Chapter 58 - The Third Chamber Opens
The elderly man led them through another steel door hidden behind the office library.
A narrow corridor stretched into darkness.
Unlike the previous tunnels, this one had unfinished stone walls.
Natural rock surrounded them.
After nearly two hundred feet, the passage widened into a circular chamber.
No furniture.
No filing cabinets.
Only seven heavy wooden chairs arranged around a stone table.
Daniel immediately recognized them.
"The photograph."
The old man nodded.
"This is where it was taken."
Each chair carried a small brass plaque.
One by one Daniel read the engraved names.
Most had faded beyond recognition.
One remained perfectly clear.
Victor Hayes
Another...
Eleanor Marsh
A third plaque had been removed entirely.
Only fresh screw marks remained.
Daniel reached the final chair.
Instead of a name, it carried only two words.
Reserved
"For who?" Lily asked softly.
The old man looked directly at Daniel.
"No one knew."
"They only believed..."
"...one day a Carter would sit there."
Samuel examined the stone table.
Its surface contained hundreds of carved lines.
Maps.
Measurements.
Coordinates.
Then Lily noticed something everyone else had missed.
A shallow circular indentation rested at the exact center.
She removed the modified compass from her pocket.
Without speaking, she placed it inside.
The compass fit perfectly.
Deep within the stone...
May you like
Ancient gears slowly began turning.
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