As Alicia leaned forward she felt her hair going wildly and felt suddenly dizzy.  It was like her brain, and hair, couldn't decide which way was down and which way was up.  The longer she held her head there the worse it got.<br/><br/>Belgana easily found a small latch that caused the secret door to slide open.  It revealed, at her feet like a pit, a pool of dark water as flat and still as a pane of glass.  As she stared at the pool she suddenly saw a woman's face, attractive and young, her hair gold, her eyes wide and her mouth opened wide in agony or ecstasy, suddenly approach the surface before vanishing back down.  The face never broke the surface and there was not the slightly disturbance of the water.  It remain flat and still.  Likewise, she had failed to notice any bubbles or other signs the woman was breathing.  Still, she had looked healthy and alive.<br/><br/>The sound from the depths of the hallway/pit had shifted.  It was the same sound over and over.  A thump, followed by a slithering hiss.  It grew louder, but still wasn't visible to any of those present.