Marked (31 page)

Nothing happened.

Komir let out a sigh of relief. He carefully took the shield from under his feet, trying not to lose his balance and stumble onto one of the other stones—which would mean a certain death, impaled on those lethal blades. As if playing a game of logic, he searched for another stone with the same symbol to keep advancing toward the sarcophagus. Calmly, slowly, he continued moving forward. When he was close to the tomb, Komir placed the shield on the last of the stones with the square etching—the stone that would allow him to reach the sarcophagus. He gingerly stepped onto the shield with his left foot then, ever so carefully, his right.

Immediately he sensed a pressure beneath his feet.

In the blink of an eye, Komir was propelled toward the ceiling of the temple.

With no time to react, instinct took over. He threw himself forward and crashed head-first into the altar with the sarcophagus.

“Oh no! A spear shot out!” yelled the priest, still in shock.

“I already figured that out! Damn these traps snares! Traps inside of traps! Those bastards! If I had fallen backwards it all would have been over. Thankfully the shield kept the spear from slicing right through me.” Komir got back on his feet, carefully touching the huge lump taking shape on his head from the collision with the altar.

Still feeling a little dizzy from the impact, Komir nonetheless managed to climb up the platform to get to the sarcophagus. Wasting not a moment of precious time—he had come for answers and answers he would get—he pushed away the heavy stone slab covering the tomb. When the seal of the sarcophagus broke, the golden circle protecting it disappeared as if swallowed up by the floor itself and the trap was deactivated. Inside the tomb was a mummy wearing an elaborate gold crown covered in diamonds. On the chest of this Ilenian lord or king or whatever he was rested an incredible two-handed sword—a broadsword—with unusual golden etchings.

As he closely examined the dried-out cadaver, Komir saw he was wearing a shiny silver chain around his neck. He carefully lifted it up and discovered a beautiful medallion at the end of the chain—a magnificent piece with a round crystal stone that was nearly transparent. It had to have had close to three hundred facets.
Impressive.
It was set in a thick silver hoop that had strange symbols etched into it. The hoop connected the medallion to the long chain.
What a stone! This medallion is something like my mother’s Dark Medallion. But it’s much larger
—
almost double the size—and it’s the opposite color.
Komir stared at it, awestruck. Although he didn’t know anything about jewels and precious stones, he could clearly see this medallion was special, and very
valuable.

But something told him it was more than that. He placed the medallion in the palm of his hand, surprised that it almost completely covered it and that, for its size, it was quite light. It shone with a fine, almost imperceptible luminescence that emanated from inside it, as if it had its own pulse... its own life. Komir took it off the mummy and hung it around his own neck, tucking it under his leather jacket next to his mother’s medallion.

The moment he placed it around his neck, he felt a strange, itching sensation all over his body, and a mystical, ethereal feeling enveloped him. His whole being felt... bodiless; he was experiencing... Ether. The medallion was showing it to him, was allowing him to experience it, for reasons beyond his comprehension. Feeling something so incredibly strange after having fought the ethereal guard in the midst of all that fog, Komir came to the conclusion that this medallion was tied to the fifth element, to Ether, to the spirit.

This gem radiates power—I can feel it in my bones... bodilessness, purity. Until I can figure out what it’s for, I am keeping it hidden.

Carefully checking the mummy to see if there was anything else of value on him, Komir found nothing other than the magnificent gold and diamond crown—no doubt extremely valuable. He threw the two-handed sword to the priest, knowing how much Hartz would like it. Not the least bit skilled in anything physical, the clumsy priest tripped and fell on his backside as he scrambled to get out of its way as it flew past him.

Komir couldn’t help a chuckle.

The priest looked up at him from the floor. He, too, started laughing.

“Let’s get out of this crypt. I didn’t find what I came for.” said Komir, crestfallen.

