Chapter 6: The Fiery Lake



When I woke I was no longer in that room but in another, a small homely
room where I was laid on a bed, the room being located, as I found out
later, not too far from the Hall of Meeting. Though the depth of the
fortress prevented me from knowing the time, it felt to be early
afternoon by that strange internal clock that so seldom errs. It was
correct, as usual. There was a quaint fireplace on the far wall of the
room with a small, unadorned and unpretentious mantle, decorated like
the rest of the fortress in a practical and experienced way, finding
just the right flavor between the ornate, the practical, and the quaint,
and avoiding all the while the clutter brought by superfluous material
possessions. A table in the center of the room was furnished with a
steaming meal, beside which sat my new friend Bernibus, smiling on me
with a benevolent and almost paternal affection.

"Good morning, Jehu," he said, "Or should I say afternoon, for the
morning has quite passed by already."

"Yes, and it has left in me a great appetite, my good man."

"As is shown clearly in your eyes," he jested, "Come and eat."

Needing no further urging, I leapt from my bed, sat down across from him
at the table, and began partaking greedily of the hearty breakfast of
hash browns and pancakes, which were pleasing to my mouth and stomach,