Since they were first brought here to this dark cold place, the daily routine has been just that, routine. Three meals a day, a new slops bucket twice a day and the continual appearances by those strange little creatures who like so much to stare at them. Only once had the routine ever changed.
A man had grown sick. Tinok didn’t know the man and he was being kept in the cell adjacent to his, but one day the man started coughing. Nothing serious, just a cough every now and then. Perhaps it was due to the cold, the inactivity, or something else, but the cough progressively worsened over the course of two sleep periods. With no way to tell time, Tinok has grown to judge it by the times when he sleeps.
After the second sleep period, one of the cowled figures appeared and moved to the cell containing the sick man. The cowled figure then opened the cell and entered. Moving across to where the man was lying on the cold stone floor, it stopped next to him.
A hand, rather emaciated with the skin tightly stretched around the bones beneath, emerges from the robe’s sleeve. A small flask is gripped by the hand and is brought forward to the man. The poor guy is now trying in vain to scoot away but another hand emerges from the other sleeve and grabs him.
The man panics and his coughing fit increases badly as he struggles against the hand holding him still. Then a word is uttered by the cowled figure and the man suddenly grows quiet and still. Once he’s completely quieted down, the hand holding the flask put it to the man’s mouth and poured its contents between his lips. Unable to do otherwise, the man swallowed the liquid.
Standing up, the cowled figure turned toward the door and left. During this time, not a single prisoner within the cell the cowled figure entered tried to escape or fight. Maybe it was the feel of the place or the uncertainty that escape would even be possible, but they remained where they were.
Shortly after the door shut and the cowled figure departed, the man was able to move again. Several hours later, his cough cleared up and he felt well. Whatever that stuff was that was poured into him, it definitely cured him.
That was many sleep periods ago. And from that time to now, there was only the routine. Today however, things felt different. There was an urgency in the air that wasn’t there before. A feeling that something was going to happen and that it wasn’t going to be good.
Also, the little creatures that had been such constant companions since they first arrived, are absent. After their second meal of the day was brought and consumed, the man in armor again appears. Four of the cowled figures accompany him. They begin to open the cell doors and have those within come out.
“Man I don’t like this,” says Esix as he and Tinok, along with the others in their cell, are brought out to stand with the others.
What Tinok wouldn’t give to have his knives in his hand once again. “I don’t either,” he replies.
They’re lined up and then the warrior priest begins leading them down the passage. Going in the opposite direction than that which they did in coming here, they move along until they come to a steep stairwell leading down. The warrior priest enters the stairwell and begins descending the steps.
“Where are they taking us?” Esix asks.
“Nowhere good I’m sure,” Tinok whispers back.
What dim light there had been in the cell area is all but nonexistent as they enter the stairs. With barely enough light to see the person before them, they follow cautiously as they descend down the steps.
Moving straight down, the stairs come to an area where the wall on their right suddenly ends. Unable to see any great distance, they have the feeling that where they’ve entered is a large underground cavern. The echoes of their footfalls give them that feeling more than anything else.
When at last they come to the end of the stairs, the warrior priest turns around and begins following the wall beneath the stairs they just came down. As they continue to follow the warrior priest, fear begins to grow in their hearts. The source of the fear isn’t apparent, but Tinok can’t help but stare into the darkness of the cavern. Beyond all reason, the source of the fear comes from there.
Behind him, Tinok can hear one man beginning to pant from the fear he’s feeling. Another starts mumbling to himself. Trying to shut out the noises of the others, Tinok concentrates on placing one foot in front of the other as the fear he too is feeling works to take away his ability to function.
Then his fear suddenly spikes as a shadow passes close by. Darker than the darkness that surrounds them, this shadow draws every eye until it again disappears back into the darkness.
“Wh…wh…what was that?” stammers Esix, fear very evident in his tone.
Unable to formulate words, Tinok simply shakes his head.
