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following him might be worthless. But the young man doesn’t try to turn around at all. Instead, he pressed his hand into the wall, feeling for something. You move closer, hoping to see what he's doing. He pressed on one of the bricks, and the wall swung open. Counting, you keep in mind which brick it was. The eighth one up from the ground and the fourth in from the left. Eight four, something pretty easy to remember. Maybe this hidden door is in your library, too.
It takes you a minute to remember you're following someone. The man, having successfully opened the wall, climbs a set of spiral stairs. Staring at them, you realize that the stairs are just slabs of wood protruding from between the bricks. Not concerning at all. As you climb after your young guide, you make a point of carefully not stepping on the thirteenth slab. While the stairs seem sturdy enough, there's no reason to risk anything, right? The man doesn’t seem concerned, walking on every step without an ounce of fear. At least, that’s how it looks to you. When it seems like you are finally at the top of the stairs, the candle he's holding goes out.
You pause, waiting for your eyes to adjust. Loudly, the man trips without falling (thank the dragons), but he drops his metal candlestick. It thuds all the way to the bottom, which sounds pretty far away. You're glad the
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