“They weren’t afraid to enter the barracks and they knew we were there,” declared Mistake. “I think they are just afraid of the temple.”
“I think you are right,” agreed Rejji. “I imagine they might fear entering the house of the god that left them captive here. That suits me fine. We should get some torches after the meal and explore the temple while we are stuck here.”
Mistake gasped and grabbed Rejji’s hand. She pointed to a figure that had just approached the temple steps, but had stopped before reaching them. Rejji could feel Mistake’s hand trembling and he focused on the figure.
“There is no way that thing could be alive, Rejji,” she said haltingly.
“Not with your knife still in its throat,” agreed Rejji. “These things are not really alive, so how can we kill them?”
“Let’s find what we need to and get out of this city,” suggested Mistake.
“I wish it was that simple,” sighed Rejji. “We have no idea what we are looking for. I wish the Sage had been clearer on the subject.”
“Maybe we have already found what we came for,” offered Mistake. “He said to discover the mystery of Angragar and learn the mysteries of yourself. Perhaps knowing for sure that you are the Astor is what he meant.”
“He also said our fate lies within the walls,” added Rejji, “so I think it is more than just opening the gate.”
“Perhaps,” agreed Mistake, “but the mark is on your hand so I think he was talking to you. He must have known you were the long awaited Astor and that is why he sent us here.”
“What am I supposed to do as Astor?” sighed Rejji. “The Qubari act like I am a god. I just want to help the people of Fakara. I don’t want to be a god.”
“Not a god,” smiled Mistake. “You are a special servant of God. Why do you fight it? Had your father never left the jungle, you would probably have ended up as the chief and Bakhai as the shaman. Why is this so different?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Rejji. “I am barely older than a boy and all of these people are depending on me. I fear letting them down I guess.”
“Then try hard not to let them down,” suggested Mistake. “Nobody can ask more of you than you will ask of yourself. Just do your best.”
“Let’s go get some torches and explore,” Rejji said. “The meal can wait.”
“You go ahead,” responded Mistake. “I want to contact Yltar and let him know what we have found. I will be along shortly.”
Rejji nodded and found his way to the stairs and descended to the first floor. He reported his observations to the others.
“That makes our task more difficult,” observed Mobi. “Still, knowing they do not care for the temple is a blessing. We have decided to split the watch between my men and myself. The three of you can use the time to explore or sleep as suits you. I will prepare the meal and call you when it is ready.”
“I found torches,” added Bakhai. “It will make searching at night possible. Shall we get started?”
Rejji nodded and Bakhai handed him a torch. Rejji lit the torch in the fire that Grank had just lit and turned to explore one side of the first floor. Bakhai lit his torch and went in the opposite direction. Rejji found mostly storage rooms as he explored until he came to the library. The room was huge and had floor to ceiling shelves, which were loaded with ancient books. Racks in the center of the room held thousands of scrolls. He glanced at the books along the shelf and realized that they would all predate the time of Vand. He could not imagine that they would hold any clue as to his fate. He ran his finger along one shelf and noticed that there was no dust on the shelf. He wondered how anything could last for thousands of years and not even have dust on it. He shook his head and headed for the next room.
As he was walking down the corridor, he heard Bakhai calling his name. He turned and ran towards the sound. He reached the entrance hall and turned to the right, just as Mistake bounded off the stairs. He passed through a massive room with benches and an altar, with Mistake right behind him. Bakhai kept calling, but his voice sounded excited, not frantic. Off to one side of the altar was a doorway and Rejji raced through it. He ran down the hallway and through the doorway at the end where he could see a flicker of light that he assumed was Bakhai’s torch.
As he raced into the room, he saw Bakhai standing in a large room with a long table in it. The table was ringed with chairs and murals adorned the walls. He did not see any danger and he slowed to a walk.
“What have you found?” asked Rejji as Mistake moved beside him.