The warrior priest at last reaches a cell that looks to have been dug out of the cavern’s side. Basically a hole in the wall with a line of iron bars enclosing it. The door is opened and the prisoners are ushered inside.
Once they’re all in, the door shuts and the lock clicks closed. Then the warrior priest turns and fades into the darkness as he leaves them. The four cowled figures leave with him as well. The darkness is somewhat abated by a subtle light that fills the cell area. Where the source of the light is, is anyone’s guess.
The fear they’ve all felt since first entering the cavern still remains with them. Most of the men move as far back away from the front of their cell as they can. Tinok, to his shame, is there with them. Staring out into the darkness beyond the bars of their cell, he prays.
Night has fallen and the group gathers for one last meal before they make the attempt to gain entry into the temple. The mood is somber, even Aku has picked up that something is different than it was.
“This is truly a saga of the ages,” Scar says at one point.
“What do you mean?” asks James.
“If we survive this, what a tale it will make.” He glances from one to another. Then with a grin he continues. “How Scar and Potbelly saved the world.”
Everyone grins, some actually laugh. “Perhaps another name might be appropriate seeing as how you two aren’t even in the entire tale,” says Jiron.
“I guess it would all depend on who was telling it now wouldn’t it?” Potbelly asks in all seriousness. Then his face breaks into another grin as laughter rolls forth.
“Are you going to sit on the bank of that river when this is all over?” Jiron asks James.
“Man you know it,” he replies. “I think each of us has had enough adventuring for awhile.”
“What do you mean enough?” asks Scar. “This is the most fun we’ve ever had!”
“You got that right,” pipes up Potbelly.
“So what do you plan to do?” asks Stig the pair. “Still going to get one of those hell hounds and put it in the Pits?”
“Why not?” Potbelly exclaims.
“Be the best money maker we’ve ever had,” adds Scar.
Silence falls for a moment then Jiron says, “I would just like to see Tersa again. See how her teddy bears are coming along.”
“Every woman in Cardri will be making them before long,” Shorty says.
“Perhaps,” agrees Jiron. Then he looks to Aleya who’s sitting next to him, propped up against the wall behind her chair stands her bow and a quiver now full of arrows. Jiron had managed to find a fletcher here in Zixtyn and bought her a score.
“There’s been something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time,” he says as he gazes to her.
“You have?” she asks.
“Yes,” he replies. “And if I don’t do it now I may not have a chance to later.” He takes her by the hand which begins to tremble in expectation. “Aleya, though we have only known each other such a short time…” he trials off as he has to clear his throat. He sees her nod for him to continue.
“I’m not what you could say a great catch. Not rich, never home and likely to be killed at any time, but…”
“Yes?” she asks with a catch in her throat.
“Would you be willing to be my wife?” he asks. The whole room becomes silent as everyone in the room strains to be able to hear her reply.
A single tear runs down her cheek as she nods. “Yes my dear Jiron,” she says. “I would.”
“Yes!” exclaims Stig and the others clap as the engaged couple share a kiss.
“A toast!” hollers Scar.
“Yes, a toast,” the others say as the ale in their mugs is quickly refreshed. Once everyone’s mug is filled, they turn to James who suddenly realizes he’s the one they’re looking to make the toast.
Getting to his feet, he turns to the couple and says, “Not very good at this, but here it goes.” He sees a reassuring nod from Jiron and a smile from Aleya. “To Jiron and Aleya, may the life they embark upon be filled with joy, happiness, and lots and lots of children!” At the mention of children he sees Jiron’s eye’s tighten in panic but then relaxes when he realizes there’s some time before he’ll have to worry about one of them coming into their lives.
“To Jiron and Aleya!” the others say and raise their cups.
Then Scar comes forward with two beautiful silver cups of fine workmanship. “Jiron had informed me earlier today that he planned to do this,” he explains. “So the rest of us went out and bought these as a gift.”
Potbelly comes forward with a bottle of wine. Opening it, he fills each of the cups before handing them to Aleya and Jiron. “Can’t have the first drink you two share after something like this be just ale.”
