Still, she decided, snapping herself back to the present, she was sure she could do it. Jayne Corr could do it, too, and Toli, dear Toli, would no doubt think it was great fun. Eilidh had to suppress a smile, though, as she imagined Granite's reaction to her asking a dwarf to climb a tree!
The Wise One had indicated that timing was a critical factor in this quest; so hiding for long periods was to be avoided if possible. But with their magic so depleted, prudence was also called for. In the end, to Eilidh's surprise, it was Jayne who came up with the solution.
“Begging your pardon, Miss Eilidh,” she offered, hesitantly, “but can I make a suggestion?”
“Please,” Eilidh encouraged.
“I think it’d be best if we found a wayward pine and made camp.”
“What's a wayward pine?” Eilidh asked. “I haven't spent much time outdoors,” she added by way of explanation. The half-orc had spent practically all of her life outdoors, so she knew all about these friends to travellers. She was pleased to be sharing her knowledge, so she could make herself of value to her companions.
Rather than explain, she simply found one, lower down the trail. A wayward pine was a tree with branches like wheel spokes and boughs reaching nearly to the ground, making a safe, dry place for travellers to spend the night. A sheltering tree perfect for adventurers, providing the traveller with protection from rain, enough room for a fire, and loose-weave needles to allow smoke to escape. Eilidh was impressed. Toli was fascinated. Granite would have preferred a hole in the ground or a nice cave, but since neither option was in evidence, he grudgingly accepted the wayward pine.
* * * * * They struck out at dawn, agreeing that it was important to make the most of the day for travelling, accepting the risk that their magic would not be available at full strength for perhaps as long as an hour. Granite Longbeard had other ideas, however, unwrapping his mandolin and strumming the chords to accompany his rich baritone voice as he sang the Rhyme of Doubletime. The sound of his singing might give away their location to an enemy, but the mages would feel their Life Store regenerate in double quick time. It was a reasonable trade-off, they decided.
The indistinct trail mercifully gave way to an easy-to-follow path. It appeared this was once a place of civilisation - the approach to a village, perhaps - which would be consistent with their destination: an ancient temple. Temples were natural focal points in a community. A temple needed worshippers and it therefore made sense to make it easily accessible.
Sure enough, as the path widened, they began to see the remains of ancient construction. Not whole buildings, but just part of a wall here and there. They were abandoned shells now, of course, but there was no doubt that sentient life had once lived here. Eilidh wondered what had happened to this unnamed hamlet. Was it simply abandoned as part of the natural movement of people, or had some disaster - natural or unnatural - befallen an unsuspecting and unprepared community? The Catalyst found herself thinking back to Marina Fells, and how that devastated village might one day look very like where there were now standing.
“Is that what happened to you?” Eilidh whispered softly to the spirits of this place.
“Pardon?” Came Toli's voice. “Sorry,” she added when she saw she'd made Eilidh jump. “That's alright, Toli. I was just thinking out loud, letting my imagination run away with me. We have no evidence to tell us that these people were attacked. Besides, whether they were or not, it happened so long ago, it really doesn't make any difference to us here and now.” She laid a hand on her friend's shoulder. “I guess I'm just a little spooked, that's all. It's silly and I'm OK now.”
“Oh it's only natural to be spooked about a place like this. Why it reminds me of a place I used to know near to where I grew up. Well, I say `near` but it was far enough away that our parents didn't really want us - that is my friends and I - going there, but that just made it more mysterious and enticing. We used to tell stories about make-believe monsters that lived in there and one day, we-”
The magician was interrupted by a trio of man-like creatures with a disgusting oozing skin that was constantly moving around and even dripping onto the ground, only to be re-absorbed into the creature it came from. They lurched at the party, but the two warriors were easily a match for their slow reactions. Jayne chopped a hundred small fragments out of one, with deft, rapid swordplay, and Granite had plenty of time to let go of his instrument with his right hand, so he could grab his battleaxe. He cleaved the second of the creatures in two, right through the middle of its torso.
