"Don't be silly Alrion, let's just figure this out.” Lara reached out for Alrion's arm, but he shook her off.
"Move, Certan," Alrion said. The monk shrugged and shook his head. Alrion sent a wave of force at the monk's feet. Certan was moved, but regained his footing and resumed his stance. Alrion threw another wave, this time at Certan's chest. The monk absorbed the force, moving slightly, but without losing his ground.
"You will need more than that," Certan said.
Alrion started to get frustrated. "Just leave me be," he said. He prepared a fire spell, and as he readied it Certan moved. He dashed with incredible speed, knocking Alrion to the side and disrupting the spell. Alrion recovered, and went all out, throwing waves of force at Certan from all directions. The monk seemed to anticipate most of them, and either dodged or blocked the force with minimal impact. Alrion kept up the onslaught and prepared another spell.
Since Certan was within a smaller area, Alrion raised a large block of wet sand and formed a powerful seal around Certan's feet. As the sand solidified it contracted, binding the monk's feet tighter and tighter. Certan noticed it happening, and started to struggle with increasing force. But it was too late. Alrion managed to strengthen the block so much that the monk was completely trapped.
"So, it has come to this," Certan said. There was a sadness and regret in his voice.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do this," Alrion said. Certan nodded, and reached into his robes. He retrieved the metal flask, and held it out.
"What's what?" Lara said.
"My saving grace.” Certan unscrewed the lid and held it still in front of him.
"Don't drink it, it's not worth it," Alrion said. Certan chuckled quietly.
"You misunderstand," he said. He tipped the flask over and poured it out into the sand. Quite a bit flowed out. Each drop was one that Certan had avoided drinking.
"They will never know," Certan said wistfully.
"What is he talking about? What did you make him do?" Lara said.
"He took that flask from the temple when he was banished. He swore that he would not drink from it again, no matter what happened. So that one day, he could return and show them that had regained his honour and mastered his weakness," Alrion said.
"Why Certan?" she said.
"If all hope is lost for you Alrion, then it is for me also," Certan said. Alrion was shocked. His fear at his powerlessness had not only turned him away from his quest, it had damaged his friend's chances at being accepted again by his people.
"Why would you do that?" Alrion said.
"Because you need to learn. Will is not something you use. Will is a part of how you live. Will means persevering no matter the odds. I will find a way to succeed with an empty flask, just as you will find a way to succeed now," Certan said.
"I…I don't know what to say." Alrion dispersed all the sand around Certan's feet and dropped into a crouch. He buried his head in his hands, trying to think.
"You have come a long way. You have been putting on a big front, and showing off with the use of your new-found power. But you still carry fear for your enemy. And healthy doses of self-doubt. This is normal, especially given the situation. But you mustn't give it power. Acknowledge it and move on. There is much more you must achieve," Certan said.
Alrion looked up. The monk was right about a lot of things. He had been trying to compensate with his magic, to bluff about his confidence and mastery. But it had been a front, and had crumbled spectacularly in front of overwhelming odds. Would that realisation change anything though?
"But where do we go from here? Acknowledging my fear and uncertainty is not going to make that ridiculous army go away," Alrion said.
"Who said anything about fighting them all. There is another way," Certan said.
"I'm all ears, I don't want to deal with that," Lara said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder towards the teeming mass of Tainted.
"You don't take me as the type to just saunter in the front door. Do you think the monks don't have other ways of getting around?" Certan said. A wry smile broke out on his face.
"You have a way of getting us in?" Lara said.
"Yes. Provided you have the courage to join me."
"I'll go. Maybe there's a chance," Alrion said.
"Me too. I need to see this place for myself. Maybe even liberate some treasure," Lara said with a wink.
"Follow me," Certan said, shaking off the sand around his feet and walking off with purpose.
29
Entering the Temple
The trio walked with renewed hope. Certan took them along the newly formed ridge and they tried to avoid looking at the black mass of enemies. They started to approach the temple in a round-about way, avoiding danger.
"We can't do this the whole way, it will take all day," Lara said.
"I agree, just a bit further," Certan said. Lara didn't respond, and decided to see what the monk had to show them. A few minutes later he stopped quickly, and crouched down. He motioned for Lara and Alrion to do the same.
"This is as close as we can come without the need to approach directly," Certan said.
"The front door perhaps, but you said there was another way," Lara said.
"There is, but not for us. You yourself said, it will take too long to take the long way in. If I show Alrion the way, he can enter the temple from the secret passage and we can create a diversion so that he doesn't get noticed," Certan said.
"Hang on, you want us to go into that?" Lara said.
"I said we had a chance, not that it was safe," Certan said.
"Why are you smiling? This is terrible!" Lara said.
"Nothing is certain, except death. We don't know when it will come, but that it will claim us eventually. I don't want it to be today, but it wouldn't be the worst end, would it?" Certan said.
"You monks are crazy. Alrion say something," Lara said.
"I don't know the area well, and I certainly don't want to sacrifice anyone today. But Certan must know that I can't sneak in unnoticed. If there's a way for you to enable that and survive, it's not a bad idea," Alrion said.
