<strong>Darius</strong><br/><br/>He stood beside her, not willing to let his princess closer to that ominious door than he but not wishing to be near it at all.  He was not a man given to casual fear, but this place made his blood run cold.<br/><br/>When Aurora lifted her hand, Darius turned and reached, almost grabbing her wrist before he stopped himself.  "No... Don't..." he gasped.  But he was too late.  The door, enspelled long ago, responded to her power and her blood and with only a faint grinding parted and spilled unnatural white light into the hallway.  Cobwebs stirred, the and the dust was thick on what lay within.<br/><br/>Darius saw the twisted altar that was the centerpiece of the Black Chamber and fell to his knees, making signs against evil over his heart. "By the light of the Sun and Moon, this place is evil my princess.  You must not enter."<br/><br/><strong>Balthazar</strong><br/><br/>He moved slowly, enjoying the sight of Sophie's body as she crawled into the chamber.  And as he entered behind her, the doors swung shut.<br/><br/>"Only one of royal blood may command the doors," he said as he moved towards one of the many doors and opened it to reveal a large room.  He looked back and waved for her.  "Come along slave, I have a game for you."<br/><br/>Inside were many shelves for torture impliments and the odd tables and racks to secure a victim for their use.  "Inside," Balthazar said softly as he pulled her into the room and over to a simple pair of wooden braces with a bar between them.  He lifted the bar from it's current set of holding pegs and set it higher, almost out of her reach.  "Take hold of that bar," he ordered her, "Grab it and hold onto it as if your life depended on it."