“If you come through here too often, you take their best soldiers.”
“But they don't have any need for soldiers,” Pendin said. “The Denraen keep the—”
Brohmin shook his head. “The Denraen keep peace, that’s true. But within each nation, there’s a desire to maintain their own military, regardless of what the Urmahne teach. Think of Thealon. They’ve battled with Gom Aaldia many times over the years, the most recent all of fifty years ago. What happens when ancient—or not so ancient—frustrations begin to burrow up? Can the Denraen handle all of that?”
“You mean like the Ravers?” Endric said.
Brohmin nodded.
“Dendril is leading an army through the north, sweeping through to collect the Ravers.”
“Dendril leads this himself?” Brohmin asked.
Endric nodded.
Brohmin’s brow furrowed in a tight frown.
“What is it? Endric asked.
“Probably nothing. But…” He didn't finish, turning back to Tresten and saying something softly to the Mage. Tresten’s jaw clenched slightly.
What was it? What did Brohmin suspect?
Tresten led them toward the city, toward the tower, and as they neared the city, the tower somehow loomed even larger over everything, even more a presence and reminder of the gods. What must it be like to live in this city every day? How could the people of Thealon feel anything but a connection to the gods?
The streets of Thealon were quiet. There seemed less chaos here than there did in many of the places that Endric had been, and certainly less chaos than even there was in Vasha. It was as if the people of Thealon recognized their proximity to the gods and wanted to maintain a certain respectability around them.
They walked the horses now. Tresten guided them through the streets. As he did, there was a sense of deference from people he passed. As they neared the tower, Tresten veered to the east, looping around the base of the tower. Endric noted an enormous wall circling the lawn that led up to the tower. Soldiers stationed around the wall glanced in their direction, but for the most part ignored Endric and the others.
“You would think they would be interested in the arrival of a Mage,” Endric said.
“Not as interested as you think,” Brohmin said.
“Where’s the temple?” Pendin asked.
“On the grounds. First, we have to get past the soldiers here. Then we have to convince them to lead us to the high priest of the Urmahne. And from there…” Tresten shrugged. “From there, I only hope that it gets easier. I fear that we will be asked to do more than what we expect.”
They walked silently around the perimeter of the tower yard. The street circled around it, the wall that had been constructed around the tower mirroring the circular nature of the tower. As they walked, Endric couldn't help but find his eyes drawn upward. The tower rose an impossible height, disappearing into clouds high overhead. It was an impressive structure and one that must have been constructed by the gods.
Eventually, they reached the entrance to the grounds. Six soldiers stood guard, all wearing brightly polished mail, and brought their shields up as Tresten approached.
“I would seek entry to the temple,” Tresten said.
The nearest soldier, a man dressed in royal blue and gray and carrying a shield on one arm, rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. He shook his head. “The temple is only accessible to the priests.”
“And the priests would allow my entry,” Tresten said.
The man flicked his gaze to Tresten before looking over at Brohmin, then the others. “And you would be…”
“I would be Mage Tresten of Vasha. I believe the Urmahne still celebrate the peace the gods have set upon us?”
“Do they know you're coming?”
Endric found it difficult to believe the soldiers questioned Mage Tresten. In Vasha, the Magi would not be questioned.
The soldier glanced at one of the men with him, and something passed between them. The man turned and slipped through the gate, disappearing into the palace yard.
“We will wait to see if the priests welcome your presence.”
“You think that they would not?” Tresten asked.
The soldier didn't answer, simply stared straight ahead.
They waited silently. Endric wondered if perhaps the better strategy would have been for them to have found a place to stay and then sent word. Would that have been the expected response from a Magi?
No, the Magi would have expected to come to the temple and would have expected to have been welcomed.
After what seemed an inordinately long period of time, the soldier came running back. He slipped through the gate, closing the door behind him. He leaned toward his leader and whispered something. The soldier nodded before turning to look at Mage Tresten.
“The priests are unable to welcome you at this time. If you could tell them where you're staying?”
“Enough of this,” Brohmin said. He darted forward, crashing his fist to the back of the two Ur soldiers’ necks before they could react.
Endric realized what he planned and copied him, attacking the other men. He didn't make an effort to kill them. This was only to slow them. Endric used techniques that Listain showed him, managing to take down two men before they had a chance to react. Senda and Pendin took care of the remaining two.
When they had fallen, Pendin chuckled. “Well, that's one way to avoid attention, isn't it?”
“We must move quickly now,” Tresten said.
They sat the soldiers up against the wall and Tresten reached for the gate, doing something that unlocked it. Once open, Tresten guided them through, motioning for them to follow, and to do so quickly. On the other side of the wall, Endric took a moment to gape.
A well-manicured lawn was lined with shrubs groomed into shapes of animals and what he presumed to be the gods. Flowers bloomed throughout. A few trees grew tall as well. Everything about it was lovely, and magnificent in a way that he thought fitting of the gods.
“It's so…” Pendin began.