“I am sorry, my friend. It’s a pity you didn’t find the answers you were seeking. Nevertheless, you should not weaken in your resolve... there is much here to examine, to study...  Perhaps we will find it a bit later.” The priest was making a valiant attempt to cheer Komir up as he was scrutinizing the crown. “Anyway, I’m anxious to tell the Abbot of the Light in Ocorum about our marvelous discovery. We have so much to delve into, to study in this temple. So many secrets of that ancient civilization to reveal, so much knowledge to uncover.”

Komir was aware that even if he had not gotten exactly the answers he was looking for, the new ethereal medallion definitely represented an important discovery. He still did not know why or how, but he could clearly see the relationship between the two Ilenian medallions. The first—his mother’s—had led them here to the underground temple, to the medallion of the Ilenian king buried there. So it was logical to deduce that the ethereal medallion really could be what he was looking for, the object that was somehow tied to what had happened to his parents, to him, to his destiny.

He would discover the mystery locked up inside that medallion if it was the last thing he did.

Little did he know then the significance of that discovery or the magnitude of the events it would precipitate.

Komir’s eyes met the priest’s. “You will need my mother’s medallion to activate the doors and go in and out of this temple, right? That seems to be the medallion’s purpose.”

“You won’t deny me that, will you? There is so much we must learn down here,” pleaded the priest.

“I believe we can reach some kind of agreement, Father,” smiled Komir.

“Thank you, Komir. I thank you from the bottom of my soul. By the way, you didn’t ask me—none of you asked me, which is rather strange, after all, but my name... is Lindaro.” He held out his hand.

Komir looked him in the eye for a moment, then shook his hand firmly.

“Really pleased to meet you, Lindaro.”

Aliana gazed at the great cavern with its mahogany walls and sky-high blackened domes as the group crept forward. Huge stalactites, thousands of years old, hung from the ceiling above their heads. With the exception of a few small, rocky formations in the middle, the vast cave was empty. The far side was completely enveloped in shadows. The group stopped to take in the great stalactites that adorned the entire length of the vault.

“What are those rock formations hanging all through this room?” asked Kendas, staring at the ceiling.

“They are stalactites—mineral formations that are formed from a drop of water. They have been here a thousand years,” answered the Prince as he moved forward with the torch held high.

“A thousand years?” Kendas’ mouth hung open as he continued to gape in fascination at the ceiling.

“Looks like the country bumpkin has never stepped foot in a simple cave!” joked the Sergeant, chuckling.

Kendas blushed. “No, Sergeant... We don’t have caves near the farm where I was born.”

Lomar smiled. “Actually, I’ve never been in a cave like this before, either. Close to Rilentor, there aren’t any—”

“What a couple of fledglings!” snorted the Sergeant. “I assure you, there are plenty of caves in our kingdom.”

Gerart smiled. He took a few steps forward and peered into the back of the cavern. It was so obscured in darkness that an entire army could be hiding there and they wouldn’t see it. “I’ll go first, and if I don’t see anything lying in wait for us in the shadows when I get to the other end I’ll let you know it’s all right to come over.” Without giving his men a chance to protest, he began walking across the cave.

Mortuc cursed under his breath but the Prince ignored him.

After several tense moments, Gerart made it to the other side of the massive cave and stopped. He waved the torch into the darkness. Then he signaled to the others to come forward. “Come on in! It’s all clear, but there is another rectangular stone just like the one before. Kendas, we’ll need some earth to get it to open.” He took a few steps back toward the middle of the cave to wait for them.

The rest of the group began walking toward the Prince. When they were only a few steps away from Gerart they stopped in their tracks.

The Prince looked at them in surprise. “What’s going on? Why did you stop? Get over here—we have to open this passageway if we want to keep going.”

It was then that they saw it for the first time... something that would affect the evolution of everything to come, imbuing their future in mortal danger.

Behind Gerart, the arcane slab of black stone that sealed the passage had silently opened, and a sinister shape had appeared behind the unsuspecting Prince. The shock of seeing the mysterious figure come out of nowhere combined with fear for Gerart’s life slammed into Aliana like a hammer on an anvil. She stood there, unable to speak, the terror catching in her throat keeping her from screaming a warning.

