“Did Vand’s people hate the elves?” asked Caldal.
“There is no record of anyone hating the elves,” sighed Temiker. “Not even Vand. Vand merely used the elves to gain that which he sought. By all records that I have seen, the elves were allies and good trading partners of the humans. That is why no one believed Vand’s prophecy until it actually happened. They could not imagine the elves ever attacking. They were friends.”
“But on Motanga…” Caldal began.
“Are humans who worship Vand,” interrupted Eltor. “Vand may not have hated the elves back then, but I suspect that he does now. We hid Angragar from him and halted his quest to conquer what he sought all of his life. In the very moment of his final victory, we thwarted his plan to seize Angragar. I believe Emperor Marak is correct. Vand’s armies will be coming to Elvangar when he finishes with the humans here.”
“You must all think of me as a fool,” Caldal nodded sadly. “I have fought you every step of the way in my secure knowledge that I knew that humans were evil. I can not even imagine why you risked your lives to save me.”
“Because the elves are still our friends and allies,” smiled Emperor Marak, “even if you don’t want to be. Your queen may decide not to help us, but that will not diminish our friendship towards you.”
Caldal smiled weakly at Emperor Marak.
“Some of us should get some sleep,” suggested Axor. “Tomorrow will be a stressful day.”
“An excellent idea,” agreed Lyra. “Where should we rest?”
Wyant went to put his tome back on the shelf and his hand snagged something metal. Unexpectedly, the bookshelf moved slightly. Marak caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. He moved quickly to the bookshelf and pulled on it. It swung away from the wall.
“Hand me a torch,” demanded the Torak.
Rejji hurried over and handed a torch to Emperor Marak. Lyra brought another torch as the Torak stepped into the room concealed behind the bookshelf. Rejji and Lyra crowded in behind him. The Three stood there staring at the strange sight before them. There were three doors on the far wall. Over each door was a symbol. They were the symbols of the Star, the Torak, and the Astor. Over the door with the symbol of the Star, was long, slim rapier. Its handle sparkled blue in the torchlight.
“The Rapier of the Star,” Marak said with surprise as he reached up and grabbed it. “It is not in the palace after all.”
The Torak handed the rapier to the Star. Lyra smiled as she took the sword and wrapped her hand around its hilt.
“It feels so light,” Lyra remarked. “I wonder if it merely ceremonial?”
“I would suspect not,” advised the Torak. “I think you will find it a potent weapon capable of vanquishing hellsouls. I doubt that a gift from Kaltara can be broken.”
“What are the doors for?” asked Rejji. “There appears to one for each of us.”
“I am not sure,” frowned Emperor Marak, “but I would advise caution. This room is extremely small. The three of us fill it. Why would there be three more doors leaving it? It does not appear to be a normal path to anywhere. Let me try opening one.”
Emperor Marak opened the door with the sign of the Torak above it. He leaned through the door and stuck the torch through to see what lie beyond. He stared uncomprehendingly at a blank wall.
“There is room for me to step in and nothing else,” Marak reported as he stepped out and closed the door. “Let me try the others.”
Emperor Marak tried the Star’s door next. It was the same as his. The Astor’s room was also the same. He closed the doors.
“It makes no sense to me,” Marak scratched his head. “The only thing that I can think of is a hiding place, but that makes no sense. The three us could easily hide in this small room without going through another door. Even if we couldn’t, why label our doors? I am baffled.”
“At least we found the Rapier of the Star,” smiled Lyra. “We would have searched far and wide in this city and not found it if not for Wyant’s movement.”
“Yes,” Marak nodded distractedly as his mind refused to leave the mystery of the doors. “Maybe Axor or Temiker can make something of it. Let them be the only ones to know about this for now. At least until we understand what we have found. We should move out of here and let them in.”
The three servants of Kaltara stepped out of the small room. Everyone looked at them questioningly.
