by Jeremy Dwyer
Numerous chandeliers were filled with burning candles, which gave ample light throughout the enormous building – and the same lights were found in other buildings – but that was all the help that they were given.
“Why are we in this section? This is the most ancient of historical records,” Desmond asked.
“These names are in the classical language, and they use some uncommon symbols of that alphabet that have not been used in hundreds of millennia,” Portia said.
“I’ve studied the classical language, and the variations thereof. Let me see if I can make sense of any of it,” Desmond said.
Alonso looked over Desmond’s shoulder as he did this, and transcribed what he saw into his own book.
Anan and Portia began reading the inscriptions on the stone walls in the hall and searching for matches.
“What of these names? Are we looking for their family histories? Even if so, how can it help?” Lady Ismene asked.
“What other information is in the book, besides these names? Perhaps there is something I could help look for while you’re searching here,” Romana said.
Portia and Anan began paging through the book to look for more.
“In the back of the book, there’s a poem, or some words of wisdom. It reads: ‘Cursed are the hearts of thieves, their blood shall always spill. Cursed are the sails of thieves; the winds shall send them on wandering ways. Cursed are the eyes of thieves; the truth shall escape their sight. Cursed are the minds of thieves, their thoughts shall make them ill. Cursed are the graves of thieves; death’s doors shall open on the maze. Cursed are the days of thieves; they shall inherit the night.’ That’s where the book ends,” Anan said.
“That sounds as if it might be more relevant, given the reference to the night. Still, it is most unclear,” Lady Ismene said.
“It’s meant to be unclear, to protect the location,” Portia said.
“Are the names in the front of the book perhaps the names of the thieves in question?” Celio asked.
“Perhaps, but we need time to research them. There are ninety-one (91) names,” Anan said.
“The location of the grave of the thieves is likely the location we are looking for. We must be watchful – their restless spirits will likely try to haunt us,” Lady Ismene said.
“Yet, if these are graves, why would there be death’s doors? They’ve already died,” Celio asked.
Desmond drank anew of the waters of the Medathero Ocean from his vial and was energized with the power of calm rational thought. Seeing this reminded Portia and Anan to do the same.
“The spirit world has many rooms and doorways, and some of the dead go through them to meet a better or worse fate,” Lady Ismene said.
“We’re talking about thieves here, correct? Could they have left traps – doors to death – to protect their stolen wealth?” Desmond asked.
“That is reasonable, for some who guard valuable treasures that they want to carry into the next life,” Anan said.
“The material treasures of this world cannot enter into the next life. The spirit world admits no coins or gems. The only wealth one carries forward is faith and love,” Lady Onora said.
“That is true enough, but some still believe that they can take their riches,” Lady Ismene said.
“We met deadly traps in the hidden city, but it was no maze,” Jaguar said.
“You’re right. The path through was straightforward,” Desmond said.
“Mazes were built by kings to protect their treasures,” Portia said.
“Ordinary thieves were not known to go to such lengths,” Anan said.
“Perhaps we are dealing with the king of thieves,” Desmond said.
“Which of those ninety-one (91) names is the king of thieves?” Celio asked.
“It could be a royal bloodline,” Desmond said.
“Wait! I’ve found three (3) of the names, but there’s no relationship among them,” Portia said after looking at the inscriptions on the walls again.
“The spilling of blood and the ill thoughts are more the marks of pirates than of kings,” Romana said.
“These are not kings at all, but merchants who traveled the seas,” Anan said, looking through the records carved on the stone walls.
“There are cities next to their names. I can tell because the first symbol of the spelling is the marker that indicates a place. The classical language reserved certain symbols to denote the type of a thing, although that practice was not commonly used. It’s unfortunate, as it makes for clearer records,” Portia said, while looking at more records carved on the vast walls as she was walking alongside Anan.
“How many names have you found so far?” Celio asked after an hour had passed.
“Fourteen (14) so far,” Anan said.
“The cities next to the names – where are they on a map?” Celio asked.
“Unfortunately, they’re not modern city names that I recognize. We’re going to have to cross reference them with records of land surveys in the Sixteenth Hall. They will likely have the older city names,” Anan said.
“With all of these names of merchants and the cities next to them, what do we expect to find? Does the book give any indication that one of these stands out from the others as being the location of interest?” Celio asked.
“Not as I can see it,” Portia said.
“Is there somewhere we should be looking, to help you?” Lady Onora asked.
“Yes, there are powers in the spirit world who could answer our questions, if we are careful,” Lady Ismene said.
“Or endanger our souls, if we are not careful. I prefer logic to spirit, and even logic is transcended by faith,” Lady Onora said.
“You need to be less afraid, or answers will elude you,” Lady Ismene said.
“The value of a soul is greater than the value of the answer, even in this matter of the darkness,” Lady Onora said.
“In time, we will need your help. Just let us continue looking,” Anan said.
After another two (2) hours of scouring the inscriptions on the walls, Portia said: “We have every name, and city. Each of these was a merchant, and we can only assume that they traveled to the associated city.”
