The Armory

Peter held his hand up and motioned for the party to stop as they approached the cavernous entry into the mountain. He picked up a good size rock and threw it inside, but they heard only its muffled thud followed by silence. Peter approached cautiously the narrow opening sending the stone-filled tree trunk before him.

No garrison was waiting for them and the tree trunk sprung no hidden traps. Peter entered the cave and came back motioning for the rest of the group to follow.

Dochia entered first followed by Duncan and Niklaus. They watched in wonder the vast cavern opening around them. A huge triangular candelabrum hung above their heads with an uneven number of candles attached along its edges. The candelabrum was reinforced by three other rails making an inner triangle.

Farther in the back, eight ornate doors filled the cavern's wall from side to side.

"It is said that Tamas never locks his armory's doors as there's a fiery dragon behind them. Anyone trying to enter is burned alive." Peter announced.

Niklaus rose his eyebrows but remained quiet as, in fact, he stayed the whole trip. Dochia suspected that Duncan and Peter also noticed Niklaus' strange behavior.

Peter started for the doors when Duncan stopped him with a hand upon his arm.

"There is no dragon waiting, however, the doors are a trap. They are indeed unlocked, one of them leading to the armory, and just like in your story, death awaits behind the others."

Dochia looked startled at Duncan and raised her head, studying the candelabrum.

Peter's eye twinkled.

"My, your charms never fail. How many times did it take to convince Erzsbet?"

Niklaus eyes darkened, and his fist landed heavily on Duncan's face. As Erzsbet was Tamas’ daughter, a meaningful look passed between Duncan and Peter.

Dochia startled at the scuffle and lowered her eyes from studying the candelabrum. She looked at Niklaus, and the hurt in her eyes didn't escape Duncan. Niklaus turned and smiled at her, a guilty smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Peter shrugged and asked:

"Did she tell you also which door it is?"

"No, she said she didn't know." Duncan answered with a shrug of his own.

"You're losing your touch ol' man." Peter drawled but stopped short at Niklaus' mutinous look.

Dochia schooled her features, straightened her shoulders and interjected:

"He speaks the truth, for once, Erzsbet didn't lie, she doesn't know. Tamas didn’t like the risk of keeping the same door open so it is changed often. If the secret spills, the intruders would try opening the wrong door."

Peter was still not convinced:
"It looks painful and risky changing the door often and spreading the word to his knights. Messengers can be captured or bribed, and pigeons shot."

"Exactly. That's why Tamas doesn't spread the word. Miklos is a wastrel, however he is fond of puzzles. I think we have a puzzle in front of us that will tell us which one is the door to Tamas' armory." answered Dochia icily. Dochia decided she didn't like the golden-haired Peter right now.

Niklaus sighed as he started pacing the floor of the large hall and Dochia knew why. Miklos had an upper hand over Niklaus when it came to puzzles.

Duncan's eyes sparkled with interest and in two strides he was near Dochia.

"A puzzle, how interesting my lady, I am quite fond of puzzles myself." he whispered, his voice even lower than usual. His warm breath close to her face sparked a wave of awareness, and she lowered her eyes, looking elsewhere. She caught Niklaus' brooding eyes with a surge of satisfaction, and she pulled the sword from her scabbard. She drew then something that looked like the candelabrum above:

 
                                                /\
                                               /  \
                                              9   5
                                             /       \
                                            /__4__\
                                           /\          /\
                                          /  \        /  \
                                         7   1    3   4
                                        /       \   /       \
                                       /__6__\/__?__\

"The numbers show how many candles I counted in each candleholder in the candelabrum. The candleholder closest to the door has no candles. When leaving, Tamas' knights are changing the traps and moving around the candles."

"Seven, door number seven." jumped Duncan.

Niklaus sniffed and looked broodingly again at both Dochia and Duncan. "He's jealous" thought Dochia with a surge of hope only to realize shortly after that she lost Niklaus for good. Beautiful, popular, dressed in the most becoming dresses and... hating puzzles, Erzsbet was everything she wasn't.

Her heart sunk but she pushed her thoughts back, as the three men's eyes were aimed at her.

"Duncan is right, if the candelabrum is the puzzle, we only have to try door number seven. I am quite sure, as the numbers are falling together too nicely to be the result of chance."

Niklaus pushed strongly the stone filled trunk toward the door, and it rolled smoothly hitting the door with a low thud. The rest of the party started on the clear path it left on the floor when Duncan put his hand on Dochia's arm:

"I... We will go first my lady. Once we are through the door you might follow us. "

A strong compulsion made Dochia look into his eyes and put a soft kiss on his lips. It was as well she couldn't see the white knuckles on Duncan's side. He attempted a smile and answered somewhat strained:

"You honor me, my lady."

"You put to shame higher-born knights, Sir. I don't believe a word of what Peter said about you and Erzsbet."

Duncan's inscrutable face unraveled, his red beard being unable to hide the red creeping up his cheeks.

Dochia blanched while Duncan made a turn and swiftly headed to the door to both avoid further embarrassment and make sure the path was safe for her.

"You big oaf, pigheaded idiot, now she'll never..." Duncan chastised himself striding to the door while Dochia sighed deeply:

"Men..."