loremaster concurs. And then they noticed something quite unusual amongst all the boxes and barrels.