"Lara is quite resourceful, I've noticed she has a few interesting things hidden up her sleeves. I'm not sacrificing myself just yet," Certan said.
"If you're going to do this, I'll promise that I'll make it to the trial. One way or another," Alrion said.
"I guess it's up to us then," Lara said.
"I'll leave you to ponder about our chances of survival, and I'll show Alrion where the entrance is.” Certan led Alrion aside, and they crept down the ridge on the other side.
"The entrance is marked by a statue of a cat. The cat' tail is actually a lever, and if you pull it the entrance will be revealed. But you must close the entrance immediately. If the enemy notices it, the temple's defenses will be overrun in no time," Certan said.
"Understood," Alrion said.
"See that curve in the ridge down there?"
"Yes, I see it."
"Make your way down there as quietly as possible. You should be able to see the cat statue from there. Await our signal, then make a run for it. I'm not sure how much time you will have."
"I can do that. Thank you Certan, I wouldn't have made it this far without you. Now go survive so I can repay you," Alrion said.
"That's my intention."
"What's the signal?"
"I'm not sure, but knowing Lara, you will know it when you see it," Certan said.
"I'm sure you are right about that," Alrion said, and held out his hand. Certan shook it firmly then headed back. Alrion started working his way down. He wanted to get his bearings and locate the statue before he noticed the signal. It would be a disaster if he didn't get there in time.
The ridge was quite steep, and following it without going over the top was hard going. He was walking on an angle and each step threatened to have him toppling down the slope. But he persevered and made consistent progress. Soon he reached the spot that Certan had pointed out and p
aused for a rest.
Once he had composed himself, Alrion crept up the ridge and looked out. They were around the side of the temple, but there was still a large mass of Blighters and Tainted milling around. It seemed as though they were looking for another entry.
"Not just a large mass, they're coordinating. This is bad," Alrion thought. He could see why a diversion was required. There was a decent chance that Alrion could make it to that entrance, and get inside. But there was purpose behind the enemy's actions. If they got wind of a secret entrance hidden here, and thought to investigate the statue it was only a matter of time until they managed to open it.
"I won't be able to do a single thing. Certan and Lara are on their own." Alrion realised. He dismissed the thought and focused on what he could do himself.
He noticed strange movement out on the ground, and tracked it with his eyes. Something was moving really fast, but wasn't being noticed by the enemy. That is until it started attacking. It was like an invisible whirlwind of death, carving a path through the mass of Blighters. It took them seconds to figure out what was going on, and in that time at least twenty of them had fallen.
As they began to react in anger, a large explosion went off a bit further away. A wave of Blighters was sent flying, sending the whole group into disarray. The deathly blur that was Certan changed direction, moving towards the explosion. The confused and angry Blighters started to follow, the Tainted spurring them on.
Alrion watched carefully. That was definitely the signal. But there were still one or two Blighters that had not followed. He had to make a call. Should he wait more, or take them out?
"I'll wait a tiny bit more, just in case," he thought to himself. Despite the commotion and damage that Certan and Lara were causing, the few straggling Blighters were not going over. Either they were oblivious or reacting to different orders.
"They're not that close to the statue, maybe I can creep past them," Alrion thought. It was worth a try. He didn't want to draw any attention, because it would detract from what was being done by his friends.
Alrion cautiously crested the ridge and slid down the other side. He got up quickly and kept an eye on the Blighters. There were three worth worrying about, and two of them were roving around and not too close to the statue. However, there was one patrolling around that was a danger. If Alrion was careless he would get spotted for sure.
He kept low and ensured his hood was up over his face. He slowly moved along, watching all three Blighters. As he closed in on the cat statue he realised that the timing wasn't going to work. The roving Blighter would be too close, and Alrion had nowhere to hide. He had to take care of it.
Alrion altered his path, and closed in on the Blighter. He wanted to get close, to make things easier. He stalked behind it, waiting until it reached what appeared to be the limit of its patrol. Alrion carefully prepared a wave of force and directed it at the creature's neck, providing a powerful spin to quickly and efficiently break its neck. The Blighter dropped silently, and Alrion stalked back to the cat statue.
"So far so good. I hope the other ones don't notice," he thought. As he neared the statue, he kept an eye on the other Blighters. They didn't seem to notice anything unusual, and in the distance Alrion could still hear the noises of fighting and explosions.
"I hope they're alright over there. Better take care of this now," he whispered. As he examined the cat, he could see the amazing detail. It looked ancient too, but was quite well preserved considering the circumstances. He found the tail without trouble, and gave it a yank. Nothing happened.
Alrion held onto the tail and tried manipulating it in different directions. Down, side to side and diagonally had no effect. He tried lifting it up and it started to move. Throwing more effort into it he managed to force the tail up, and heard a nearby clunk. Then nothing.
Alrion's eyes darted back to the other two Blighters. It may have been his imagination but they seemed like they were heading over. They seemed to be moving with a bit more purpose than before.