“Something you are not going to believe,” Bakhai declared. “Take a look at the mural on the far wall.”
Rejji tired to see the wall mural, but he was too far away and mural was in darkness. He walked around the table and held his torch up high to shed light on the mural.
“I don’t believe it,” gasped Rejji. “How can this be? This place is thousands of years old. It just isn’t possible.”
“And yet there it is,” Mistake said haltingly. “I think you have discovered your fate, Rejji.”
Rejji stepped closer and held the torch close to the mural. He shook his head in disbelief. The mural was a perfect picture of Lord Marak holding his wicked-looking sinuous sword. On one side of him was a young woman and a blue star shone from her finger. On the other side was a picture of Rejji holding a staff with three red rings around the tip. A crescent mark was just visible on the other end of the staff where the likeness of Rejji’s hand held it. Above each of the three people were symbols. The woman had a five-pointed star above her. Lord Marak had his sword above him and Rejji had the crescent above his likeness.
“It is as if this is all preordained,” Bakhai said softly.
“Only part of it,” corrected Mistake. “The Sage indicated that there are many paths to the future and any one future depends upon the actions of many people.”
“You mean if I had died before getting here that the picture might have been of somebody else when they arrived?” questioned Rejji.
“Perhaps,” frowned Mistake, “or maybe you and Lord Marak would also exist at another time in history until you all got together. Maybe you both have existed before in time and the reason it has taken thousands of years is because those earlier versions of you never made it this far. I don’t really know, but I would sure like to talk to that Sage again. This is too strange.”
“Who are the other people?” Mobi asked from behind them.
“The one in the center is Lord Marak,” Rejji answered. “I do not know the woman.”
“I think what you seek here in Angragar must be that staff,” declared Mobi. “If I were king and had possession of something like that, I would keep it in the treasure room at the palace.”
“Then that is where we head in the morning,” decided Rejji.
“That may be a problem,” frowned Mobi. “The treasure rooms were sealed with magic. The meal is ready. Let us discuss this while we eat.”
The group returned to the entrance hall and Mobi explained to his men what he had seen. His men merely nodded and Rejji frowned.
“Why are you Qubari not surprised at what we found?” he asked.
“You are the Astor,” explained Mobi. “Your coming has been foretold for thousands of years. Why should we be surprised that God would know what you would look like? If he placed that mark on your hand at birth, why do you find it hard to believe that he shaped your face also?”
“So it is not that the picture looks like Rejji, but that Rejji was made to look like the picture,” nodded Mistake. “That makes more sense.”
“So what am I to do with this staff?” asked Rejji. “What am I supposed to do with my life?”
“I do not know about the staff,” answered Mobi, “but I think the mural is clear about your path. Did you not make an agreement with Lord Marak?”
“I did,” nodded Rejji.
“Then proceed with your plan,” replied Mobi. “This Lord Marak plays an important part in what is to happen,
as do you. If you both have agreed to do something, I have to believe that it is the right thing to do.”
Rejji nodded and everyone finished their meal. Grank had drawn the first watch and the others bedded down for the night.
Mistake awoke first and stirred the embers of the fire until it flamed up. She looked towards the door and saw Voltak sprawled on the floor. She quickly scanned the sleeping bodies and saw Mobi and Grank sleeping and realized that Voltak was supposed to be guarding the door. She woke Mobi and they headed towards the door.
“He was fine when he took the watch from me,” Mobi said softly. “He does not look good now. His cut hand is ice cold, yet his body fevers.”
“Poison?” queried Mistake.
“I do not know,” frowned Mobi as he cracked the door open. “It is beginning to lighten. Wake the others up.”
Mistake woke everyone and they gathered around Voltak.
“We need to get him to the village,” Mobi declared. “If you stay in the temple, I can carry him to the gates and send him to the village with my men.”
“You will need Rejji to open the gate,” reminded Bakhai.
“I had forgotten,” frowned Mobi.
