The Sorcerer_s Skull cr-2
Page 20
" It' s closed?" Lan hardly believed his ears. The first crypt he' d entered had been open to another world for only seconds. This one consecrated to Ehznoll had been open for long minutes- but he' d taken those minutes to summon Inyx, to coax her from the whiteness. By the time she' d reposed in the crypt, the time had expired.
Inyx went ahead of them to a new world. They had to wait for another day to follow.
" We' re still not together!" he complained.
" There is only time between the two of you now," said Morto. " Wait a day, then follow. She saw you and must know that you follow. She will wait at the other side."
" Wait," said Lan glumly. " So we wait."
" The time is almost upon us," said Krek. " Prepare to follow Inyx."
" I' m ready," said Lan. " Are you, Morto?"
" No."
" What?"
" I' m not going." The mage' s son stood to one side of the hut, his chin held high and a glow about him that Lan had seen before. He appeared more confident now, his shoulders straighter and his face more composed. For too long he had lived in his father' s long shadow. Morto obviously had come to a decision on his own now, possibly for the first time. Free of familial obligation, he grew as a man.
" Why not?"
" I will stay on this world. Others offer me nothing I can' t find here."
" And?"
" I would carry on Ehznoll' s religion. The strength of this cenotaph is a tribute to his courage. There must have been parts of his belief more potent than any magic. Perhaps faith is always stronger. It is something I must explore for my own peace of mind. Also, my father lies on this mountain; I think my destiny does, also."
" Come with us, Morto. Don' t spend your life in this way. Help us continue your father' s fight against Claybore."
" My fight lies elsewhere. I haven' t the talent or will to do battle with Claybore. Let me stay and tend to this holy shrine. It is something I can do, something I want to do. Go, go find your friend."
" The cenotaph opens, friend Lan Martak."
" Morto?"
" Go."
Lan' s blossoming magical sense " saw" the cenotaph begin to open. It glowed like a brightly lit doorway. Krek momentarily blocked off the light, then vanished. Through the illuminated rectangle Lan saw another world, a startlingly different world. He glanced back at Morto to see a different kind of light, a religious fervor such as had sent Ehznoll to his death.
But it wasn' t death Lan Martak sought. It was life. Life and Inyx and freedom. He dropped into the crypt, felt the magics work on him and send him into another world, a world to be warned of Claybore and his grey- clad soldiers, a world of boundless promise- and boundless evil.
He faded from Mount Tartanius and awoke to the next step along the Cenotaph Road.
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