“I will,” he nodded, “but that still doesn't tell me anything definite about my staff. How am I supposed to figure out what caused it to do that or how to make it do it again?”
“Try hitting something else with it,” the fairy suggested. “That's a good place to start.”
“It is,” Myra agreed. “You should also try to focus your power through it when you cast.”
“How do I do that?”
“Just think about it. Intend to channel your spells through it. Will it to be.”
“Again,” he said, “why didn't you mention this before?”
“You're not a wizard yet,” the maiden pointed out. “You're learning to become one. I always planned to mention it to you when I thought you were ready. Now, I do.”
“Can't you and Nyssa just figure out how to use it?”
“Probably not,” the fairy said, shaking her head. “It's kind of a personal thing.”
“Especially in this case,” Myra speculated. “That staff was meant for you, Joey. Even if it wasn't, we couldn't learn to use it for you. You have to learn that for yourself.”
“I think I understand,” he replied. “You can't really teach me to use it for me; only I can do that.”
“Exactly,” both maidens replied.
“Well, can you teach me that spell you used to fix your robe?” he asked the former lich.
“I'm sure I can,” she smiled.
“Good. I figure a spell that can mend cloth and take out blood stains would be worth knowing.”
“It is,” she ceded. “Especially since you can use it to fix broken weapons and armor as well.”
“Which makes it even more useful,” Joey pointed out.
Early the following afternoon, the band reached their destination. The ruins of a once majestic temple sat atop the hill of Palmos. Its noble columns lay toppled and broken and large portions of its stone roof had collapsed. Its doors hung open, revealing a scene of the undead's former wrath. Shattered statutes and broken stonework filled the otherwise empty structure.
“Is this what the undead always do?” Joey asked as he climbed from the saddle.
“Always,” Alena replied, drawing her sword and stepping toward the open doorway.
“What do we do now that we're here?” Paul said, readying his own blade and following close behind the ogress.
“Look for a guy in a robe,” Darek replied.
“I'm wearing a robe,” Joey pointed out.
“Well, unless you know what road leads to the door we're looking for, you're not the guy,” Darek asserted.
“I guess that's true,” Joey ceded.
The party slowly and cautiously made their way inside the structure. A number of statues of priests and clerics stood along the walls. Each of these had been defaced in one way or another. However, some of them seemed to be subject to a greater desire for destruction than others. One of the largest, and most disfigured, was of a high priest. Its head had been broken off and shattered on the floor near the pedestal, as had its once uplifted arm and pointing hand.
“He's in a robe,” Paul observed, pointing at the statue as he spoke.
“That's true,” Darek agreed, “but a lot of them are.”
“He's pointing,” the paladin added. “Well, he was before his arm was broken off.”
“Also true,” Darek nodded, “but he's just pointing to inside the temple.”
“Or that hole in the wall.”
“The hole wasn't there when the temple was built.”
“That's my point.”
“Alright,” Darek said. “Let's look the place over. If we don't find any more pointing, robed statues; we'll take a look through the hole and see what we can find.”
Their continued search revealed no more statues that were both wearing robes and pointing at anything. They did find several interesting murals, however. In spite of the fact that the undead had done a great deal to damage them, Paul still felt they were incredible works of art. The one that most captivated his attention was a breathtaking depiction of a path leading to heaven on the western wall. For several minutes, he stood admiring it before his companions called his attention back to the present.
Having concluded their initial search, they decided to take a look through the hole in the northern wall that the statue seemed to be pointing toward. The only thing that stood out in that direction was the peak of a hill several miles away; rising from amongst a small patch of half-dead trees.
“What do you think?” Paul asked, gazing through the opening in the wall.
“I'm not sure,” Sarrac replied. “We can ride north tomorrow and see what we find.”
“It's still early,” Alena point out. “I think we could make it there and back before nightfall.”
“I agree,” Darek nodded. “There's no reason to waste any time. Even if we only have a couple of hours to search, it's better than just sitting around here. Who knows how long it's going to take us to find this fortress - if it's even here.”
“It is,” Sarrac assured him, stepping up toward the hole for a better look. “You can be sure of that.”
“There may be a secret passage around here,” Joey interjected. “Nyssa should go over every inch of it.”
“That's a great idea,” the fairy replied before flying immediately toward the doorway in order to begin her time consuming task at the very beginning.
“That will give us plenty of time to go take a look at that hill,” Darek pointed out. “She may be searching for hours.”
“I'll stay with her,” Joey volunteered.
“I'll stay as well,” Myra added. “Between the three of us, we should be able to handle any undead that show up - if any happen to; which I rather doubt.”
“Are you sure?” Paul asked.
“I am,” she assured him.
“Alright, then,” he said, turning back toward the door. “Let's go, guys. The sooner we find what we're looking for, the better.”
The four companions strode quickly from the temple, climbed back into the saddle, and gently kicked their mounts into motion. Paul estimated the peak of the hill to be no more than five miles from the temple. That being the case, they would be able to reach it in roughly an hour - even at their current, rather moderate, pace. They would have several hours to search the area before the sun set. He sincerely hoped that would be enough time to find what they were looking for.
