Black Glass

Fred tried to squeeze Melissa's cuff and open it, but it stayed fast. The king squeezed the cuff and it sprung open. Then the king squeezed again, and the cuff locked again.

Fred picked up one of Melissa's trainers and examined it. He ran his fingers across the sole and flexed it. "Sir, this shoe is peculiar. The uppers are cloth, like a slipper. The sole is like nothing I have ever seen. If it is leather, it is specially made." Fred looked at the tread on the trainer's sole. "There is a pattern on it like it came from some exotic animal. It is thick, but it bends easily and it is much lighter than normal leather."

"That is in line with what I have heard second hand from you and the dragon. Different animals where she lives, different ways of making shoes. Go ahead and put her shoes back on. Caves get chilly and damp, and we don't want her to get sick. Hm! I think that I see something over there."

As Fred was putting the trainers back on Melissa's feet, the king walked over and picked up a piece of black glass. "I have heard about these, but this is outstanding! Obsidian. Natural black glass. You mentioned that there are lava flows here - so this makes perfect sense." The king ran his fingers across it. "Obsidian itself is not precious, but the form this takes is noteworthy. It is perfectly flat. On both sides. Its shape is very regular, like a window pane, but if so, it is crazily well cast. There may be something more to this than meets the eye. It would please me to add it to the royal collection. It is not heavy at all. I could carry this easily, but I wonder if there some place I can store this when we are ready to explore?

And so the king found Melissa's powered off phone without realizing what it was. Melissa had either been holding it, it was on her person, or it was near enough to her that it was swept up in the operation.

1. Further investigation of the room revealed some other important information.
2. Melissa stirred and shivered.

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