“Let us dash to the palace treasure room and then we can all leave the city,” suggested Rejji. “I do not like the thought of you going alone anyway. If we do not give the hellsouls any advance warning, they may be taken by surprise.”
Mobi nodded and gathered his spear. Rejji peeked out the door and saw no hellsouls in the square. They left Voltak on the floor and slipped quietly out of the door of the temple. Rejji started across the square at a very fast walk, hoping to silently cross the square. They got halfway across the square before a shriek rent the air.
Chapter 25
The Staff
The shriek came from the barracks and Rejji turned his head to look as they raced towards the palace. Dozens of hellsouls poured out of the building and Rejji shouted a warning.
“Hellsouls on our left,” called Rejji.
“And more on our right,” added Mobi. “This is going to be close. Grank and I will try to protect our rear while you enter the palace.”
Mistake shot ahead and bounded up the stairs to the palace as the hellsouls converged on the rest of the party. She threw the door open and entered the building as Rejji and Bakhai reached the bottom of the steps. She turned and watched as Mobi and Grank shoved their spears at the first hellsouls to catch up to the party. Rejji turned and raised his sword to a hellsoul that had come around from the side of the palace. The hellsoul swung its sword at Rejji and Rejji blocked it with his sword. The swords clanged when they met and Rejji’s blade snapped just above the hilt. Bakhai grabbed Rejji from behind and pulled him clear as the creature swung again. Mistake hurled a dagger that caught the hellsoul in the head and its body fell to the ground. Rejji and Bakhai raced into the palace as Mobi and Grank back up the stairs while fending off the hellsouls.
“Do not let their blades touch you,” warned Mobi.
“This door has braces,” shouted Bakhai. “We need to find the bar for it.”
Mistake was the only one to have brought a torch from the temple and she held it as high as she could, while Bakhai and Rejji scrambled to each side of the massive doors in search of the bar.
“Over here,” shouted Bakhai as Mobi and Grank entered the building. “It is too heavy for me to lift.”
Mobi and Rejji dashed to the sound of Bakhai’s voice while Grank slammed the door shut and held it closed against the onslaught of the hellsouls.
“Hurry!” called Grank. “I do not know how long I can hold this closed.”
The hellsouls were pounding loudly on the door as Rejji and Bakhai took one end of the huge bar and Mobi hefted the other with a grunt. Mistake pulled another dagger from its sheath as they lifted the bar over Grank’s head. They slammed the bar against the door and slid it down towards the braces just as Grank’s body fell backwards. The men panted from exertion as the bar hit a sword that was stuck between the doors.
“Force it down,” yelled Mobi. “There is a sword stuck between the doors that is stopping it.”
Mistake dropped the torch and leaped on top of the bar as they struggled to force it downward. The sword slowly gave way and the bar snapped into position. The men sagged to the floor with their backs against the door. Mistake hopped down and went to retrieve her torch.
“That was close,” sighed Bakhai. “A few seconds longer and they would have broken through.”
“It was too close for Grank,” Mistake said sadly. “He is dead. That sword pierced through his eye.”
“I am sorry, Mobi,” Rejji said as he rose. “I never meant for your people to be harmed.”
“They are your people as well,” Mobi replied as he went and knelt next to Grank. “Being sad for a fallen warrior is appropriate, but do not confuse that with regret for the mission that we are on. Coming to Angragar was the pinnacle of Grank’s life. Do not diminish the glory of his sacrifice by taking the blame for his death upon your own shoulders. Let’s get what we have come for so Grank can smile down upon us.”
The group gathered together as Mistake held the torch high and started moving deeper into the palace. Nobody spoke as they marched through sitting rooms and offices. By the time they reached the throne room, excitement had eaten away at the despair felt by all. The throne room was immense and fine tapestries covered the walls interspersed with statues on pedestals. The throne was elevated on a large platform at one end of the room and a large velvet curtain hung behind it.