“Overwrought,” Tresten said. “It would be much better was it simpler. Do they really think the gods they worship require such ostentatious decoration?”
Endric found himself smiling. “You mean like the not-at-all ostentatious design of the Palace of the Magi?”
Tresten grinned at him. “I mean something like that exactly. Tie the horses up near the gate. There will be no need for them from here. Either the men will awaken and raise the alarm or the priests will welcome us. Either way, I doubt we'll need the horses.”
Once they had done this, Tresten guided them through the yard.
Endric watched the Mage. Every so often, he glanced at the tower, almost a longing look on his face. The Magi were said to still speak to the gods, and Endric wonder if Tresten was one who made that claim. For so long, they had claimed the need for teralin, and after the attack on the city, they no longer claimed to need the metal for their ceremonies. And of the Magi that Endric had met—admittedly there weren't many, even living in Vasha—Tresten seemed the most likely to actually speak to the gods.
They circled around the outside of the yard, moving toward a flat building along the edge.
“Is that we’re going?” Endric asked.
Tresten nodded. “Unlike in other places, here the priests are unwilling to challenge the gods by attempting to gain proximity. The temple descends, rather than ascends.”
“The temple is below ground?” Endric asked.
Tresten nodded. “Below ground. And extensive. The priests are nothing if not creative with how they think to celebrate their faith.”
Endric found the statement interesting, especially coming from one of the Magi. It was almost as if Tresten didn't care for the way the priests viewed the gods. Why would that be? What would make one of the Magi upset with the priests?
“What of the high priest?” Senda asked.
Tresten turned to her, a hint of a smile lining his face. �
�Listain taught you well, didn't he? No, the high priest does not reside beneath the earth. That is for the priests, not those of rank. Those with rank are allowed to ascend to higher levels.”
“Ascend? Like the gods?” Endric asked.
Tresten nodded. “Very much like the gods. Or at least very much like what they believe the gods would do.”
They reached the entrance to the temple. They had seen no others on the palace grounds. Endric wondered why that was.
“Where are all the priests?” Pendin asked.
“There should be more here than this. There should be activity in the garden, and men and women praying around the tower itself. The last time I was here, the entire garden was awash with activity,” Tresten said.
“What would have changed?” Brohmin asked.
“I don't know, and that troubles me,” Tresten said.
The Mage opened the door to the temple itself. The door came open silently, leading to a darkened room on the other side. No one spoke. A sense of anxious dread washed over Endric as they approached. They were risking themselves, entering the Temple without the aid of the priests, but they were with one of the Magi. Who served the gods better than the Magi?
“How were you able to discover that Urik was here?” Endric asked Senda.
“I didn't break into the temple, if that's what you’re suspecting.”
“That's not what I'm suspecting, but I would've enjoyed the image of you breaking in.”
“He was seen in the city. He was in the company of other priests. That's when we heard of him.”
“What if he’s still in the city and not in the temple?” Pendin asked.
“I have a hard time thinking Urik would remain exposed in the city. He would have come to the temple seeking protection, not staying hidden and holed up in the city,” Endric said. As Tresten had said to him, he suspected Urik did have the necessary faith to be accepted into the temple. At the very least, he had the ability to feign the necessary faith.
After the discovery of his connection to the Ravers, Endric was no longer certain what motivated the Ur.
Lanterns flickered along the wall. Endric nodded at them, a hint of a smile on his face. “Like those in the mines.”
Pendin frowned. “They shouldn't be the same type of lanterns here. Why would they be?”
“Because Urik designed them,” Tresten said. “He was a lampmaker in his previous life. And he was known to be clever and skilled with his creations.”
Tresten led them into the temple, where their footsteps made a soft thudding along the stone. Endric was troubled by the fact that there was no one present. It was empty, as if the temple had been abandoned. With the temple’s proximity to the tower, this was the heart of the Urmahne, the center of the faith, and would be the last place that the priests would ever abandon.
Why would it feel that way now?
They continued down the hall, the air stale and still around them, and reached a pair of ornately carved doors. Lanterns were set on either side of them. Tresten paused with a palm on the handles and looked at those with him. “On the other side of this, the stairs lead down into the main part of the temple. I am troubled by the fact that we haven't seen any priests. I don't know what it means, but we should be prepared for the possibility that Urik has altered them.”
“How would he have altered them?” Senda asked.
“The teralin. That's what you're referring to, isn't it?”
Tresten nodded. “There's a reason the tower exists here. It's a reason not many know. Even the priests would not have known. At least, not many of them.”
As Tresten said it, Endric realized what he’d been feeling was the pull of teralin. Was it possible? Could there be a collection here?
He thought back to what he knew of Vasha. The ruins there had preceded the founding of the city, had been from the time of the gods. Were all ruins at sites of teralin collections? Was that the secret Urik had somehow managed to come across?
“If there's teralin here, how would he have discovered it?”
“He should not have been able to discover it. The presence of teralin has been concealed for many years. The fact that he would have troubles me.”