“Toli -” Eilidh began, but her friend was already way ahead of her. The magician knew of these creatures - they had a scream not unlike that of a banshee, which could paralyse an enemy and even cause physical brain damage if the scream were sufficiently prolonged. The remaining creature opened the massive hole in the middle of its face that currently served as a mouth - its nose had dropped off almost as soon as it appeared. But Toli condensed the water vapour in a pocket of air, forming a ball of ice that she mentally shoved into the creature's mouth, effectively gagging it. Jayne plunged her sword into its midriff, and Granite neatly chopped off its head.
“Unlike your childhood adventures, Toli,” Eilidh said, “the monsters here are not make- believe.”
Toli pulled a face, but for once said nothing.
Without a word passing between them, Jayne took point while Granite placed himself as rear guard.
“You two make a pretty good team,” Eilidh remarked.
“We are not a team,” insisted the dwarf. “Och aye, she fights well enough, but I still donnae trust her and I just want tae have her up front where I can see her, that’s all.” Eilidh decided not to pursue the matter for fear of Jayne overhearing. She didn't want to offend their companion, not least because she was proving extremely useful to have around at the moment.
“OK, Granite,” she smoothed, “you've made your point.”
The bard grunted and stomped away to his position. Toli stretched up to Eilidh's ear and whispered, “But you don't entirely trust her either, do you?” In answer to the Catalyst's startled look, she added, “Just an observation. After all, you're my friend and friends notice these things, right? Why, I remember a time when...”
Eilidh tuned out of Tolbrietta's latest story and pondered her companion's statement, “Friends notice these things.”
Yes, Eilidh pondered silently, I suppose they do.
Still, it did feel a little creepy to have someone know her so well. Nobody had ever been that close before...nobody had ever wanted to be that close before. Just as the map said it would, a second trail split from the main path a few hundred yards further on. The main path continued in a more-or-less straight line, into what was once the village centre. It was this new subsidiary that the party wanted, curling away at more than ninety degrees until it faced East, towards the rising sun. This was the path that led to the temple.
The path was overrun by what were once the temple gardens. The companions got the impression it was well tended in its day, with innumerable varieties of flower, tree and shrub. One particular patch, Eilidh took special care to avoid; the plants that grew there looked similar to the Kij vine they had encountered in Shakaran Borderlands. They clearly weren't the same – perhaps a different species, but they were similar enough to spark some painful memories.
The temple itself was of no construction Eilidh had ever seen or read about. No towers soared upward. No spires sought to pierce the sky. What they could see was merely the entrance: a small squat pyramid, approximately twenty five yards in each direction of the square base and just fifty feet high. There was no indication whether this was a temple of Light, Dark or Balance: Eilidh suspected it was none of these, though she did not know how that could be so. Indeed, `temple` seemed an inappropriate label for this place - crypt might be more accurate. Whatever it was, it was in a general state of disrepair, as one would expect, but here and there, clean patches shone through the surrounding dirt - shone with a dazzling, golden b
rilliance reflected in the form of avarice in the eyes of the dwarven bard.
“This temple,” Granite gasped. “The walls are made of solid gold! How could anyone afford to build such a place?”
“Not only that,” Eilidh said, nodding, “but how anyone could collect so much gold together in one place, mould it and cast it into this shape is beyond me.”
Jayne, still at point, found a doorway that opened to reveal steps scaling down into the crypt.
“You sure you wanna do this, Miss Eilidh?” enquired their half-orc companion. “We don't know what’s down there; it could be dangerous!” “Quite possibly,” Eilidh allowed. “But then, if I knew what was down here, I wouldn't have to look.” Once again, Eilidh’s stomach lurched as the look of incredible awe on Jayne’s face at hearing such profound wisdom from `Miss Eilidh`. Forcing a smile, Eilidh invited the half-orc to lead the way.