“Thank you,” Aleya says as she takes hers.
“Yes,” Jiron states. “Thank you all.” Taking his cup, he entwines his drinking arm around hers and they both drink at the same time. Cheers and applause erupt as they finish the wine to the last drop.
Setting their cups back on the table, they gaze into each other’s eyes. Then Jiron leans forward and gives her a kiss. She returns it. Her eyes close and when he breaks off the kiss, her head lolls to the side.
“Sorry my love,” he says to her as he picks up her unconscious body and carries it over to the bed. Laying her down, he turns to James and asks, “Do you think she’ll ever forgive me?”
“Only time will tell,” he says.
“Is everything ready?” Jiron asks Scar.
“As ready as can be,” he says.
Jiron gets up off the bed and then turns to Reilin, Shorty and Stig. “If you don’t see her safely back to The Ranch, I’ll personally hunt each of you down and kill you.”
Stig lays his hand on his shoulder. “Only our death is going to prevent us,” he says, “rest assured.”
Earlier that day, Jiron and James had come to the conclusion that where they are going, it would be pure folly to take Aleya and Aku along. Reilin, Stig, and Shorty agreed to escort them back to The Ranch starting at first light. He wanted Scar and Potbelly to accompany them as well, but they would not be denied their chance to have some fun. Said they were tired of always being left behind.
“Okay then,” Jiron says. Coming back to his Aleya, he bends over and kisses her upon the forehead and moves a few errant strands of hair from out of her face. “How long will she be out?”
“Most of the night,” Brother Willim says. “The leaves of the Acriptia plant are most affective at such things.”
“We better get going,” Jiron says.
James turns to Reilin and says, “Shorty is coming with us as far as the temple complex. Should things go bad, he’ll return here and the rest of you get out of town before they come for you.”
“It won’t come to that,” he says.
“Let’s hope not,” agrees James. “But just in case…”
“I know, get out of town,” finishes Reilin.
Miko shoulders the pack containing the Book of Morcyth and Brother Willim takes his staff. When they’re ready, Jiron turns to Shorty and Stig. “Thank you for doing this for me.”
“You can pay us back by buying a round at the Squawking Goose,” Shorty tells him.
Jiron pats him on the shoulder, “I don’t know if I’ll have that much money.”
They laugh, a nervous, sad laugh.
“Come on,” he says and heads for the door. Just before he leaves he glances back one more time to his betrothed lying on the bed. “This really is for the best,” he says to himself. Then he leaves the room.
James follows right on his heels with Brother Willim and Miko coming next. After them follows Scar, Potbelly and Shorty. The rest remain within the room.
Down in the darkened street, James glances up to where the dark moon must be rising. The hackles on the back of his neck rise as a shiver runs through him. With Jiron in the lead, they make their way across town until the temple complex comes into sight. Earlier he located a deserted building where they could hide until the time came to make their play.
Once they’ve all entered the building and the door is closed, he moves to the window giving the best view of the entrance to the temple grounds that he plans for them to take. “How are we to know when the rite begins?” he asks.
“Those of us who can sense magic will know,” Brother Willim states.
“I hope so,” he says. “I don’t want to cut this too close.”
“We won’t,” James assures him. “As soon as it begins, we go.”
Jiron nods and continues looking toward the complex. He sees the guard pass whose path takes him by the entrance every ten minutes. According to the way the other guard’s routes lay, two minutes after this guard passes by the entrance is the best time in which to go.
Four times the guard passes by the entrance before James begins to feel an increase in the prickling sensation which comes when magic is being worked nearby. He glances to Brother Willim and sees him nods. “It’s time Jiron,” he tells his friend.
“Okay,” he says from the window. “The guard will pass by again in a couple minutes, then we can move out.” They crowd around the window and look toward the entrance in the outer wall of the temple complex. A few minutes later, the guard appears. “Let’s go,” Jiron says once the guard has passed by the entrance.