A man in a robe had certainly pointed them in this direction. At least, metaphorically, he had. The paladin had little doubt that the statue was what the prophecy had been referring to. However they managed to tell the future, the prophet had known that hole would be in the wall when they got there. They also certainly knew that the hilltop would be the most conspicuous sight on the horizon. Whatever the road was that would lead them to the fortress, he felt confident that it was on that hill.
Just as Paul predicted, they reached the summit in roughly an hour. Each of the four companions climbed from their horses and began carefully looking over the area. They could clearly see the ruins of the temple in the distance, and could even make out the rather large hole in its wall. The uplifted arm of the statue was pointing at something near where they stood; they just had to find it.
The following few hours were filled with fruitless search. If there were, in fact, anything to discover, they hadn't been able to uncover it. There seemed to be nothing on the hilltop but dirt, rocks, trees, and them. An hour before the sun set, they decided to head back toward the temple.
In retrospect, it seemed obvious that whatever it was they were looking for had almost certainly been hidden using magic. Leaving Myra and Nyssa behind had been a mistake. It was one they could easily rectify in the morning, however. Assuming, of course, that their companions hadn't made any discoveries within the temple itself. It was always possible that the pointing statue had nothing to do with the prophecy and that Joey's suggestion that Nyssa search the temple would lead them to their road. Although, in point of fact, it di
dn't.
Disappointment met with disappointment as each group explained to the other that they hadn't found anything at all. This information didn't discourage them. Each of them had sense enough to realize that they weren't likely to stumble on something that had been hidden for ages in just a few hours. They would have to keep looking. It was only a matter of time before they discovered whatever it was.
As the sun set on the third day after their arrival, however, frustration began to rear its head.
“If it's here,” Darek said, sitting down and leaning against the wall, “I don't see how we're going to find it.”
“It is here,” Sarrac insisted, “we just have to keep looking.”
“For how long?” Darek asked.
“Until we find it,” Alena replied.
“That's easy to say,” he said, “but the fact is that we can't stay out here forever. The Warriors are having to hold Kal Tammon without us. We can't afford to spend months out here searching for something that isn't here.”
“It is here,” the ogre asserted again.
“Then, I really wish some other guy in a robe would show up,” Darek replied. “Because so far, neither that stature nor Joey has led us to much - no offense, Joey - and, they're the only guys in robes I've seen around here.”
“Maybe we're early,” Nyssa suggested. “It may be that he's on his way.”
“Or, we're late,” Joey said, shaking his head. “He may have come and gone already.”
“He hasn't,” Sarrac assured him. “The prophecy led us here exactly when we needed to be.”
“At the very least,” Darek asserted, “it led us here a few days early. I don't think us spending day after day finding nothing is an essential part of the prophecy.”
“Probably not,” the ogre chuckled. “But my point is that the prophecy certainly hasn't led us here too late.”
“Well, then, how early are we?” Darek replied. “We can't wait around here for a year, Sarrac, even if we wanted to. The Warriors need us. Not to mention the fact that, eventually, Lord Nimmon's men are bound to stumble up on us. The last thing we want is for the undead to think this place is important to the it.”
“That's a fair point,” the ogre admitted with a sigh.
“So, what do we do?”
“Keep looking for a few more days,” Paul suggested. “If we don't find anything by then, we may have to split up.”
“Split up?” Darek repeated. “Are you serious?”
“I am,” the paladin nodded. “If at all possible, we have to find this fortress. But, that doesn't mean we can afford to abandon our allies while we're searching for it.”
“Who stays and who goes?”
“We can talk about that when the time comes,” Paul replied. “There's no point in going into it now.”
“I guess,” Darek replied, stretching himself out more fully on the ground, “but, it strikes me as a really bad idea.”
“Maybe it is,” the paladin ceded. “Let's all just give it some thought. We'll discuss it in depth before we make a decision.”
The following morning, Paul awoke to find Joey staring at the pedestal of the statute of the high priest. His attention seemed so completely focused that it roused the paladin's curiosity. He rose, made his way to his companion's side, and spoke.
“What are you looking at?” he asked.
“The inscription,” Joey replied. “Look at what it says:
As the sun rises in the East and sets in the West,
So the ways of the righteous are eternal and unchanging,
In the heavens, we began our days,
And, in the heavens, shall they end.”
“It doesn't rhyme,” Paul pointed out.
“No kidding,” Joey replied. “You figured that out in no time, didn't ya?”
“I did,” he chuckled. “I mean; it's still pretty, but I don't think it's a prophecy or anything.”
“Probably not,” Joey replied, “but, doesn't anything about it strike you as odd?”
“No, not really.”
“Look at the west wall,” Joey said. “What do you see?”
“That mural.”
“The one of the road to heaven?”
“Oh...” Paul said, nodding slowly. “I see what you mean. But, didn't Nyssa check that wall.”
“Thoroughly.”
“Well then?”
“What way is the statue pointing?”
“North.”