“To the Sixteenth Hall, then,” Anan said, and the group – Lady Onora, Portia, Romana, Desmond, Celio, Lady Ismene, Jaguar and the Chronicler Alonso – all followed him as he left. Unseen but still present with them were the two (2) Hidden Paladins.
~~~
Once they arrived in the Sixteenth Hall – an enormous building holding the archives of land surveys and commerce – Anan and Portia began searching out maps with those names on them.
“Show me what I am looking for. I can help you find these names of cities, if I can learn to recognize them,” Celio said.
“Be careful: the names of the cities are often abbreviated on the maps, and that can make them ambiguous. And some cities overlap in their boundaries, adding to the difficulty,” Portia said.
“I’ll do my best,” Celio said, and he drank anew of the waters of the Lujladia Ocean from his vial. He was energized and began to bend light to quickly examine many of the inscribed writings and maps all over the many walls. He identified several, but a closer examination was required in every case.
“I’ll do what I can as well,” Romana said, and she also began searching, to at least add her own experience and energy to the effort. She was a trained scholar, and set about identifying the different locations on various maps.
“More than once, I’ve searched out villages and lost cities. This is ordinary work for me,” Desmond said, and he added his own knowledge and skill to the effort.
Alonso was watching all that they did and was quickly finding the cities on his own: the waters of the Ursegan Ocean flowed through him, allowing him to slow his own perception of time, so that large amounts of information – as well as fast moving events – could be perceived. He soon had all the names of the cities identified on different maps and copied into his book.
However, the information was ambiguous, and it was not the job of a Chronicler of the Oath to decipher clues or solve puzzles.
After another eight (8) hours of this, Portia, Anan, Celio, Desmond and Romana had completed the identification of the old cities, and had drawn them on maps of the modern world. Alonso then copied each of these maps into his own book.
“We have these cities mapped out, so now what does this mean?” Romana asked.
“Let’s combine them onto a single map,” Portia said, and she and Anan began copying all of the individual maps of cities onto a single map, although this proceeded very quickly.
“I see places, but no place is special,” Jaguar said after examining the overall map.
“It’s just a set of cities. There’s not even any indication of routes of travel between them. What has been accomplished, here? Usually, there is structure and connection. It’s true in music, and in architecture, commerce and most everything else. Few things exist in isolation,” Lady Onora said, looking at all of this.
“You’re right. These are old cities, but there is no travel indicated. But that might be where the rest of the poetic verse comes into play. The line about the truth escaping their sight might just be referring to navigation by sight, along with the line about the winds and the wandering ways,” Anan said.
“So they got lost from navigating by sight. Perhaps navigation by stars was the true way to go,” Celio said.
“Brilliant! Yes! We need the maps of the transits of the stars among those cities,” Portia said.
“Off to the Seventh Hall,” Anan said, and the group followed him, along with the pair of Hidden Paladins.
~~~
Once they arrived in the Seventh Hall – yet another enormous building, this one containing archives of star charts through the ages – Anan said: “We need to begin our research into the cities of the time period between three hundred forty-two (342) and three hundred forty-seven (347) millennia in the past. These city names were not in use after then.”
“The old cities should have charts of the positions of the stars at those times. The present day positions and directions of stars – the red and blue suns, though not the erratic yellow suns – can be used to mathematically calculate their positions in the past. Once we find a star configuration that matches the charts of the older time period, we will know the present day positions of those cities,” Celio said.
“We will have to make some translations from the classical language and notations, but that will only introduce small levels of uncertainty,” Desmond said.
“It will increase the number of possible stars to consider, if we cannot identify them uniquely. That is what will take time, and require extra attention to detail. The answers may be ambiguous,” Anan said.
Anan, Desmond, Celio, Romana and Portia all began wandering through the building, scouring the writings on the walls, looking for indications of star transits between those named cities in that range of time periods.
“All of this would be much quicker with the help of the spirits. Yet, so that we don’t get entangled with something dangerous – as you still seem to fear – we must help in some way,” Lady Ismene said, as the others moved about.
“We have enough danger without adding more. Instead, we need to seek and use wisdom,” Lady Onora said.
“Spirits are wise, and can help, so long as you do not anger them. Havatissa has sometimes helped my tribe when we call to him, but we fear to offend,” Jaguar said.
“Beware that one! That is the name of a deceiver! He helps some, and destroys others,” Lady Ismene said.
“He is not a deceiver! The mysteries he reveals are in riddles, to make us think, and so the unworthy will fail,” Jaguar said.
“I will not turn to him, and nor should you. There are good spirits, yet he is not among them. We must find another way to help, and to bring our knowledge and power to discover the mystery of the darkness,” Lady Ismene said.
“I’m a scholar of music. However, I do travel the world and hear many stories of great difficulty from the people I teach, in various cultures. They need to hear my message of the love of the One True God, because many of them have great pain, and need answers,” Lady Onora said.
“What can your One True God do for them?” Lady Ismene asked, not particularly convinced, because she wasn’t convinced that there was only a single deity.