“Good luck,” Shorty says before they head out.
Jiron turns to him and pats him on the shoulder. “You too,” he replies. “See you back at The Ranch.” Moving out, he leads them quickly toward the entrance to the temple grounds. This area is deserted, not even animals are present this evening. Almost as if they know something is about to happen.
Upon reaching the opening in the wall, Jiron brings them to a halt while he moves forward and enters the opening. On the far side he sees the back of the guard that had recently passed in front of the opening on his way over to between two of the smaller auxiliary buildings. Once the guard has moved between them, he waves for the others to follow and runs across the grounds. There’s only about a five or six second window before another guard makes his appearance. If they haven’t reached the side of the building directly across from the entrance by the time he does, they’ll be spotted.
No sooner does Miko, who’s the last to reach the building, presses himself against its side than the expected guard makes his appearance further to their right. Emerging from between two of the smaller buildings, he turns and walks along the face of the one to his right. Then he disappears a few seconds later as he rounds the corner and begins working his way back.
Run and wait. Once it’s clear, they run again. Step by step they make it closer to the temple’s entrance. They possibly could have done this without the diagram, but they would have left a wake of dead guards behind them. And with that many gone, it would have been almost impossible for someone not to notice.
Once they’ve made it to the corner of the building directly across from the double doors which are the temple’s entrance, Jiron gathers them close. “A guard will appear in one minute from around the left side,” he explains. “He’ll move across the front of the temple toward the left then turn and go around to the back. Once he disappears around the corner, we have less than a minute to get to those doors and through before two other guards will appear from there,” he says as he points to the building on their right, “and there,” he concludes, pointing behind them.
Waiting there for the guard to appear, James feels the prickling sensation continue to gradually increase. Whatever they are doing entails quite a bit of magic.
Finally the guard makes his appearance. Six pairs of eyes watch him as he turns and crosses in front of the temple. Then, when he reaches the corner and turns to follow the other side of the temple, Jiron says, “Now.”
Even before the guard completely disappears from sight, they are racing across to the doors. Taking the steps two at a time, Jiron reaches the top and pauses before the doors. He turns back and scans the temple grounds. Not seeing anyone else moving about, he takes the handle of the right door. Giving it a slight shove, he begins pushing the door open.
From within the murmur of voices comes to them. It sounds as if many men are chanting. Peering inside, he finds a large room with a vaulted ceiling. Lit torches line the walls at ten foot intervals giving off plenty of light. Besides the way they came in, there are four other exits leading from the room. Two are doors, both of which stand closed. The other two are the beginnings of hallways that extend further into the temple.
Not seeing anyone, they move inside quickly and close the doors.
James begins to pull out the diagram of the temple given to them by the Slavemaster but Jiron shakes his head. “I have it memorized,” he asserts.
“You sure?” asks James.
“Definitely,” replies Jiron. “We take the hallway to the right.” He points to the hallway off to their right that runs along the inside of the outer temple wall.
Glancing to the diagram, James sees that Jiron is indeed correct. “Okay, let’s go,” he says. Moving along the side of the hall, they make for the opening of the hallway. James refers back to the diagram again and sees that the first of the areas with annotations is the room at the end of this hallway.
He shows the diagram and the annotations to Jiron as they reach the hallway. Jiron nods then scans the hallway. The right side has no openings as it’s the temple’s outer wall. The left wall has two openings before they reach the end. At that point the hallway opens up onto the room with the annotations. Just what the annotations mean they have yet to decipher.
Jiron has the others move just within the hallway then wait there while he hurries forward to check the two openings on the left. He moves down to the first one and finds another corridor branching off. Fortunately it’s currently empty. At the second opening he finds a dark room, just an alcove really. Like the corridor before it, it’s empty as well. He then returns back to the branching corridor and makes sure it’s clear before signaling the others to hurry past and join him.