“We found the Rapier of the Star,” grinned Emperor Marak as he slid the bookshelf closed. “Other than that it is an empty room. Return to the entry foyer and get some sleep. It will be a long day tomorrow.”
Most of the people started moving out of the room, but Axor remained and stared questioningly at the Torak. Lyra moved casually to Temiker’s side and tugged on his sleeve. He acknowledged the Star with a slight nod and stood still while the others filed out of the room. Marak had to verbally dismiss Gunta and Halman before they would leave, but finally only the Three remained with the two mages.
“There are doors in the small room behind the bookshelf,” Marak explained to the mages. “I do not understand their purpose, but I feel certain that they have one. Take a look and let us know what you think.”
Chapter 13
The Plaza
Temiker stepped out of the small one-person room and shook his head at Axor. He closed the door with the symbol of the Star above it.
“I checked the walls for hidden latches,” frowned Temiker. “I could find none. The room does not appear to have any use. Perhaps it was a safe-keeping room of some kind?”
“I don’t think so,” replied the Chula shaman. “In our readings so far, there has never been a Star, Torak, or Astor before. Why would they need storage rooms? We must be missing something.”
“Try the Torak’s door,” suggested Temiker. “Maybe you will find something that I could not.”
Axor opened the door with the symbol of the Torak above it. He entered the small room and stood silently for a moment.
“Hand me the torch,” Axor said.
Temiker handed the torch to the Chula shaman. Axor held the torch close to the back wall and ran his free hand over the surface. He repeated the procedure on each of the small side walls and found nothing. He shook his head in puzzlement.
“Maybe it is some type of mechanism that is only activated with the door closed,” shrugged Temiker.
Axor nodded and pulled the door closed. He repeated his check of the surfaces of the walls and found no difference in them. He sighed in frustration and opened the door.
“It is no different with the door closed,” he said to Temiker. “Take the torch and check on the door with the Astor symbol above it.”
Axor held the torch out for Temiker to take, but Temiker did not take it. Puzzled, the Chula shaman stepped out of the door to find out what Temiker was doing, the Alamar mage was nowhere in sight. In fact, the door to the library was closed. Axor frowned with concern. He wondered why Temiker would abandon him, and why he would close the secret door behind the library shelf. Knowing that the closed door could mean possible trouble in the library, Axor moved silently to the latch that would open the door behind the bookshelf.
The Chula shaman slowly eased the door open a crack. A bitter cold wind invaded the enclosed space. His senses on alert, Axor pushed the door open a little further so that he could slide his body through the gap. He stepped into the library, his eyes opening wide as he stared at the empty shelves and rotted fragments of wood. The room was freezing cold. Axor recognized the room, but he couldn’t bring himself to believe what he was seeing. He moved cautiously through the old library and along the corridor beyond it. Only when he stepped completely outside the temple did he believe the truth of his discovery.
The Chula shaman ran back into the temple and raced to the library. He moved behind the bookshelf and gently closed the secret door. He turned and reentered the door under the symbol of the Torak, pulling the door closed behind him. When he reopened the door, he heard Tem
iker’s voice.
“I thought you had fallen asleep in there,” Temiker grumbled sarcastically. “Did you discover anything?”
“More than you can imagine,” Axor said with wonderment. “The doors are portals.”
“Portals?” questioned Temiker, all traces of humor instantly gone. “Portals to where?”
“The Door of the Torak goes to the sacred temple in Changragar,” announced Axor. “I can only assume where the others go, but my guess would be to the temples in StarCity and the Qubari village. Is it not strange that each of these temple are built amazingly identical?”
“I did notice the similarities between this temple and the one in the Qubari village,” nodded Temiker, “but I have never been in Changragar. Are you saying that you exited that room into a different land?”
“That is exactly what I am saying,” Axor nodded enthusiastically. “I know Changragar very well. It was no illusion. I walked out of the temple onto the holy grounds. The freezing air alone would convince me of its location. Changragar is high in the mountains. Even the air is thinner there. It was not an illusion.”
