Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign - By Phillip Jones Page 0,18

furrowed. “History is how.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, some of us read,” Sam rebutted. “I should’ve read about a place like this. How could I not know about these paintings? They’re too glorious to ignore. They must be historically catalogued somewhere. Besides, numbers stick with me. I would remember a building with dimensions this grand.”

Sam’s mind changed course. “Let’s look around. Maybe I’ll see something that will jog my memory.” Sam poked the side of his head with his finger. “I can’t fathom not having a record of it up here.”

George placed his fist over his mouth and coughed, “Bull crap,” he slurred.

Shalee grinned as George continued. “Sure, whatever you say, Encyclopedia Brown. Let me know when the marbles settle. I’m sure I’ll still be here.”

Sam glared at George and then took control, leading the group to the right side of the hall and stopping beyond the pillars. All the way down this side, about every 100 feet or so, there was another set of golden doors resembling the ones closest to them when they woke.

Sam counted eight sets of doors and then did the math. “This place must be at least 1,000 feet long. Imagine the money it took to build it.” As always, his mind raced ahead as he processed everything at once—the fear of the situation, two strangers dressed so differently, the cost to build such an expansive hall—and he managed to complete his assessment without missing a beat.

Shalee directed her eyes back to the ceiling and called upon her training as an architect. She spoke to Sam and George as if she was addressing her colleagues at work. “You’re right, Sam. This place must’ve cost a pretty penny.” She pointed to the far wall. “Take a look at the vertical emphasis. It’s breathtaking. The look and feel is characteristically enhanced by both the architectural features and the decor of the structure. I just love the sweeping flow of how the walls merge into the cathedral ceiling. I dare say it feels a bit Gothic. It’s like a dash of Heaven and a smidge of Hell all rolled into one. I’ve never seen anything like it. It kind of gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

Sam looked at George and then back at Shalee. “Wow, that was a nice assessment, Shalee.”

George shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Whatever.”

Sam frowned and then issued a command. “George, go check out the other side of the hall.”

George sized Sam up as if he was going to object, but instead, he thought better of it. He bit his lip and then did as he was told. Who in the hell is he to order me around? What kind of garbage is that? He looked back over his shoulder at Sam. Hmpf, just be a team player for now. There’s a time and place for everything, Georgie boy. No sense getting into an argument over stupid stuff. Besides, the clown seems pretty smart. Maybe I can learn something.

When George reached the other side of the hallway, he noticed there were more doors on this side. In the middle of this stretch, there was a statue tucked behind two pillars, though it was not visible to Sam or Shalee. The statue was in front of yet another set of doors, but they were much larger than the others. He could not see their full detail from his current position, but he could see they were different.

George called out, “There’s a statue! It might be worth a look! Maybe the doors behind it is a way out of this joint!”

“Let’s check it out,” Sam responded. He took the lead and headed in that direction with George in tow.

“Where y’all going?” Shalee shouted. She crossed her arms and planted her feet. “I’m not moving from this spot. We have no idea what’s beyond any of these doors. We should stay right here.”

As if the boys shared the same brain, both men replied, “Suit yourself.”

Shalee was flabbergasted. After a minute of standing alone, she ran to catch up. “Wait y’all! You can’t just leave a lady standing in the middle of nowhere! I look cute in these PJs! You don’t find bunny slippers this fab every day, you know. What if some crazy person saw me and got a naughty idea?”

George thought to himself as he watched Shalee approach. Some guy has already got a naughty idea. No worries about that.

Sam chided, “I was wondering how long it would take before you caught up. I would hate to go on without you.