Then with the others following close, he moves down to the end of the hallway. The chanting they heard upon first entering the temple pervades the corridors. It doesn’t sound very close, in fact it’s hard to tell just where it is coming from. One thing’s for sure, it isn’t coming from the room ahead of them.
The room they’re approaching is well lit and they can easily see within it long before they reach it. From their vantage point within the corridor, the room looks deserted. He has the others wait while he moves to the end of the corridor. Peering into the room, he finds it empty.
It’s a room that stretches about forty feet away from the corridor and is close to thirty feet wide. The walls are plain and unadorned. Another corridor exits the room through the wall to their left. In the middle of the room sits a pedestal, roughly four foot high. Sitting upon the top of it is a statue of a bent and gnarled humanoid form. The statue stands two feet in height and its back is to Jiron so he’s unable to get a good look at the face of it from his vantage point.
Other than the corridor wherein he’s standing, the only exit from the room is the corridor to his left. There’s something about this room that bothers him, then realization hits him. He waves for the others to come forward and when they join him he points to the other corridor on the left and says, “I don’t think we are supposed to go that way.”
James brings forth the diagram and looks at it. “You’re right,” he says. “According to this there should be another way directly across from where we’re standing.” He shows the diagram to the others.
“Then that means we know what those annotations on the diagram mean now,” Miko observes. When the others look to him he clarifies, “They probably tell us how to locate and activate a secret door.”
James nods his head. “I think you’re right,” he says.
“Okay then,” Jiron says as he glances to the others. “Scar, Potbelly.” Pointing to the other corridor leading from the room he says, “You two keep an eye down that corridor over there.” As they cross the room to get into position, Jiron says to James, “I’ll keep watch here while you find that secret door and get it open.”
James nods his head. “Right.”
“Ahhh!” Miko suddenly exclaims as his knees almost buckle.
James turns to him. “What happened?” he asks concerned.
Miko turns sorrow filled eyes toward him and says, “I think they’ve begun killing the slaves Jiron saw them bring in here.” Then again he feels a life ending prematurely.
“You going to be okay?” he asks as he sees the pain again in his face.
“No,” he replies. “But what choice is there?”
To Brother Willim James says, “Stay with him.” After he receives a nod from him, he moves into the room and crosses over to where according to the map the secret door has to be. On the way over he passes by the statue and notices that it is looking directly at the place the secret door must lay.
The visage of the creature is truly demonic, even down to the two small horns sprouting from its forehead. Only giving it a cursory glance, he hurries to the wall. Once there, he begins a quick search for any loose stones or sections that might activate the triggering mechanism. After several minutes of fruitless searching, he comes to the conclusion that it must be elsewhere.
Turning back to the pedestal and statue, he gives it a quick once over. He runs his hands first over the pedestal, then when he finds nothing, turns his attention to the statue.
“Someone’s coming,” Scar says from where he’s watching the other corridor. He and Potbelly move to either side of the opening and flatten themselves against the wall.
From his vantage point in the middle of the room, James can see two of the temple guards making their way down the corridor toward the room. Moving quickly, he moves to the side of the room out of the view of the approaching guards, and quickly makes his way next to Potbelly.
Both Potbelly and Scar draw their knives and wait. The approaching footsteps grow louder as the two men draw closer. When they emerge from the corridor, Potbelly and Scar strike fast and hard. Both guards fall without a sound.
“Anyone else?” asks Jiron as he remerges from where he, Miko and Brother Willim had ducked back down the other corridor to keep from being seen.
Scar glances back down the corridor and shakes his head. “No,” he replies.
“Alright,” Jiron replies. Then to James he says, “Hurry it up.”
Nodding, James returns to the statue. He begins trying to move the various appendages of the demonic figure. He pushes and pulls the arms, head and torso. Then one of his fingers encounters a slightly loose gnarled bump on the creature’s back. “I found something,” he says.
“Don’t stand there talking about it,” Jiron says. “Get it open.”
