The cauldron of bats swarmed past. Their cries hurt his ears, but at least his unlikely companion seemed to be resistant to noise, as she broke another cardinal rule of Mappers, and moved to close the door.

Most of the places in the Stable had no true doors. Storage rooms had sliding doors, stalls had stall doors, and the rare saloon had strange doors that swung open both ways and only blocked the middle of the doorway.

Few rooms, however, actually had proper, locking doors. And when doors closed in the Stable, where rooms moved and the path was always changing, almost anything could happen.

But the force of that being that caused the bats to flee was drawing closer.

So Kenton broke another of the Mappers' Rules: Don't close doors unless you really, really need to. The actual wisdom was set to rhyme, but in this moment, with thousands of bats so vicious that even a few were considered deadly, running from something even worse, Kenton didn't waste time and joined Shelby's efforts.

Together, as the weight of the monster outside came closer, they closed the door, an echo resounding throughout the Eastern Red Room.

"Young'un, I thought you said running from danger doesn't work for you." Kenton chided, feeling his age. He'd worked in the Stable for 137 years, and his joints could tell him when the different rooms moved some days.

"I didn't run away. You did. I just tagged along. Besides...that doesn't count." She laughed merrily, leaning against the door, as if to hold it shut against the approaching...thing. "Was that a Cold One?"

Not surprised by her knowing of something few even dared spoke of, Kenton joined her by similarly leaning against the door. He laughed himself, a deep chuckle from his body. "No. It wasn't." the bitter taste in his mouth made him pause, "We'd be dead if that was a Cold One."

"Noted."

The feeling of bats moving outside diminished, but whether it was from the absence of the bats, the unknown danger, or that the hall itself had moved.

"Oh." Said the girl beside him. "Oh wow." She stood.

Kenton turned his face and looked at the Eastern Red Room.

The Eastern Red Room was a massive. In the shadowy darkness of night, the floors were still a glossy maroon jasper. Kenton carefully did not touch the walls made of cinnabar and a red marble, fearing to dirty it. The lighting fixtures were amaranth red, and the light they gave off was just slightly rose tinted.

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There were furnishings too, that Kenton had equally been afraid to ever dirty. A room as regal as the Eastern Red Room clearly once had a very important purpose. And when dealing with the High Fae, it would not surprise Kenton if there were still those who valued the original purpose of this room, regardless of how long it was out of service. If not for the Stablemaster's wife, Kenton wouldn't even know the names of all the materials used, least of all that the different shades of red bore such fancy names such as vermilion, crimson, and scarlet.

Shelby stepped carefully onto the glossy maroon jasper floor, frowning contemplatively as she went forward. She reached and touched on of the many pillars of red jade.

"There are thirteen columns." she said. "That's an odd number to use to build a room like this."

Kenton had never counted the pillars. He had rarely had much business with this part of the Stable.

"Why are some pillars different from others?" She asked him.

Kenton let his silence be his answer. He didn't know.

Kenton considered opening the door and leaving. The closer to midnight, the more dangerous. By his watch, it was only 10:30, but it was still much closer to the dreaded turn of the day than he liked. There were few rooms it was safe to remain in the Stable overnight, and none unless for official stable business.

"Why are some hot?" She asked him.

"What?"

Shelby was touching the different pillars with her non-gloved hand. She then made an adjustment for her other hand, adjusting a dial on her glove. Strange that she was carefully not touching things with it. Kenton thought gloves were for...touching things one didn't want their skin to touch.

Kenton, despite his good sense, joined her again and touched the pillar.

It was slightly warm to the touch. Kenton went to another, and found it cold. Kenton continued, now engaged in solving this mystery. The Eastern Red Room was shaped almost like a triangle. One door in the middle of the base, and one directly across from it to the triangle point. It was such a large room that he had never wondered about it. There were infinite mysteries in the Stable. Why chase one down?

But it was the Stable that brought them here. Besides, this was much lesser daunting than his previous adventure. His back still hurt from all that jumping from platform to platform, not to mention when that brat Griffin had gripped him too tightly around his shoulder. Not that he wasn't grateful that she caught him, but since everything that happened was ultimately Cinnamon Girl's fault, he still felt she should bear some form of blame.

"Nine are warm, and four are cold." he said, at last.

"Why?" She said again, thinking. Kenton finally realized she was not asking him, but just voicing her questions aloud. She went up to the door that would lead to the Owl room, except Kenton belatedly realized that that door was closed. And Kenton hadn't recalled that doorway even having a door.

"Is this even where the Stable was leading us?" Kenton asked.

She pulled one of the very ornamental chairs and dragged it across the room. The sound was loud and echoing, pulling it out. "One of these pillars is not like the others." She said, at last. "Do you see it?"

"No."

"How much do you know about buildings? How they are made, what the builder meant? Symbolism?"

"I've worked here for over 137 years."

She stopped moving the chair and stared at him.

"How long is a year?" She asked him. "Can you tell me that in days and hours?"