### 338

You insert the Copper Key into the lockplate and twist it anticlockwise. The mortise is stiff but the key fits and the lock opens with a loud click. Carefully you push open the door and enter a broad hall constructed entirely from black marble slabs. A strange amber light illuminates the upper walls and domed ceiling, cast by a dozen gold cressets fixed into the walls. Two large pedestals stand near the centre of the hall, each one topped by a horned skull. As you approach these pedestals, you hear the door slam shut behind you. Instinctively you spin around and you see that there is no lockplate on the inside of the door. Its black surface is entirely smooth, blending seamlessly with the sombre marble walls.

To continue, turn to 250.