Alexander
“Been a while since this entrance has been used,” I mumbled, sliding my fingers along the mortared seams of the ancient brick fireplace. After a few seconds of feeling around, I recognized the right spot by touch and took a knee in front of it. Yes, there it was— just enough space carved into the mortar that I could grip the front edges of one of the bricks, and pull on it…
The loose brick came forward about an inch, but that was as far as it would go. When I met resistance I released the brick and it slid right back into its place. I heard movement from within the wall to the left of the fireplace a couple seconds later, and then finally a large wooden wall panel began to creak open, sloughing a thick layer of dust off its top edge as it pivoted forward into the room.
Brig