He presses the gnarled bump but nothing happens. Another quick examination reveals two more bumps that are slightly loose, one on its stomach and another on its back. He presses all three simultaneously and is rewarded with an almost silent grinding noise as a section of the wall begins to rise into the ceiling.
James moves to the entrance and looks through. “There’s another corridor extending away,” he says, “exactly as the diagram shows.” Brother Willim and Miko move to follow him as he steps just within the new passage.
“Nice going,” Jiron praises James. Then to Scar and Potbelly he says, “Bring those two dead guards into the secret passage with you.”
“Right,” Scar says. Then he and Potbelly each take one and begin dragging them toward the new opening in the wall.
“Hurry it up,” Jiron says to them. “We don’t know how long it’s going to stay open.”
“Then give us a hand,” Potbelly says.
Crossing the room to them, Jiron grabs hold of each of the dead bodies and helps to drag them into the secret passage. They no sooner have them inside then the secret door begins to close. When it finally settles once more to the ground, they are plunged into pitch darkness. The chanting which had been present ever since they first entered the temple is no longer audible. The chanters must be in some other part of the main temple not connected with this secret area.
In the darkness they see a glow coming from Miko. It’s the glow of the Star of Morcyth from where it resides in his belt pouch. “I think it senses the presence of Dmon-Li’s priests,” he says.
“More likely the dark rites they’re performing,” suggests Brother Willim.
“Will they be able to detect it if we do magic?” James asks him.
“I don’t think so,” he replies. “With what they are doing, it’s going to drown out anything we do, unless you’re planning on something big?”
“Hardly,” James says. Then his orb blossoms to life on the palm of his hand. To Jiron he says, “Lead on.”
Moving down the corridor, James follows after Jiron and takes another look at the diagram. He sees that the corridor they’re heading down turns to the left sharply just ahead, then just after that, turns back to the right. From there it moves forward less than ten feet until coming to an end. Then on the right side is a long, narrow room with another set of annotations.
They continue down the corridor, and true to the diagram, they follow the route until they reach the final turn where it goes back to the right. “Hold up Jiron,” James says.
Coming to a stop, Jiron glances back to him.
James points to the door on the right at the end of the hallway. “Beyond that door is a long narrow room,” he explains. Holding up the diagram, he adds, “And there’s another set of annotations across it.”
“What do you suggest?” he asks.
“Just be careful,” he replies.
Giving him a nod, Jiron then moves toward the door. Placing his ear against it, he listens for any noise coming from the other side. Turning his head back to the others, he whispers, “It’s quiet.” Placing his hand upon the handle, he pushes and the door moves inward an inch then stops.
“If there’s anyone inside,” he says to James. “Your orb will give us away.”
James cancels the orb and plunges them into darkness. “Good thinking,” he says.
The only reply he hears is the all but silent creaking of the door as Jiron pushes it open. When no light comes through from the other side, Jiron says, “Alright James, give us some light.”
When the orb appears and dispels the darkness, the light reveals the room before them to be another plain room. The walls are simply the same stone blocks that make up the rest of the temple’s walls and floors. No pedestal this time. Nothing but a long, plain room. Pushing the door open all the way, he looks in while remaining in the corridor.
“Hand me the orb,” he says. “Want to get a better look inside before we enter.” James hands him the orb and then he extends his arm past the doorway allowing the light from the orb to illuminate most of the room. Peering around the doorway, he sees that the room extends further away than the light from the orb can reach.
“It’s empty,” he says after a moment’s scrutiny.
“Maybe the annotations don’t mean anything here,” suggests Scar.
“Willing to bet your life on it?” Jiron asks as he turns his gaze on him.
“Not really, no,” Scar replies.
James moves forward and takes a look. “What do you think?” Jiron asks him.
“I don’t know,” he says. “Looks pretty normal.”
“I know,” he replies. “That’s what bothers me.” He starts to step into the room when James places a hand on his shoulder.
