Part II: The Secret Shrine
Annie rapped at the wooden door rhythmically, giving the secret knock as the other three escapees waited nervously on the short stairway leading down to the cellar door. The door opened a fraction, revealing a segment of an old woman’s face in darkness. “Yes?” she asked mildly.
“Four lost souls, seeking the guiding Light,” Annie said carefully.
The old woman smiled in recognition. “Seek the Light within,” she said, and opened the door, taking Annie’s lantern as she did so. Lifting it high, she revealed a brick cellar with large casks lining the walls, a tap at the bottom of each. The old woman hung the lantern on a hook protruding from a ceiling beam, and waved the hesitant group inside.
The woman lead them over to one cask, seemingly identical to the rest, and bending down, turned the tap to the side as if it were a doorknob. Then with a tug and a little grunt of effort, she pulled open the whole front of the cask, which swung wide on hidden hinges like a great circular door.