“Actually, Eilidh,” Granite said, “I think this is a job fer a dwarf.” Jayne opened her mouth to object, but the dwarf ignored her. “When yer out in the open, this one,” he indicated Miss Corr, “might - just might - be OK. But if yer goin' underground, then what ye need is a dwarf leadin' the way!”
Jayne acquiesced and Granite stomped off down the steps, leaving the others little choice but to scurry after him. The dwarf was truly in his element down there, giving him an advantage over the others. The steps ended in a corridor with a square cross-section, ending in a heavy oak door a mere twenty feet ahead. The bard pushed at the door, but nothing happened. He heaved with all his might and still it would not budge. The others lent their weight to the task, but fared no better.
“Well,” Granite huffed, “I have nae come all this way tae be stopped by a door! Stand back now,” he warned, brandishing his axe. “Wait!” Toli cried. “You can't just stroll into a temple and start chopping doors down. Not if you can help it anyway. Even if it’s abandoned, a temple is still a temple and just because people have forgotten all about this place doesn't mean the gods have. If we could all see what we're doing, we might get along better.”
Granite was annoyed at losing his advantage, but he guessed he couldn't really expect to keep the others in the dark forever, so with a grunt he agreed.
Toli cast the Woodlight Spell, and the door obediently glowed, revealing a rope attached to a doorbell.
Eilidh felt a little silly ringing a bell when there couldn't possibly be anyone to answer it.
"Perhaps the gods will be satisfied by the attempt," said Toli.
At the very least, Eilidh decided it could do no harm to humour her friend, so she did as she asked. The door did not open. Instead, a ghostly apparition shimmered into existence before it, barring their way. It appeared to be the spirit of a long-dead temple guard and dead or not, it seemed intent on performing its ancient duty. It stood before the door in its well-polished transparent uniform, and equally non-corporeal, but freshly sharpened sword in its hand.
“Who seekest entry into this most sacred shrine?” It asked in a bored tone.
I suppose I'd be bored, too, Eilidh thought, after centuries of standing guard. Judging by the dust on the floor, she didn't think anyone had been allowed through this door in a very long time, if ever, so she was going to have to come up with something suitably impressive if she wanted to buck the trend.
Acting on sudden inspiration, she drew herself up proudly and declared, “Stand aside and let us pass, I command you, in the name of the Du y Kharia!” The ghost suddenly looked interested, alert and quite dangerous. Eilidh imagined he must have cut quite the imposing figure in life. He studied the Catalyst for a long moment - Eilidh felt herself being probed by unfamiliar magic. It made her flesh tingle; at times it even made her skin crawl, but while it was unpleasant, it stopped short of causing physical pain. She remained absolutely still - somehow she knew this was a test and if she flinched away it would immediately be construed as failure. She imagined failure was most likely lethal.
The probing stopped and the guard bowed low. “Long hath I awaited thy coming, and now at last I canst give thee a warning which thou must needs hear: Turn ye back, Du y Kharia. Seek ye not entry into the temple for death awaiteth thee beyond this door. Thy search here is meaningless.”
“Thank you for the warning,” Eilidh replied, curtly, “but I'm afraid I must insist that you let me pass.”
“Before I canst do that, thou must needs answer but one question. Please consider thine answer with care, for if thy first is false, a second attempt shalt not be permitted.”
“Understood,” Eilidh confirmed. “So what’s the question?” “Simply this: Why should I let thee in this door?”
“Well, I have many…motivations,” Eilidh considered, deciding to avoid the word `reasons` lest the ghost interpret it as her answer. She began pacing, as she thought about the question. “There is my ultimate goal of stopping Niltsiar, of course, and the advice of the Wise One that I might find something here to aid me in that. Niltsiar represents a threat to this world and I’ve been charged with helping to protect it.” She realised she was talking with her hands a lot again, but she decided that now was not the time to try to curb the habit, lest it disturb her reasoning. She appreciated that the others seemed to know better than to speak. Toli and Granite had seen her like this before and recognised that it was best to leave her to think things through herself. Toli offered an encouraging smile, while Granite glowered at Jayne who, for her part, seemed awestruck by what Eilidh was doing.
