Archbishop Mayne stepped across the annular stairs and walked down towards the underground.
The staircase, with a depth of at least of four times that of the cathedral's highest tower and a diameter of about 20 feet, was built in a natural doline and led directly into a strategically-positioned and spacious castle. The beginning of the staircase was well lit by skylight pathing through the windows of the high dome above, giving the twisting and turning stone walls an icy color.
As the archbishop descended, the speckles darkened and merged with the stone surface. Yet the center of the sinkhole reflected a faint blue light. The deeper it went, the brighter the light grew. Even if one was without a torch, there would be no difficulty in seeing things.
The stairs were like a little snake that wound around the sinkhole and snuggled up to the stone surface.