“Perhaps we should try the other doors,” suggested Temiker. “Let us know for sure where they come out.”
“I would advise caution,” Axor shook his head. “The temple at Changragar is isolated and empty. The other two are not. For us to appear in the temple in StarCity would announce these doors to the world. I do not think that is wise. We should inform the Three and let them decide upon what is to be done.”
“You are right,” nodded Lyra’s uncle. “Let’s tell them.”
The two mages unlatched the lever behind the bookshelf and stepped into the library. Lyra, Marak, and Rejji waited to hear what had been discovered. Axor explained what he had done and where he had gone.
“We explored no further,” Axor concluded. “We felt that you should decide who tests the doors.”
“I will test the Door of the Star,” declared Lyra. “Seldom is the temple occupied at night, and even if it is, I can demand secrecy from whoever is there.”
“I can do the same,” nodded Rejji.
Emperor Marak waited with the two mages while the Star and the Astor disappeared behind the bookshelf. A few minutes later, Lyra and Rejji returned.
“It is as you suspected,” Lyra stated. “I can step right into StarCity from this temple. It is most amazing.”
“And the Qubari village,” interjected Rejji. “What is the purpose of these doors?”
“Did anyone see either of you two?” asked Emperor Marak.
Rejji and Lyra shook their heads.
“So all three temples are empty right now,” nodded the Torak. “Axor go back to Changragar, but instead of returning here, use one of the other doors. Determine where you are and then use the third door before returning here.”
“You want to see if the three doors all lead to the same place?” asked the Star of Sakova.
“Exactly,” nodded Marak. “If that is the case, that means that the three of us can meet in any of the locations whenever we want.”
Axor nodded and disappeared behind the bookshelves.
“That also means that Kaltara expects us to need that capability,” frowned Lyra. “Those doors were not put there merely for convenience. What would cause the need for such portals?”
“I am not sure,” frowned the Torak. “We must give this a great deal of thought. I feel as if Kaltara is trying to tell us something here, and we are not understanding it.”
“Each door leads to its respective temple,” Axor declared as he stepped into the library and closed the bookshelf. “To return here, one must use the door for the temple that they are currently in.”
“This is something that we must think about later,” declared Rejji. “It will be morning in a few hours. We must get some sleep before dawn.”
Marak and Lyra nodded, and all five of them moved to the entry foyer and bedded down for the night.
* * *
Morning came early for the Star of Sakova. Lyra rose and wiped the sleep from her eyes. Wyant was on sentry duty. He saw her rise and immediately got a mug of coffee for her.
“Any problems during the night?” Lyra asked.
“Not a one,” answered Wyant. “Should I get the rest up?”
“You should make some fresh coffee first,” Lyra said as she took a sip of hers. “I am going to the prayer chamber for a few minutes. Get them up as soon as the coffee is ready. It will be light soon.”
Wyant nodded as Lyra took a torch and headed for the prayer chamber. Once inside the chamber, the Star of Sakova knelt in prayer. She prayed for strength during the coming conflict, and for wisdom concerning the use of the doors. When she was done, she returned to the entry foyer. Everyone was up and moving about.
“How do we approach this confrontation today?” Lyra asked Emperor Marak.
“Temiker, Axor, and LunarSigh are upstairs on the balcony now,” answered the Torak. “Temiker is creating a fog that will encompass the entire plaza. Axor and LunarSigh are using air tunnels to broadcast their voices far to each side of the temple. The intent is to draw the hellsouls between here and the center of the plaza off to both sides so that we can march up the center without getting killed.”
“Good,” nodded Lyra. “In the center of the plaza we will create the diamond?”
“Yes,” nodded Marak. “As we discussed in the village, you will face the palace, while LunarSigh faces this temple. Temiker will face the city gates, while Axor will face away.”