The Catalyst kept her focus, however, as she continued without interruption. “From what little I know, Niltsiar represents tyranny and death, and I want that threat to end. I’m doing this, in part, out of a sense of duty. Master Gamaliel charged me with this quest in his capacity as Prime Magus and I have chosen to accept that responsibility. Other motives include a desire to protect people that I’ve come to…” she hesitated, “…care about, and most importantly I’m doing it so that I may be free to get back to the quiet life I had planned before this all started.
“However,” she stopped pacing, eyes narrowing as she studied the ghost and the door that it guarded. “None of those things are the reason,” she emphasised the word, “why you should let me in through that door specifically, which is I think whatyou’re really asking me.” She took a breath before giving her answer. “The reason you should let me in is quite simply because it’s not your choice – it’s mine! I’m alive, you are dead, and if I choose to go through that door, then you have no right to try and stop me.”
“Then I prevent ye not, Du y Kharia. I merely offer thee a warning that thou shouldst not, for as one door doth open, so might another. Understand also that if thou dost ignore my warning, I shalt guard the way no longer. Entry for one is entry for all."
"Understood," Eilidh acknowledged. "I choose to enter."
"Very well, Du y Kharia." The apparition accepted.
"How long have you been guarding this place?" Eilidh asked.
"Since the days of Merlyn, Ganieda and Artemis," he answered. "Not long after the Fall of Niltsiar herself.”
"But that's millennia!" Toli cried.
"Aye," Granite agreed. "So long that no-one, not even Temporal mages, can agree on an exact number." “It was necessary." "And you've endured this existence, this echo of life, for so long, just for someone to come along and tell you that you had no right to bar entry in the first place?" the Catalyst asked, incredulously.
"It was necessary."
"I'm sorry."
"Thy compassion does thee credit, Du y Kharia, but it was my free choice to do this. It was necessary. Now I am free at last to rest. Fare ye well, Du y Kharia.”
The ghost bowed once and shimmered out of existence as the heavy oaken door swung open.
Chapter 13
The Central Merlyon Library of Magic was as imposing as ever, but Rochelle Ribbons did not have time to stop and stare. She grabbed Artisho's arm and together they casually attached themselves to a small mixed group that were just enter
ing the building.
Rochelle had stopped along the way to buy a cloak, which she hoped would somehow provide sufficient cover for her current magical state. If no-one paid her any attention, they might not notice she was magically Dead at the moment. Even if they did notice, with luck, anyone who happened to have been present at the earlier incident would not identify her. It was the best she could do, at any rate. Even had she possessed enough money to pay for the Nullmagic spell to be reversed, which she didn't, she dared not set foot in the Church of Life. Merlana might have alerted the Catalysts to watch out for her. Regardless, it didn't seem prudent to enter Eilidh's former home. No, no fancy magic; wearing a cloak over her green lether tunic would have to do.
The lady marketer had seemed extra keen that evening, trying to get Rochelle to buy more than she needed. Would madam like her cloak embroidered in gold thread? Perhaps madam's family symbol, or something more personal? Individualised styles were available at a small extra charge. Would madam like to enhance her new look with some jewellery? A sparkling platinum chain with tiny emeralds inserted would set off madam's eyes beautifully, and she had just the thing right there. Maybe madam would take pleasure in a pair of delicate earrings or a brooch to pin onto madam's new cloak? One couldn't help but notice how madam's hair was cut short in the latest fashion of Merlyon's more refined gnomish customers, and many such ladies were wearing thin silver circlets on their heads... And so on and so forth.
Consequences (Majaos Book 2) Page 13