The hooded figure was wearing a long white tunic with gold edging. With one hand he was brandishing a staff and appeared to be holding a small golden tome in the other. His face remained hidden beneath the white hood, but two golden eyes shone intensely in the dark cavern. His mere presence cast a veil of terror over the scene.

The spirit of the Usik legends is right here in front of us. Unbelievable!
In spite of her concern for Gerart, Aliana felt a surge of nervous excitement.

“Behind you, Gerart!” thundered Mortuc’s powerful voice.

Gerart spun around. Just ten steps from him stood the gloomy figure.

Before he could react, the sinister being raised its staff and muttered something in an unrecognizable language. Gerart unsheathed his sword and hesitantly advanced toward the spirit. It turned and quickly disappeared through a fissure in the wall of rock, which instantly resealed itself with the stone slab.

The Prince stopped and looked at his companions in astonishment. A deep buzzing sound began to spread through the cavern, causing a powerful vibration on the floor as its intensity slowly increased. The cave began to shake violently, as if it were the epicenter of an earthquake. They fought to keep their balance.

Instinctively, everyone looked at the ceiling.

The stalactites were vibrating. More noticeably with each passing moment.

“Just as I’d feared—it’s a trap! Run!” shouted Mortuc.

They all took off at a dead run toward the entrance—except for Gerart who only managed to make it to the nearest door sealed by a stone slab a split second before the stalactites began detaching and falling like butcher knives onto the ill-fated adventurers.

“We won’t make it! It’s too far!” shouted Kendas as he miraculously avoided a massive stalactite that had fallen from directly over him.

“The left wall! Run! Get against the left wall!” shouted Lomar, pointing frantically toward the wall closest to where they were.

The stalactites were coming down from everywhere, thunderously crashing onto the floor, shattering into thousands of pieces of rock that exploded out in all directions. One huge fragment ricocheted off the floor and hit Lomar in the side, knocking him off balance. He fell flat on his face. The moment Kendas saw him he stopped running and went back to help his friend. He bent over to help him up—and did not see the colossal stalactite falling straight for them.

“Watch out!” Aliana screamed, frantically pointing at the ceiling with a horrific certainty that they were doomed.

Faster than lighting, a strapping man appeared before Aliana’s eyes and threw himself at the two soldiers who were trying to stand back up. A half a second before the stalactite would have crushed the two Lancers, the Sergeant had slammed into the two men, knocking them against the wall they’d been trying to reach. Mortuc was propelled toward the wall on the right side. The gigantic stalactite smashed into the empty space where the two Lancers had been just a heartbeat before, but the powerful explosion of rock shards and stones hit the Sergeant. Groaning in pain, he staggered toward the wall.

The earthquake intensified.

It seemed as though the entire cavern was collapsing from the violent clash of rock on rock.

When Aliana saw that her friends had been saved from a certain death, she was filled with a moment of elation that abruptly ended when she was struck by a shard of rock. She was no more than six steps from the wall where her companions had taken refuge when she felt the sharp pain in her side.

She ran faster.
I am going to make it. I’m almost there... a little farther...

Three steps later she leaped through the air, reaching out toward her companions. Faces full of worry, they reached their arms out toward her. A stalactite detonated into thousands of razor-sharp shards to her left. She felt an intense pain in her left shoulder as she was blasted off to the right. The impact knocked her bow and quiver off her back. She knew she had been wounded by the fragments so she tried to stop herself from sliding, to establish in her mind how serious the wounds were... but all she could see was the blood soaking her tunic under her breastplate as she skidded across the floor. Then Sergeant Mortuc’s strong hands were there to stop her. She looked into his deep brown eyes.

“I’m hurt... it hit me.”

And she lost consciousness.

Darkness washed over her. She could not feel her body. Nothing. The pain had disappeared; coldness had taken over her being. Her legs would not move. She tried to open her eyes but her body would not respond. Terror penetrated her spirit. She was completely defenseless. From the depths of the darkness engulfing her, two brilliant golden eyes loomed overhead. She could not make out a face. Just those intense, threatening eyes. Fear swelled inside her... she felt as if a feline beast of prey was approaching her face but she could not get away. Unable to move a muscle, she was trapped inside her own body with no hope of escape.

