Heliotroph

Nathan turned to shut the door as he and Melinanatha entered the chamber. Like everything else in the castle, the door was over-sized relative to him. Nathan pushed it with one hand and then two. The thick, massive wooden frame creaked and moved slightly - possibly an inch. Melinanatha giggled. The pit in Nathan's stomach widened. He pressed his shoulder against the door, dug his heels into the stone floor and finally managed to close it. He then turned and regarded Melinanatha with a smile that felt horribly false. He paused for a moment to look around. The chamber was fifty to sixty feet in width and length and had a low, vaulted ceiling. The walls were finished stone and mortar. A small yet elegant square table stood in the middle of the room with four padded chairs situated at each side. A wooden cabinet decorated with intricate whorl carvings stood against the wall opposite the door. Plates, glassware and other assorted crockery lined the cabinet's shelves. Nathan