“Go behind the throne,” directed Mobi. “Look for a staircase leading down.”
Mistake nodded and mounted a small set of steps leading to the platform. They searched for a break in the velvet curtain and Bakhai held the curtain open when he found it. Mistake led the group through the curtain and stood in a long hallway. At the end of the hallway were stone steps leading down and Mistake led the group down them. At the bottom of the steps was a large door. Mistake tried opening the door, but it would not budge. Bakhai eased up alongside Mistake and also tried the door.
“It is magically sealed as I suspected,” frowned Mobi. “It was meant to be opened only by the king. It may take a great deal of time to get through it, if we can get through it at all.”
“Time that we don’t have,” frowned Rejji as he sat down on the steps. “Can you use magic to open it, Mistake?”
“Me?” replied Mistake. “I doubt that I have any magical ability other than the Air Tunnel and I think just about anyone could do that.”
“Try to open it, Rejji,” urged Mobi. “Your hand worked on the gates to the city.”
“That was different,” objected Rejji as he rose. “That was supposed to happen for the Astor. That is the spell that was cast upon it. This door is for the king.”
“So it is,” Mobi grinned as the door swung open to Rejji’s touch. “Considering the Astor is much more to our people than a king, I suppose the door was wise enough to obey.”
Rejji shook his head and stepped into the room. He looked around the room as the others entered. Mistake held the torch high and her eyes opened wide.
“Look at this,” she chirped. “There is probably more wealth in here than all of Fakara.”
The walls were lined with chests, which were overflowing with gold and jewels. There was a pile of carpets in one corner that were rich with colors and interwoven with gold threads. Paintings hung on the walls and lifelike statues occupied another corner. There were several golden birdcages hung from the beams and a few unstrung bows adorned a freestanding rack. Rejji turned and peered towards the far end of the room. He could barely make out a large table against the far wall. The light in the room grew dimmer and he turned and looked for Mistake. He found her bending over one of the chests, pawing through the gold and jewels.
“Mistake,” scowled Rejji. “This treasure does not belong to us. Get another torch from the wall and light it for me.”
“Actua
lly,” interjected Mobi as Mistake sulked towards a torch hanging on the wall, “the treasure does belong to you. The door opened at your touch because it is your treasure room. Besides, the Qubari have no need of gold or wealth. Take what you need to accomplish your goals in Fakara and leave the rest for later.”
Rejji’s puzzled face frowned as Mistake handed him a lit torch. Her face was aglow with a mischievous, elfish grin and he nodded slightly.
“Take only items that have no historical value,” stated Rejji. “Like coins and ingots. And take only what we will need to buy food and tools from Lord Marak.”
“And lumber to build a dock and a building to store the food in,” chirped Mistake as she looked around for something to carry the treasure in. “And some extra to persuade the tribes to work for us.”
Rejji shook his head and shut out the rest of Mistake’s chatter. He raised his torch and headed towards the far end of the room. Next to the table was a large rack of weapons. He felt Bakhai next to him and turned to look at his brother.
“Find a weapon that will not offend your animal friends,” instructed Rejji. “You may need more than just your hands to get out of this city.”
Bakhai nodded and headed towards the rack while Rejji approached the table. Sitting on the table was long, oblong case made of black glass. The case was several feet long and looked like it could hold the staff, which was pictured in the mural. Rejji felt drawn to it and he examined the case, looking for some way to open it. Eventually, he felt the front of the case move slightly and was able to fold it down. He stooped to peer into the case and saw the long staff pictured in the mural in the temple. He reached in and seized the staff and felt a surge of power burst through his body. He almost shattered the glass case as his arm trembled when he removed the staff. He held the staff and stared at it. It felt much lighter in his grip than he would have imagined and he swung it back and forth a few times.
“It suits you,” grinned Bakhai as he adjusted a quiver of arrows so it hung comfortably on his back.
Web of Deceit fl-3 Page 30
