"Well, go on!"
The farthest man took a step and the tile held for a moment and then abruptly flipped. The man fell through it as he tried to catch himself, but his head banged off a floor slab.
He fell unconscious into the depths below the floor. The last man, with a panicked cry ran back toward us and on his third step a floor slab he'd already walked on before, unexpectedly flipped and he fell. He tried grabbing onto the slick marble but it was too slippery and with one last horror stricken glance at us, he fell screaming into the abyss.
Heinrich turned to me and backhanded me across the face. "Why didn't you tell me the floor was rigged?"
"Because I was hoping you would be fool enough to step out on it!" I fired back. "Only a Candace may approach the throne of Sheba!" I reiterated.
He pulled a pistol and pressed the muzzle to my temple. He was furious, any angrier and he'd be frothing at the mouth. He moved the pistol away to take aim on Flint.
"Can the floor be fixed?"
"Yes, it can but only from the other side."
"Then go fix it and if you betray me again, your lover will pay the penalty most severally!"
I turned from him, as he let my arm go, and approached the dividing chain. I picked up the golden chain and jerked hard on the left side wall anchor. The entire grid of marble floor tiles flipped and stood on end. I jerked hard on the right wall anchor. Nothing happened for a moment, but then the sound of rushing air flooded into the chamber, from where it was being captured by the use of funnels located on the African plain above.
The sound increased to a blaring roar. An air gate flipped and the air was dispersed through different flute like channels throughout the room and a lilting mysterious melody of musical notes began to play. The melody was an old one.
It was said that Solomon himself had composed it for the Queen of Sheba. Its name was simply 'The Queen's Dance' and I had hoped to never have to dance it for real. The old Candace had never let me attempt it for real, but she had laid out a pattern on the floor and had made me practice it over and over.
I was grateful for that repetition now, as I listened for the key lilting high notes, as the fluted melody filled the cavern with an ancient rhythm. What I was about to attempt was by no means easy.