“If you had put this statue here...” Joey began.
“You're right!” Paul interjected. “I would have made it point at the mural.”
“Exactly!”
“Then, let's give it a bit of a twist.”
As soon as he said this, he summoned the rest of their companions. Each of the four men took hold of the statue and put all their strength into turning it to the West. Slowly, the effigy rotated on its axis. The moment it was pointing at the mural, the wall on which it was painted vanished, revealing a dark passageway.
“Wow!” Nyssa exclaimed. “You actually managed to figure it out, Joey.”
“Looks that way,” he smiled, before turning his eyes to Paul. “I hope this proves once and for all that this is a robe; not a dress.”
“How do you mean?” Paul asked.
“Clearly, I'm the man in the robe.”
“Are you kidding me?” the paladin chuckled. “The prophecy was obviously talking about the statute.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“It didn't mention your dress.”
“Funnier and funnier!”
Chapter 17: What Was Not Lost
“We need to be ready for anything,” Darek said, readying his weapons as he spoke. “Whatever the deadly beast may be, we can't tell exactly where it may be.”
“I take it you've come to the conclusion that the prophecy is genuine?” Sarrac speculated, drawing his own blade.
“It probably is,” Darek replied. “On the other hand, it could be a trap.”
“What makes you say that?” Paul asked.
“The fact that we found the scroll in an undead stronghold.”
“We found it hidden in an undead stronghold,” Myra pointed out. “There's no way Grathis could have known that we'd take Kal Tammon; much less that we'd find that secret room, or that Joey would discover what was written on the scroll. I think we can safely assume that, prophecy or not, it isn't a trap.”
“I'll admit that it's probably not a trap set for us by the undead,” he nodded. “That doesn't mean it's not a trap. Who knows who made that scroll or why?”
“Whatever the case,” Paul replied, stepping toward the passageway, “we're not going to find out any more by standing around here talking about it.”
“You're right about that,” Darek agreed. “Lead on.”
Lead on, he did. The rest of the party followed a short distance behind the paladin as he crept cautiously into the ill lit passage. Joey intoned words of power that drove back the darkness; illuminating the narrow hall in which they found themselves with the pale glow offered by his spell.
At first, the walls, floor, and low ceiling of the corridor were composed of polished stone that reflected every glittering ray emitted by the small ball of light above the head of the apprentice wizard. This changed, however, as the band proceeded along the passageway. Polished rock gradually gave way to natural stone and, after several minutes, Paul and his companions entered a rough-hewn cavern; the walls and ceiling of which extended beyond the reach of their humble light.
“Where to now?” Joey whispered.
“Straight across?” Paul replied softly. “Why are we whispering?”
“Because of the deadly beast,” his companion explained. “I figure the less noise we make, the less likely we are to attract its attention.”
“Good point,” the paladin replied with a nod before taking a step toward the center of the chamber. “Let's go.”
“Hold on,” Alena replied, grabbing him by the shoul
der. “I don't think straight across is the best plan. We can't tell how big this cavern is or what we might find in the middle of it. If we lose sight of the walls, we could end up lost down here. We certainly don't want that, especially considering that we didn't bring our packs with us.”
“That's a fair point,” Joey agreed. “Should we go back and get them?”
“I don't think so,” Darek replied. “We haven't been down here ten minutes. If we haven't found anything in an hour, we can go back and get them.”
“I agree with you both,” Sarrac said. “We should stay by the walls and, if we don’t find anything, we should head back. We might even want to bring the horses down here depending on what we do or don't find.”
“Alright,” Paul replied, turning to move along one of the cave walls, “we'll see where this leads us.”
Half an hour later, their path had led them to a passageway leading up from the cavern.
“Should we follow this?” the paladin asked.
“I don't see why we should,” Nyssa replied. “It's the way we came in.”
“Is it?” he asked.
“It is,” she assured him. “I have an excellent sense of direction. We've come full circle. Trust me.”
“You're positive?”
She was. Darek and Joey were convinced she was right; Alena, Myra, and Sarrac were less certain; and Paul wasn't certain at all. As a result, they decided to follow the corridor to see where it led.
“I told you so,” Nyssa said with a knowing smile as the party stepped back into the temple.
“I didn't doubt you,” Joey pointed out.
“I know,” she nodded. “It shows you're getting smarter.”
“Still,” Paul replied, “it wasn't a total waste of time. Now, we know that the only thing down there is the cavern. So, whatever we’re looking for has to be in there somewhere.”
“If it's there,” Darek said.
“It is,” Sarrac asserted.
The party immediately turned, made their way back down the passageway, and put Paul's straight across plan into action. Somewhere near what the paladin assumed was the middle of the chamber, they encountered a unique sight. There, standing on the cavern floor, was a pair of large steel doors. They were set in no wall and, at their base, was a copper colored metal plate. On each side of this panel, there was an indentation in the shape of a hand. In between these, there were a number of small silver buttons with letters written on them in what appeared to be glass.
The Fortress of Donmar (The Tales of Zanoth Book 2) Page 29