They walk across the flagstones, in a warm sort of quiet. Tarsal purrs, nestled in the folds at the top of Joly's backpack. Other than that, there is no sound.
Perhaps it should be eerie, but it isn't. It's perfectly comfortable.
They walk. Combeferre isn't sure for how long. And then an oval of space before them begins to sparkle, with glints of gold and purple.
He touches Joly's arm, and points at the oval.
The gold and the purple get brighter, stronger, and suddenly there's a flash, and then...
...a sphinx.
A sphinx, with shimmering coppery fur, and a man's head, with dark skin, as dark as Joly's or darker still, and thick hair of a deep bronze color. Its eyes are dark--not black, not brown, somewhere between purple and blue. It does not blink.
"Greetings, trespassers," says the sphinx.
Not the most welcoming start. Combeferre glances at Joly, and steps just slightly in front of him.
(The barricade is still very fresh in Combeferre's mind. He is protective, if not actually any more physically capable of fighting off a Sphinx than Joly).
"Greetings," Combeferre returns, carefully keeping his voice even. "We do not wish to trespass. We are simply looking for our friends, who are lost."
"You are trespassing nonetheless," says the sphinx. "But answer my questions, and I may let you pass."
Combeferre is, somehow, shocked. This is exactly what sphinxes are supposed to do, of course, but it's still very strange to see one doing it.
"Very well, ask your question, monsieur."
He half expects the riddle from Oedipus Rex, but it's nothing like that at all.
The sphinx clears its throat, and portentously declaims: "What goes into the water red, and comes out black?"
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They walk across the flagstones, in a warm sort of quiet. Tarsal purrs, nestled in the folds at the top of Joly's backpack. Other than that, there is no sound.
Perhaps it should be eerie, but it isn't. It's perfectly comfortable.
They walk. Combeferre isn't sure for how long. And then an oval of space before them begins to sparkle, with glints of gold and purple.
He touches Joly's arm, and points at the oval.
The gold and the purple get brighter, stronger, and suddenly there's a flash, and then...
...a sphinx.
A sphinx, with shimmering coppery fur, and a man's head, with dark skin, as dark as Joly's or darker still, and thick hair of a deep bronze color. Its eyes are dark--not black, not brown, somewhere between purple and blue. It does not blink.
"Greetings, trespassers," says the sphinx.
Not the most welcoming start. Combeferre glances at Joly, and steps just slightly in front of him.
(The barricade is still very fresh in Combeferre's mind. He is protective, if not actually any more physically capable of fighting off a Sphinx than Joly).
"Greetings," Combeferre returns, carefully keeping his voice even. "We do not wish to trespass. We are simply looking for our friends, who are lost."
"You are trespassing nonetheless," says the sphinx. "But answer my questions, and I may let you pass."
Combeferre is, somehow, shocked. This is exactly what sphinxes are supposed to do, of course, but it's still very strange to see one doing it.
"Very well, ask your question, monsieur."
He half expects the riddle from Oedipus Rex, but it's nothing like that at all.
The sphinx clears its throat, and portentously declaims: "What goes into the water red, and comes out black?"