The house was completely bare, and a thin film of dust covered the walls and empty shelves, as if no one had lived in it for years. Nevertheless, the interior -sans furniture- was in excellent repair. It soon became obvious to Mericlou by the low ceiling and smaller-than-average size of the doors that it had been meant for people who were very short and small.
"Why are we here?" Mericlou asked, as nervousness was beginning to subsume her curiosity.
Aldrec flashed a comforting smile, but with no more words besides "Come along" as he beckoned for her to follow behind. He continued at a brisk pace deeper into the house, through several consecutive rooms.
Mericlou, unsure and now slightly afraid, followed Aldrec closely as he led her into a room that was larger than the others, but also empty but it looked as though one of the walls had been removed, exposing the bare stone face of the mountain.
Aldrec approached the stone wall.
"Rirvuoced."
At his word, the stone faded away as if it were no more real than a dream, and revealed a wide, gaping cavern. In the magical light, Mericlou could see that it was not just a roughhewn cave opening; it was a perfect trapezoid with a series of glyphs that she did not recognize carved upon its lintel and angled posts.
Mericlou started to investigate, but Aldrec gestured sternly for her to stay back. He then moved forward, and touched his hand upon the first of the glyphs on its left post. He brought his face closely to it, and whispered something that even her keen sense of hearing could not decipher.
Instantly, the glyphs came alive, sparking into a soft glow, as if ignited by the very breath from Aldrec's lips. And as they lit, Mericlou could see the light reveal heretofore unseen details. The script had not been made up of individual symbols, but instead, each glyph was connected to another, linking together to form a flowing cursive script, as if it were one indescribably long word.
Mericlou remained entranced as the light from the symbols flowed from one to another, and then curved inwards, spreading outward and downward through the cave, forming an massive, intricate web of previously unseen symbols etched into the cave wall and ceiling.
Aldrec then approached the entrance, and reached out his hand. "It's okay now," said. "I've told the doorway to recognize you. What I want to show you is right through the cave."
"Are … are you sure it's safe?" Mericlou asked, visibly apprehensive. She swallowed against a dry throat. She had seen many types of magic, but these glyphs were unlike anything she had ever heard of, and they were completely unlike any kind of magic that elves used.