"Come on statue, let's go," Alrion whispered. The Blighters were still a way off, but if they came too close he wouldn't be able to hide. Suddenly the ground beneath him shifted, and he almost toppled over. He saw steps appearing in the sand, descending into a dark passage. Alrion ran down as quickly as he could, almost slipping several times. Once he reached the bottom he created a light above his hand and looked everywhere for another lever. He found one on the wall, and yanked it as hard as possible.
Another clank, then silence.
"Where are those Blighters? I hope they're not too inquisitive," Alrion thought. He was completely exposed if they came close and noticed the stairs down. He strained his ears but couldn't hear anything. With a start, the stairs began to move. They shifted back and up, forming a neat wall where there was once an incline.
"I guess that's closed. Time to investigate this passage," Alrion thought.
Certan was beginning to get overwhelmed. Lara's explosives had helped thin out and confuse the Blighters. But the Tainted that were controlling the horde had recovered from the initial shock, and were sending wave after wave at them. He knew from counting the explosions that Lara was almost out of her bombs. He made his way closer to the latest one, hoping to find her.
Spinning and rolling he made his way through the throng like a scythe, cutting down Blighters left and right. He couldn't keep this up forever, but at least he could hold his own. He was waiting for another explosion, but it didn't come.
"Lara!" Certan shouted. He needed to have an indication of where she was, or even if she was still alive.
"Over here, bit busy!" she shouted back. Certan redirected his efforts and headed in her direction. A deadly claw strike interrupted his train of thought, almost catching him in the neck. A last-minute reaction saved him, and he took the offending Blighter down quickly.
"I'm slowing, getting sloppy," Certan thought. Time was running out. He found Lara surrounded by a wreath of Blighter corpses. She was in the centre, alternating between slicing with her dagger and throwing knives with pinpoint precision.
"Out of bombs?" Certan said as he joined her.
"Yes. How much longer do we need to do this?" she said.
"Enough time has passed. We are no use to him dead. We need to get into the temple," Certan said.
"I'm with you there. Any ideas?"
"There are columns holding up the main entrance. They may provide a narrow corridor for us to fight through, where numbers won't be as big an issue." Certan pointed in the general direction.
"If we can get there.” Lara threw two knives, taking down two Blighters who had managed to get close. Another was right behind him, its eyes beaming murder and its mouth was slightly open. Lara could see the drool running down its chin and its sharp fangs.
Certan was contending with three others, and had not noticed. Lara panicked. She wasn't sure she had the right space to fend it off without taking a serious injury. As she was awaiting its move she noticed the creature slow then fall down, splitting at the middle as it fell. A blade of Runesteel emerged and Lara finally smiled.
30
The Trial
As Alrion became accustomed with the passage he increased his speed. He needed to enter the temple as quickly as possible and find the trial. There were no guarantees as to what would happen, but at least he had a chance. It didn't look like the temple was overrun yet.
He had heard nothing behind him, so it appeared as though he had entered without attracting any attention. If the Blighters discovered their fallen friend, they would not know where to look.
The passage was long and winding. Luckily there were no turns to take, so he could move fast and not worry about losing his way. But that was about to change.
The passage ended in a set of stairs. Alrion ran up as fast as he could without risking a fall. He looked up and could not see the end of the stairs. Finally, he reached the end, which was not an exit. It was a dead end. Alrion examined the walls with h
is light, and could see nothing of use. The ceiling at the landing was very low, so he tried pushing on that instead. It moved slightly.
Encouraged by the movement, Alrion pushed more and a piece of stone above him rotated, acting like a trap door. Alrion felt around with his hands and found something. It was a rope of some kind. He tugged at it, and a simple rope ladder fell down and landed on his head. He pushed it away, then tested it.
Feeling satisfied, Alrion climbed up and hauled himself out of the hole. He was in a tiny room with no other furnishings and only one open doorway.
"Here we are," Alrion whispered. He dusted himself off and left the room immediately. He found himself in a corridor with the option of going left or right. It was well-lit, so he let his light vanish.
"This isn't good. I'll try right," he thought. He walked quickly down the corridor, hoping to establish if it was the right way. He passed several rooms that looked like they were sleeping quarters. But nobody was around.
"Makes sense, everyone will be out fighting," Alrion thought. But that didn't help him. He had no idea where the trial would be. He came to another crossroads and had another decision to make.
"Right again," he decided, and headed off. This time he emerged in a large hall. Weapons lined the walls, and there was a square marked out in the centre of the room.
"This is not it," he decided. But he did notice another doorway at the other end of the room and kept going. He pressed through and found a staircase going up.
"May as well try it," he whispered. He was trying to keep up-beat but felt so frustrated at not knowing what the Vault of Silence even looked like.
"I probably should have asked Certan or Ashra more about it. They could have at least told me where to look," he thought. But nobody had expected there to be such trouble.
The staircase wound up and up and rays of daylight stole through the occasional slit. Alrion didn't bother trying to look through, he had no time. He noticed a doorway at the top bathed in light. He ran for it, and burst through.
Vault of Silence (The Hidden Wizard Book 2) Page 21