“Did the Conclave know?” Endric asked.
Tresten glanced at Brohmin. He could see from Brohmin's face that he hadn't known. “The Conclave would not have known.”
Tresten pushed open the doors without explaining how he had known.
33
The door led into a wide, open area that descended downward. Lanterns hanging on each side of the wall blazed a bright path. They were of the same make as the lanterns that had been in the mines and other places. Now he understood why.
He followed Tresten as they headed down the hallway, the old Mage making his way quickly and carefully along the hall. They still had not seen anybody in the tunnels, and no sign of anything that would indicate the priests were nearby.
The silence was terrifying in some ways.
“Are you sure we should go into the temple without the priests?” Senda asked.
“There is some danger, especially if they have been twisted by the teralin,” Tresten said.
“Novan was able to reverse the polarity. I presume he learned that from you?” Endric asked.
“Novan learned about the teralin from me. But if there’s as much teralin as I suspect, my concern is that there will be too much for me to reverse polarity. I can only work on so much at a time.”
“There’s more than that concerning you,” Endric said.
Tresten shook his head. “It worries me that the priests might have been influenced.”
Brohmin rested his hand on Tresten's shoulder. “You're not the only one who can change the polarity.”
His gaze drifted to Endric.
Endric shook his head. “I can't. I charged neutral teralin, but I never changed the polarity.”
“Perhaps not yet, but you can learn. You might have to learn,” Brohmin said.
The descended the stairs, Tresten practically floating as he went. Endric felt as if their footsteps were too loud along the stone. They passed a few doorways on the way, and Tresten checked them, finding each locked. What did it mean for the doors to be locked along the way? Would they come upon a crowd of angry priests?
“Can you feel it?” Pendin asked, leaning toward him as Tresten continued guiding them down the stairs.
“What is it that I'm supposed to feel?”
Pendin shook his head. “I'm not sure. It's like the heat from the teralin, but different. I don't know how to explain it. I can feel it around me, and feel the way that it's swirling, practically rising up from below.”
“I feel it,” Senda said.
Endric was surprised that he did not. He thought his experience crawling through the mines would attune him to teralin, but apparently not.
The stairs stretched deeper into the ground, and the lights became brighter. Another dozen or so stairs and he could see the opening gradually increase in size, thousands of lanterns giving off light. Along with that was another sense, one of pressure, that of what he presumed was negatively charged teralin.
Endric held his hand up.
“We’re getting close,” he said.
Tresten nodded. “I feel it as well. I have been pushing against it as we descend, but it’s taking much strength for me to do that.”
Endric glanced from Tresten to Brohmin. “What can I do to help?”
Tresten tapped his staff on the ground. “Push back against the darkness you feel.”
“How will I know if it's worked?”
“You'll feel a shift. It’s possible given your heritage that you will be able to access that power.”
“What do you mean by my heritage?”
Tresten turned to him, a hint of a smile playing across his mouth. “We have already spoken about your heritage. You are descended from the Antrilii, and your people have gifts that you can access.”
If the Antrilii did ha
ve abilities, could he have something? Was that why he was able to detect the polarity of the teralin, why he was able to charge the teralin when he’d faced Urik?
Endric focused on the sense of teralin. There was pressure there, and Endric resisted it, drawing on the foreign sensation from it, and pushed, knowing what it should feel like. He continued to push as they made their way down the stairs.
The pressure from the teralin grew, and he had an increasing sense of anxiety that came with it and mixed with darkness, a sensation that he fought against while feeling the pressure of the teralin. With each step, it became more difficult to move.
“What is it?” Senda asked him.
Endric shook his head. “I don't know. Something fights me.”
“What do you mean?”
As he started to answer, sound thundered behind them.
Endric spun. Up near the top of the stairs came the sound of boots on stone.
Soldiers.
The Ur had found them and followed them.
Would they follow them down the steps if it meant risking the ire of the priests?
The sound along the stairs reverberated. How many soldiers were coming? He didn’t like the idea of fighting Ur soldiers. They weren’t the enemy. But if they sided with Urik, he might have no choice.
This operation was already becoming more complicated than he had anticipated. This was supposed to be a mission to find Urik and recover him, and then return to the Denraen. They weren’t able to even find the priests.
“Take Tresten and make your way toward the priests,” Brohmin said. “The three of us will remain here, and we will hold off the attack as long as we can.”
“Why don't you take Tresten? I'll stay with Senda and Pendin. We’ll do what we need to give you the time.” Endric hoped it was not going to come down to a fight. He wasn't prepared to have a battle with soldiers of the Ur, especially not when they were simply trying to serve the priests. He understood what they were doing.
Yet, they had already attacked the Ur to reach the temple.
“I suspect you will be needed for this. It would mean more having one of the Denraen go with Tresten. Especially given your rank.” Brohmin glanced over, a hint of a smile on his face. “Don't worry; I don't have any intention of harming the Ur.”
Soldier Sword (The Teralin Sword Book 2) Page 26