“A diamond of mages,” smiled the Star of Sakova. “The hellsouls will not be able to approach from any angle.”
“Exactly,” nodded the Torak. “Rejji and I will stand in the center of the diamond. If any Hellsouls do reach the mages, we will strike out at them.”
“And our warriors will not come into play until the Qubari army has the hellsouls on the run?” questioned Lyra.
“Correct,” agreed the Torak. “They are to provide cover for our retreat should something go terribly wrong. I do not expect that will happen, but we always need a contingency plan.”
“I agree,” nodded Lyra. “May the hellsouls finally find peace today.”
The three mages descended the staircase and gathered by the front doors.
“The fog is in place,” declared Temiker. “As best we can tell, there are no hellsouls between us and the center of the plaza.”
“But we must be quick,” added Axor. “They will not pursue the false voices that we broadcast for long. They will drift back to the plaza.”
“Let’s do it,” Lyra said.
Mobi and Wyant moved the table from in front of the doors. Gunta and Halman opened the doors and immediately drew their swords. Emperor Marak drew the Sword of Torak and stepped through the doors. Lyra followed with the Rapier of the Star firmly in hand. Rejji went next, the Staff of the Astor warm to his touch. Axor and LunarSigh were last, and Halman closed one of the doors completely, while Gunta closed the other door leaving a crack through which they could watch the plaza.
The Torak walked steadily with his long two-handed sword stretched before him. He counted his paces as he walked so that he could determine the approximate center of the plaza. Lyra followed, still fascinated by the warm glow that her rapier was giving off. The sounds and shrieks of the hellsouls were all around the army of six.
The Torak stopped when he felt that he had reached the center of the plaza. Lyra stepped past him, facing the palace that stood across the plaza from the temple. Rejji stood alongside the Torak, while Temiker turned to the left and took one step forward, facing the gates of the city. Axor took a step to the right and faced away from the gates, while LunarSigh turned around and faced the way that they had come.
“Are we ready?” whispered Lyra.
Five almost silent whispers replied in the affirmative as everyone but Lyra dropped to the ground and flattened themselves. Lyra cast a spell and the blue cylinder of protection rose up into the sky, its blue
light muted by the fog. She quickly cast another spell, and the cylinder filled with violently rotating air. As the wind whipped around her, Lyra closed her eyes and felt the power surge within her. When she could no longer stand the tearing of the wind ripping around her, the Star of Sakova released both spells.
The blue cylinder instantly blinked out of existence, and a tremendous rush of wind blasted away from her. The magical fog was instantly blown away, along with thousands of hellsouls. While the fog was completely dissipated, the hellsouls were not. The creatures were smacked against the buildings surrounding the plaza and tossed down the avenues for some distance.
The five people accompanying Lyra jumped to their feet. The air around the plaza was clear. Horrid shrieks filled the air as the first hellsouls climbed to their feet.
“Here they come,” stated Lyra. “Show them the mercy of a complete death.”
The Star of Sakova threw the first light blade, its magical blades expanding as it traveled towards the hellsouls. The light blade tore into the hellsouls at neck level. A column of smoke rose from those decapitated, while others fell to the ground with lesser wounds. Axor, Temiker, and LunarSigh threw their own light blades, and soon the hellsouls were dying in every direction, yet still they charged. The shrieking rose to a horrendous level and a mad frenzy ripped through the creatures. It appeared as if the more that died, the greater their need to attack.
“They are closing in on us,” fretted Rejji. “The light blades can’t kill them all.”
“Where is the army?” Marak asked out loud. “They should be engaging from the rear now.”
Suddenly, a thrown stone struck LunarSigh in the temple. She cried out in pain as she fell. Everyone turned in time to see her fall. Those inside the temple also saw the Sakovan mage fall. DarkBlade slipped out of the doors and drew his sword. He raced into the plaza, slicing down hellsouls from behind with swings of his sword as he ran to rescue LunarSigh.
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