“They have come to put faith in him, rather than in their own abilities or those of the people around them. They’ve told me their failings, and even their fears. That’s how I learned of a prophecy – of a time of darkness that would come. It would not come from a single place, but from all over. It’s a very old story, lacking in many details, but it was said that a way existed to find the evil center of the darkness, if one knew its numbers, and those numbers were seven (7) and thirteen (13). I’m no mathematician, but I know that ninety-one (91) is seven (7) times thirteen (13). Still, I don’t know what to do with it,” Lady Onora said.
“Numbers have power, and there are many way to combine them. Still, this story does not sound like a coincidence. From whom did you hear this prophecy?” Lady Ismene asked.
“I heard it from sun worshippers, in Nataloridivu. They fear and despise the darkness, because it overpowers their deities, and that takes away their hope. I told them that they were placing their hope in the wrong power, and some of them listened,” Lady Onora said.
Alonso overheard the conversation among Lady Onora, Lady Ismene and Jaguar and recorded it in his book.
Nearby, Portia, Romana, Anan, Desmond and Celio spent over five (5) hours gathering the information about transits of the stars over the cities on their combined map.
“It’s a tangled spider web of paths of the suns. It doesn’t direct us anywhere,” Celio said.
“But some places would appear to be more prominent than others,” Desmond said.
“Assuming that the number of star crossings – rather than the relative wealth of the cities – is what defines prominence,” Romana said.
“Agreed. We need criteria for preferring some city over another,” Portia said.
“No matter how much of the Medathero waters we drink, we’re not without limits. We should look at it tomorrow,” Anan said and he started walking back to the entrance, and the others followed.
As they passed by Lady Ismene, Lady Onora, Jaguar and Alonso, Anan said: “We have the paths of the stars. We’ll have to examine the findings more closely and critically after some rest.”
“Can I see what you found?” Lady Onora asked.
“Here,” Anan said, holding the map out to her.
Lady Onora began counting the star crossings and pointed at one city in particular, and then she said: “There, at that city – you have seven (7) crossings from north to south, and thirteen (13) from east to west.”
“Why is that significant?” Anan asked.
“A story I heard – a prophecy of darkness – from the sun worshippers. They said that the numbers of the darkness would guide the way to its center, and those numbers were seven (7) and thirteen (13). Multiply them together to get ninety-one (91). Wasn’t that the number of names on the list?” Lady Onora asked.
“Yes. However, that could be a coincidence,” Anan said.
“It’s not tremendously improbable, so I’m not convinced, either,” Celio said.
“Or it could have meaning. That is the Road of Kovoxotu land bridge – on our modern map,” Portia said.
“Weren’t they dishonest traders throughout much of their history?” Desmond asked.
“Yes. They were thieves. That could be what the verse at the end of the book meant,” Anan said.
“Does that explain the graves and the maze?” Romana asked.
“I think it does. They hid in the mountains of Kovoxotu after stealing and killing. Those peaks are haunted, and there are rumors of tunnels and caves within them, that are cursed,” Lady Ismene said.
“From a cursed mountain, we may not b
e able to escape, but we will fall to our deaths,” Jaguar said.
“Prayer…to the One True God…is what we need. Then, we need not fear a curse, or even a fall from heights,” Lady Onora said.
“We will pray together, tonight,” Romana said.
“You do that. We’re going there tomorrow. From putting together the little information we have, those numbers may just be more than a coincidence. But I’m not exactly convinced, either,” Anan said.
“It’s a starting point – and better than anything else we have so far,” Celio said.
“And it could be an ending point, if we don’t guard against traps,” Desmond said.
“And evil spirits,” Lady Ismene said.
“And curses,” Jaguar said.
“Let’s get some rest, so that fatigue doesn’t add to our many problems,” Anan said.
They all left the Seventh Hall and took up rooms in the Scholar’s Hall, where they rested to prepare for their journey.
~~~
Przemek continued searching through the Eleventh Hall and Laurentius walked alongside him. On their tour, they saw various crystal structures and sculptures, as well as ones made of stone, wood, metal, glass and even plants. Some had questionable stability, but they all remained standing despite their apparently fragile nature – all except for one.
“This one did not stand the test of time,” Przemek said, looking at a fragment of a shattered crystal structure, made of topaz and other gems.
“It wasn’t the replica that failed. It was the original structure – the Temple of Mev’Kna – that collapsed,” Laurentius said.
“The fragments of the collapsed temple can tell a great deal about the failure – if they are the original ones, and left in the original location. A replica isn’t likely to contain the needed information,” Przemek said.
Laurentius read more about the temple from nearby inscriptions on the wall and on a marker – in the shape of an obelisk – that was positioned in front of the replica of the fallen temple.
“This collapse was witnessed by the Chronicler Judith. According to her notes, the temple fell on seven hundred fifty-three (753) people, five hundred twelve (512) of whom were blinded, and the remainder were killed. Immediately preceding that, she heard a strange sound – perhaps a support beam creaking before it gave way – and then the temple fell,” Laurentius said.
