A Beacon in the Dark

My serpent staff tapped against the dark mahogany sideboard as evening shadows claimed the lower hall. Looming before me stood a heavy lead-crystal decanter, its faceted glass stopper trapping the amber spill from the corridor below. Reaching out with my clawed fingers, I gripped the cold, multi-angled crown and twisted it with slow, deliberate force. The heavy crystal ground smoothly against the frosted neck, pivoting until each geometric pane caught the faint illumination and cast a sharp, fractured spear of amber light across the floorboards. I watched the radiant crimson and gold streak mark the dark threshold. Let the night advance; no one crosses this expanse unobserved.