With a flip of a switch, the water in the lake began to move. Slowly at first, and then more steadily. Before long, the entire lake was churning with waves. ‘Sometimes Ludwig wasn’t satisfied with calm waters, so his designers installed a wave machine. This way, when his servants rowed him around the lake, he felt he was facing the elements.’
Payne laughed in amazement. ‘Un-friggin-believable!’
She called out from the control panel. ‘I thought you’d like that, but believe me, the best part is yet to come. If you don’t mind, do me a favour and take a few steps forward on the path. I want you to have the best view for the finale.’
Payne moved forward until she was satisfied.
‘Okay, that’s perfect! Prepare to be shocked.’
He glanced round the grotto, wondering what was going to happen next. All of a sudden, he heard a soft rumble coming from the walls themselves. He glanced up and spotted a large opening in the rock face above him. The outer surface of the hole was glowing red while the interior was light blue. Over the years, Payne had been involved in enough practical jokes to sense when one was being pulled on him. Luckily, he stepped aside a split-second before water came roaring out of the spout, or else he would have been drenched by Ludwig’s waterfall.
‘Shoot!’ she yelled from her position behind the boulder. ‘I almost got you!’
He stuck his hand into the water, imagining how cold it would have felt on his back. ‘You’re lucky you didn’t. Otherwise, you would have gone for a little swim.’
She laughed as she headed his way. ‘That’s not nice.’
‘Neither is luring someone under Niagara Falls.’
She playfully punched his arm. ‘Oh, please! You can hear the water coming from a mile away. I didn’t think it would actually get you.’
He stared at her. ‘But you were hoping it did.’
She giggled softly. ‘Maybe.’
Jones listened to their banter and rolled his eyes. He didn’t have the tolerance to listen to their flirting. ‘Sorry to bust up your honeymoon, but didn’t you say something about swans?’
‘Swans?’ she asked.
‘You know, the riddle. The reason we’re here.’
‘The riddle!’ she exclaimed. ‘Yes, of course, how silly of me! It’s been a while since I’ve given a tour through the grotto. I guess I got caught up in the excitement.’
Payne reassured her with a smile. ‘Don’t worry about it.’
Heidi took a moment to gather her thoughts, then pointed at a golden cockleshell boat that was near a colourful mural which had been painted in a large alcove at the far end of the lake. The mural depicted a scene from Richard Wagner’s opera Tannhauser, one of Ludwig’s favourites, and looked as though it belonged in a museum, not an artificial cave. As the group walked closer to the painting, Heidi hustled over to the control panel and turned off the wave machine. Although it was an impressive special effect, it was rarely used during regular tours because the ‘fake’ waves eroded the artificial environment like ‘real’ waves on a beach. Then she turned off the waterfall, so they wouldn’t have to shout above the roaring water.
‘How much do you know about Lohengrin?’ she asked.
Ulster answered for the group. ‘I know enough to fill a notebook, whereas they know the basics. I filled them in only yesterday.’
Payne glanced at him. ‘You did? You better refresh my memory.’
Ulster nodded. ‘Lohengrin was the son of Percival, one of the Knights of the Round Table. He was sent to rescue a maiden in a far off land. Wagner wrote an opera about him.’
Payne had a blank look on his face. ‘Go on.’
‘He made the journey in a cockleshell boat pulled by a magical swan.’
Jones laughed at the description. ‘I remember that! Ludwig used to dress up in his costume and prance around the halls of his castle.’
Payne finally remembered. ‘The Swan Knight.’
‘Yes!’ Ulster exclaimed. ‘Ludwig was obsessed with him, which is why Ludwig is often called the Swan King. If you remember, Ludwig even sealed his mysterious correspondence with a black swan. Hence, the black swan letters.’
Jones grinned. ‘Ludwig going rogue.’
‘Actually,’ Heidi said, ‘if you believe the rumours, that’s exactly what Ludwig did. He went rogue. Having bankrupted his personal fortune building places like this, he was forced to turn to outside sources to maintain his standard of living. The money he collected would have been the source of his mythical treasure.’
Payne nodded. ‘Which leads us to the riddle.’
Heidi pointed at the elaborate boat. It was elevated just above the waterline by a discreet metal stand to keep it in good shape. Painted gold and shaped like a giant cockleshell, the boat featured carved fish near its base, wooden doves attached to the back of the shell and several strings of dried flowers draped from its edges. Inside was a small padded bench and a single back pillow covered in red velvet. Two wooden oars were affixed to their stands.
She asked, ‘What’s wrong with this boat?’
‘Too many things to name,’ Jones cracked.
‘I meant in terms of Ludwig.’
Jones smiled. ‘In that case, not much. It fits him perfectly.’
‘I would agree with you, except for one tiny detail. Do you see it?’
Payne, Jones, and Ulster stared at the antique boat, trying to figure out what she was alluding to. At first glance, the boat seemed to fit Ludwig’s lifestyle. It was ornate, whimsical and somehow innocent – like something out of a child’s dream. Even the carved figurehead, a naked cupid shooting his bow, seemed appropriate for a man of his ilk.
Sensing their confusion, Heidi gave them a hint to speed up their search. ‘Think about the boat in terms of the riddle. Where would a swan go on his journey home?’
A few seconds later, Payne figured it out.
56
Payne grinned with pride when he solved the riddle. ‘That’s really clever.’
‘What’s really clever?’ Jones asked.
‘The riddle. We were thinking about it all wrong.’
‘Wait! You figured it out?’
Payne nodded. ‘Yep, I figured it out.’
Jones turned towards him. ‘Well?’
‘Well, what? Figure it out for yourself.’
Jones shook his head. ‘You’re so full of shit! You don’t know the answer.’