| 170 The trap you have activated is an impaler, one of the cruelest killing mechanisms devised by the Horde. The ground about you erupts and splinters as huge metal spikes force their way up through the floor at your feet. Acting instinctively you jump for safety, leaping for the only unbroken floor space you see at the base of the far wall. Landing heavily in the corner you roll up against the wall, and fight desperately to avoid being tossed back into the deadly forest of spikes by the wildly disintegrating floor stones. Sweat streams down your face as you try to maintain your balance, the sound of rending, crushing stone a deafening crescendo. The room is filled with choking dust. After an eternity of noise, sound and lethal danger the room falls silent. A multitude of deadly spikes now block any exit you have to the King's Hall. You are alive but you are trapped. Waiting in the hidden recess of your corner you are alerted to the sound of voices approaching. From some distance you can hear the running feet of a group of heavily armed Hresh. In the darkness you can see only the green eyes of a Hresh patrol surveying the mess that was the anteroom. Trying not to breathe, you huddle against the nearest of the spikes hoping you will not be noticed. After a number of sharp exchanges between the soldiers and a round of laughter they continue on their patrol, sure in the knowledge that whoever sprung the trap is now dead. Your breathing returns as the Hordim disappear back into the inky darkness of a side passage to the south. Searching the wall nearest to the north face of the stone you reach out and take one of the torches that has remained undamaged. You listen intently for a moment for any hint of the Hordim and then, as sure as you can be that they have gone, you light the torch and survey your surroundings. The spikes have certainly blocked any exit from the room, only the narrow strip of unbroken stone upon which you stand still survives. In the flickering light of the torch you notice a slight projection in the tapestry hanging from the northern wall about 4 metres from your position. You will be able to reach it. Upon closer inspection you find that the projection is a small metal lever hidden behind the heavy cloth. It is connected to a mechanism buried in the wall. The Dwarvendim word for "garbage" is neatly inscribed above the lever. With nowhere else to go you decide to pull it.
| Turn to section 9.
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