“I may need to lead here,” he says. A barrier envelopes him after he removes his hand from Jiron’s shoulder. Something about this room has a very Indiana Jones feel to it. If it weren’t for the annotations on the diagram, he probably wouldn’t be feeling nearly so nervous. But they have to mean something.
Jiron steps back and makes room for him to enter. “Hope they don’t sense that,” he says indicating the barrier.
“So do I,” replies James. Creating a second orb on his palm, he begins moving forward into the room. At first he moves cautiously. Every step he takes, expecting something to happen. But after the fourth step, the room remains quiet. At the sixth step, he gains confidence and begins moving a bit quicker.
Then it happens. He must have stepped on a pressure plate or something for a four foot iron spear shoots up out of the floor beneath him. It strikes the underside of the barrier and launches the barrier with him in it upward.
“James!” Miko exclaims from where he’s watching in the doorway.
As he and the barrier come to land back down on the floor with jarring impact, another trigger is activated. Directly beneath him, a spear shoots up out of the floor. Again he and the barrier are catapulted upward, this time James is thrown on his side within the barrier. “Ahhh!” James hollers as he’s thrown further into the room.
Then every time he lands, another spear shoots upward and propels him further down the long narrow room. Head over heels, he’s propelled as spear after spear launches him and his barrier further along until it finally hitting the wall at the end of the room and coming to rest.
“James!” Jiron hollers. “Are you okay?”
Sitting there in the barrier, he wonders the same thing himself. Doing a quick self check he finds nothing broken, just a few bruises from where he hit the ground hard a couple times. “Yeah!” he hollers back, “I’m fine.”
Glancing to the wall at the end of the room, he discovers another door. Between where he sits and the doorway Jiron and the others are standing at is a patchwork of iron spears sticking upright out of the floor. “There’s a door down here,” he hollers to the others. “Make your way down. Step as closely to the spears sticking out of the floor as you can and you should be okay.”
He dispels his barrier and gets to his feet as the others begin moving into the room. Following the same route the spears sped him along the first time, the others cross the room. He can hear Jiron say, “Step where I step”, as he leads the others from one spear to the next.
No further spears erupt from the floor and they finally join him at the far end of the room. “Secret door, now deadly spears,” comments Potbelly. “Can’t wait to see what we’ll discover when we reach the next set of annotations.”
“Probably a demon or something,” guesses Scar.
James produces the diagram and sees that another corridor extends from the other side of the door they’re standing next to. At the end it looks like a spiral staircase goes either up or down then another long corridor before they reach a round room with a circle drawn in the middle. In the corridor just before the round room is where the next set of annotations is noted.
As Jiron listens at the door for any sound coming from the other side, James cancels the second orb, leaving just the orb Jiron is carrying. Not hearing anything, Jiron opens the door and they begin working their way down the hallway.
Halfway down the corridor, something causes Miko to glance backward. His heart skips a beat when he sees light now coming from the room with the spikes they had just left. “James!” he says as he points back they way they came.
The tone of his voice brings the others to a halt and they turn to see what he’s pointing at. “Oh no,” Brother Willim says as he sees the light within the room growing brighter.
Then all of a sudden temple guards emerge from the doorway. When they see them there, they draw their weapons and charge. There’s at least a dozen or more of them coming through the doorway.
Scar pulls forth his swords and says over his shoulder, “Keep going.” As Potbelly draws his sword and knife he adds, “We’ll hold them off.” When it looks like the others are hesitating, Scar yells, “Go!”
Then he and Potbelly move forward to engage the oncoming guards. “First one to Coryntia’s realm buys,” Potbelly says.
“You’re on,” Scar replies then the battle is upon them.
Jiron sees James beginning to pull a slug out of his slug belt. He places a hand on his arm and says, “No magic. If they think we’re just thieves, they’ll send guards. If you start throwing magic around, the priests will come.”
“He’s right,” Brother Willim says.
“But they’ll never survive,” James says. More guards are piling up behind the ones engaging Scar and Potbelly.
