The Ancient Lands: Warrior Quest, Search for the Ifa Scepter

by Jason McCammon

Chapter 22

  THE TEMPLE OF WANYAMA

 

  With Torik leading the way, it only took minutes for them to enter the temple’s main chamber, and they did not so much as glimpse the shadowlight along the way.

  “Wait here,” again Torik commanded them, and they waited in darkness.

  When the light began to turn up, Farra saw Torik shaking a globe of some milky substance that became brighter and brighter. The room was huge, a complete circle, at least forty feet across. Its ceiling extended higher than the room was wide and the walls converged together as they extended upward. The top flattened out to a disc fifteen feet in diameter.

  Around the edges stood five statues of men carved out of the orange-red rock that the temple was made of. They were just slightly taller than life size, with their hands extended outward and together as if to receive something. The spaces between statues contained carvings of script and pictures etched into the wall.

  Directly across from each statue of man, at the center, faced a statue of an animal. These animals, also carved out of rock, were joined at a centerpiece by their hind parts. They mimicked the design of the temple from outside; a leopard, a gorilla, a snake, an eagle, and a shark. Each of the animals seemed to share the job of holding up one single flat tray of rock on their heads.

  On top of the tray were five spheres about a half a foot in diameter. One of them was lit; the one Torik had been busy shaking. The others were black. Behind each sphere was a hole in the tray, just the right size for a staff, and in the center of all of those was a sixth hole.

  Torik had gone ahead and shook up another one of the spheres, and it too began to glow.

  “Wow,” Farra stood in amazement. She took in all of the visual elements of the place, and wanted to know more.

  “Whoa,” Bomani said.

  “I know. It’s fabulous!” Farra replied with exited eyes. “I have so much to tell my people. Do you turn into all of these animals?”

  “At some time or another, yes,” Torik replied.

  She pulled off her hood, revealing the piece of jewelry she wore around her head. “Where did you get that?” Torik asked forcefully as he approached her.

  “My father,” she replied.

  He turned away, seeming troubled.

  “What about the shadowlight?” Bomani asked. Won’t it come? Won’t it follow the light?”

  “Not in this chamber,” Torik replied. “But if the ritual is started, there will be no stopping it.”

  “I want to learn more,” Farra shouted. She rushed to the walls and looked at the markings, reading the words and studying the pictures.

  “Look,” said Torik. “She’s not aware of it, but the temple is calling to the sorcery in her blood, and it is stronger than ever now.”

  “I trust her,” said Bomani, then he turned to Farra. “What does it say?”

  “Sshhh!” she blurted while swatting toward him. Give me a second.”

  After another minute or so passed, Farra began to shout out, “I can figure it out. I know how to do it!”

  She rushed to the glowing sphere and grabbed it. Then she turned and stood on the bench in front of the statue across from it. She was too small to reach the hands. “Bomani help me.”

  “She’s giving in to the temple’s calling,” shouted Torik. “If you do, it will be the death of both of you! The ceiling is too high in here. When the shadowlight comes, he will rise above us and swiftly make his way to you. I won’t be able to stop it.”

  “Farra…are you sure?” Bomani asked, concerned.

  “Before I left my village, the Elders were speaking about me. I distinctly heard them say one word, ‘TEMPLE.’ I think this is what they were talking about. They wanted me to come here.”

  “Uh, maybe they were hoping you would stay away from here, how can you tell?”

  “Bomani, please believe me. I know what I am doing!”

  Bomani went to her and helped her up to the statue. She placed the globe in its hands. “Now, the others,” she said. “Quickly!”

  They went around, shaking the unlit spheres until they were as bright as the others. They placed them on each of the hands of the statues of men. The eyes of the statues began to glow. Then symbols began to appear inside of the spheres.

  “Now, we just have to switch them around in the right order,” said Farra. She ran around and with Bomani’s help they switched the globes around to different places.

  At the top of the room, the centerpiece opened to the sky, revealing the full moon, and they began to hear a mystical hum, all around them.

  Farra grabbed her staff, and went toward the center of the room.

  “Many sorcerers have tried,” Torik said. “Many who weren’t sorcerers have tried as well, digging up sorcerer graves and stealing their staves to perform the ritual. All have died.”

  “I know what I’m doing,” she said. “All of these holes are for staves, each one behind an animal to receive that power. But this one in the middle is different. I don’t seek the power of the man-a-morph, I seek knowledge.”

  Before she could place the staff, Torik grabbed her hand. “Knowledge is power,” replied Torik. “In all of those that I have seen come and die, I have only seen seven Animen besides you. One of them wore a charm resembling that one around your head. I fought a mighty battle with him before I could convince him that I wasn’t a threat. He and his wolf were both strong and powerful, emanating their mighty red color. Haa haa hoo” – Gorilla sounds. “He came searching for the temple. He came because he wanted the power of the shape shifters. I tried to warn him as well, as I have done all the others. Very few have had the will to let it go. His name was Juran. Hoo hoo.”

  Farra gasped, frozen in her tracks. “That...was…my father’s name. You mean that all those years ago, this is where he came? This is what happened to him?” She broke into a solemn cry.

  “Yes,” said Torik. “When I saw your charm, I feared that it was someone that you knew —someone close to you. The one he wore was identical. Your father’s life was drained by the shadowlight. He and his wolf were strong enough to make it outside the temple, but I’m sorry to say that if you search hard enough, you will find that charm out there in the bone yard.”

  “My father was here?” she repeated to herself, staring at the light in the eyes of the statue and at the spheres.

  “Think carefully about what you are doing child. Your father was given the same warning, but he couldn’t resist. Being a descended cousin did nothing for him.”