“They know that,” Jiron says. “We have to get to the dais!” He turns James toward him and looks him in the eyes. “Don’t let their sacrifice be in vain!”
James glances back at the pair holding the corridor against what now must be over three dozen guards. Fortunately the width of the corridor prevents more than two or three coming at them at any one time. Nodding, he turns his back on them and follows Jiron as he runs down the corridor toward the stairwell. Brother Willim and Miko follow close behind.
When they reach the stairwell, they glance once more at the pair fighting in the corridor, then rush down to the lower level. The stairs wind around four times before coming out at another corridor. “It’s in the room at the end,” James tells the others. “But be careful when you reach the end of the corridor, that’s where the final set of annotations lay.”
As they head down the corridor, the sound of the fighting going on above them gradually diminishes until they are no longer able to hear it. Moving down quickly, they soon see the end of the corridor ahead of them. To their surprise, the corridor ends at a solid stone wall. Slowing down they approach the wall cautiously.
“Another secret door?” asks Miko.
“Maybe,” replies James. Could the final set of annotations tell them how to get through here? He hopes that’s what it could mean. When he sees Jiron move to approach the wall he says, “Be wary of traps.”
“After that room upstairs,” he replies, “you can believe I will be.”
James joins him as he goes to the wall. “Looks fairly normal,” Jiron says. They both begin running their hands over the wall in an attempt to find something that will allow them to gain access to the room containing the dais.
Miko and Brother Willim stand back about ten feet from the end of the corridor. Miko can feel the deaths of the guards as they fight Scar and Potbelly above them. He’s pretty sure neither one of their friends has fallen yet. Elsewhere in the temple, the untimely death of slaves rips through him every so often as the priests of Dmon-Li continue their dark ritual.
His eyes wander and finally settle on a minor imperfection in the stone of the wall next to him. Not sure why it caught his eye, he moves closer for a better look. “I think I found it,” he announces to the others as he runs his finger across an indentation similar in size to the medallion James has been carrying ever since finding it in the underground temple near Kern.
James immediately rushes over with his orb to see. “That’s it!” he exclaims. Pulling out the medallion bearing the warrior priest’s insignia, he places it against the indentation. Not exactly a perfect match, but it works.
A vibration comes to them as the end of the corridor begins to drop down in sections. When the rumbling ceases, the light of the orb reveals that the end of the corridor has dropped and created a set of steps leading down.
“Yes!” exclaims Jiron. Moving forward, he leads them down to the bottom where a short corridor connects the stairs with a room. The light from the orb shines through the doorway into the room and they see the dais sitting there before them.
Moving forward, they enter the room and find that it’s round just as the diagram had depicted. “There it is,” James says as they move to the dais.
“It seems odd that the room containing this dais was only reachable by going though two secret doors and a room full of spikes,” comments Jiron. When James glances to him he adds, “The dais in the underground temple was right where anyone could get to it.”
James shrugs. “Maybe they were built in different times,” he says. “The one in the underground temple could have been constructed when they didn’t feel the need to protect it.”
“Could be,” agrees Brother Willim. Turning to James he says, “Now what?”
“Now we get on the dais and let it take us to the High Temple,” he says.
“Sounds easy enough,” Miko states.
“Seeing as how I hold the medallion, it might be best if you three were to get on first,” James suggests. “It wouldn’t be a good idea for me to get on first and have it activate before the rest of you have a chance to join me.”
“May have a point there,” Jiron says. Moving forward, he hops onto the dais.
Lending Brother Willim a hand, Jiron helps him up then is followed by Miko. “What’s going to happen when you get on?” Miko asks.
“If it works as I think it will,” he replies, “we’ll appear at the High Temple of Dmon-Li.”
“Then things will get interesting,” Jiron says with a grim grin.
James sighs and says, “You could say that.”
“Come on,” Jiron prompts when he sees him hesitating. Holding out his hand, he offers to help him up.
Taking the hand, James steps up onto the dais. A second later, they’re gone.