  “Maybe he is right,” said Bomani. “Perhaps we should leave while we still can. I made a decision before and I almost lost you to Hatari because of it. I don’t know what is going to happen with this thing, but I don’t want to lose you again.

  Farra dropped to her knees, crying and letting her staff hit the floor. She searched inside herself for what to do. For a sorcerer, knowledge was everything, especially that of magic.

  “C’mon, Farra, let’s go.” Bomani continued.

  Farra grabbed her staff and stood up. “C’mon Pupa,” she said, ignoring the tears that were falling from her eyes. She could feel the blood moving though her veins as she took powerful breaths, but this was nothing new for her during a full moon.

  She paused and looked up at the moon. Of all the places it could be, it was there centered at the top of the temple in the night sky. It was beautiful; she admired the glow of the white surface, and every grayish shade of its seas.

  She was, a child of the moon, it filled her with its energy, and it was a lovely coincidence that it just happened to be full, on this night. Or was it?

  “I have to do this,” she said to herself, and without any more hesitation she raised her staff up and jammed it into place.

  “Noooo!” Torik shouted.

  Bomani called to her, “Farra!”

  She held on to the staff tightly. Whatever happened
, she wasn’t going to let go until it was over. If this was another test, she was NOT going to fail it.

  The sound of the humming spheres grew louder. The eyes of the statues shot continuous white energy beams into the shining globes. Then the spheres shot their continuous beams into the crystal of her staff.

  A few moments passed as all these lights became brighter, and the entire chamber began to rumble. Soon, all the energy that was gathered by the staff shot straight up and out of the top of the temple in the night sky directly to the moon. Farra continued to hold on.

  Then the shadowlight quickly entered the room. With all of the light in the chamber, it was as black as ever. It circled around above their heads.

  “Let go, Farra,” yelled Bomani, but Farra did not let go.

  The shadowlight swooped down, just barely missing Bomani, and then it zoomed back up again. It traveled around the room like a black ghost, swooping down again, nearly hitting Farra. She dodged it, but still, she did not let go.

  The lights continued to become brighter and brighter with each passing moment. In a flash, the light became blinding and a mighty wind swooped into the temple with enough power to knock everyone to the floor including the half-aped ogre. Farra had no choice, the wind was too strong, and she had to let go.

  When they hit the floor, the lights dimmed to nothing. The only light in the room was the shadowlight, shining its watery silver. Before Torik could get onto his feet, the shadowlight swooped down and connected to Farra, penetrating her chest.

  “Farra, nooooo,” Bomani yelled and rushed toward her.

  “Get back!” Torik yelled. He rushed to grab Bomani and threw him to the ground. He then went to the shadowlight and reached out to grab it. His arms went straight though it just as Bomani’s spear had done back in the corridor. He tried and tried, but Torik could not pull the thing from Farra’s chest.

  “This has never happened before. I can’t grab it,” Torik shouted.

  “We have to save her!” Bomani shouted, then again ran to her body lying on the ground.

  “It’s too late, the shadowlight has her, Hoo huh. Get out while you still can! Hoo Hoo Haa Haa” Torik pleaded. He grabbed Bomani and raced him across the room. Bomani struggled with him until both of them fell to the ground.

  The shadowlight began to change. A hint of blue swirled within it. Its waves rippled even more and soon the whole thing changed to a beautiful glowing ocean blue. It pulled itself from Farra’s chest as the spheres once again began to light up the room to a normal level. The shadowlight rose above Farra, hovering horizontal, in line with her body. It rose up even higher until, in one swift second, it fell, splashing upon her as normal water would.

  Farra lay there motionless. Pupa ran to her, frantically licking at her face, hoping to get a response. She sat up coughing, forcing the water out of her lungs.

  Quickly Torik and Bomani came to her.

  “Are you okay?” Bomani asked.

  “Perhaps I was wrong,” said Torik.

  “Your body,” said Bomani noticing that Torik had returned to his ogre form. “It’s back to normal. The curse, it’s been lifted?”

  Torik clenched his fists together and squinted. He let out a scream of pain as the top half of his body turned into a leopard. He leaned over until his front two legs were on the floor. “No,” he said. “Grrrrrr. It’s still half of a shift, and it’s painful to keep this form. I don’t understand, if she didn’t die, then she must be the one. I have never seen the shadowlight turn to water before.” He let out a scream as he let his body return to normal and stood up again.

  Farra looked as if she had no idea what had just happened. Then, she started to stand. Bomani and Torik each tried to help her, but she felt strong, and stood without their aid. “No,” she said. “I am not the one.”

  There was a calm that swept her face. “My father. I’m not sure if I understand it, but it was as if a small part of him was left behind in the shadowlight. It wasn’t him, more like just his last thoughts as it took him. He was thinking of me.”

  “The shadowlight absorbs the life-force,” said Torik. “In that last moment it must have absorbed his thoughts.”

  “What was he thinking?” asked Bomani.

  “That he loved me. That’s all that I got, but that was enough. The rest was knowledge of the shape shifters.”

  “The power of the man-a-morphs, was it given to you?” Torik asked.

  “The temple did not give me the power of the shape shifters. Although it had been waiting for me to tell me what it wanted me to know. Now, I know what I must do.”

  “What do you mean?” Bomani asked.

  “The man-a-morphs are not extinct,” she continued. “Five remain, hidden. There is one left for each clan of animal. Throughout Madunia there are five temples, one for each. This is the sixth, the common temple. The shadowlight protects the secrets and punishes those who seek the power of the man-a-morphs without the gods’ consent. It can travel to each of the temples through this centerpiece.

  “Well, what did you mean; you know what you must do?” asked Bomani.

  Farra walked over and grabbed her staff from its place in the centerpiece and turned to him.

  “I have to find them.