It was the Ilenian spirit from the Usik legends!

As the gleaming eyes hovered over her face, a message began to form in her mind... Strange words. Unintelligible at first, but they slowly began to take shape.

Go... Leave

Away... Temple

Sacred... Ancestors

Die... All... Death

Earth... Be... Earth... Become

Frightened by the spirit’s message, Aliana held tightly to the only thing she could trust: her Gift. The bluish force began to glow inside her, coming to life and flowing out from every atom in her being. She concentrated first on her chest. As the light shone ever brighter, the evil, menacing eyes of the spirit faded into its warm, bluish glow. With one command from her mind, she sent the healing energy throughout her body. As the malicious eyes disappeared into the darkness pain began to overwhelm her body, a stabbing pain in her shoulder and side. She sent more energy toward the source of the pain, concentrating on identifying and healing the wounds she’d suffered. The cuts were deep, the wounds, ugly. She centered all her power on healing the wounds and stopping the hemorrhaging, thoroughly exerting her energies. Little by little the blackness began to vanish, replaced by the comforting light.

“Aliana! Wake up!” encouraged Mortuc.

“Aliana, please come back to us!” Gerart begged.

Their familiar voices brought her back to full consciousness. She opened her eyes and saw that she was still on the floor of the immense cave, with the wall behind her, surrounded by her companions. There were no more vibrations; the earthquake had passed. She looked up at Gerart who, overcome with worry, was kneeling at her side. Behind him she saw Mortuc flanked by Lomar and Kendas who were all looking at her anxiously.

“Don’t worry, I’m all right. I just need a moment to recover.” Her face revealed she was still in pain.

“Thanks be to the Light!” exclaimed Gerart. “For a moment, I thought we were going to lose you. I would never, ever, have forgiven myself... if something happened to you... I don’t know what I’d do,” confessed the Prince inadvertently as the gravity of what he’d just been through caught up with him.

“It wasn’t serious. Don’t worry, Gerart. I’m fine. It’s just a few cuts and an awful scare.”

“You lost consciousness for quite a while,” said Mortuc as he checked her pulse. “You have a deep cut in your shoulder and another in your side. We stopped the bleeding as best we could, but we need to suture them right away.”

“Thank you, Sergeant. I healed most of the injuries but you’re right—if we don’t sew them up they could open again and would no doubt get infected. Once they’re closed up I’ll finish as much of the healing as my Gift will allow.”

“I always carry a curved needle, thread, and ointment with me for situations just like this.” The Sergeant took out a small leather satchel he had tied around his waist. “If you’re ready, I’ll take care of closing these nasty wounds. I’ve been treating wounds for many years in the Royal Army; they’re an occupational hazard. I can assure you I am an expert seamster. You’ll barely even see the scars!” He smiled and winked at the Healer.

“I am sure you are quite an expert, Mortuc. Go ahead.”

In the blink of an eye, the Sergeant had closed her wounds with the skillfulness of an experienced army surgeon. Aliana finished the healing and, exhausted, leaned against the wall, trying to recuperate. Her four companions watched her attentively.

“You almost died, Aliana,” Gerart told her, his voice marked with worry. “Maybe you should go back to be with the rest of the group. We don’t know what other dangers are awaiting us in this cave.”

“Not a chance. I will not leave here without Haradin. Many brave men died so that we could make it this far. I’m not turning back now just because my life is in danger. If I die, so be it!”

“We can take care of that spirit with the golden eyes,” volunteered Kendas. “Lomar and I will go after him and will bring him back skewered on our swords. Don’t you worry. All we need is an order.”

“That’s no spirit! It’s nothing more than a mage, a cunning wizard,” Gerart snapped. “You two will stay where you are. We will all go forth together. Under no circumstances will we separate. We’ll have a much better chance if we stay together. Have I made myself clear?”

“Yes, Your Highness!” the two soldiers replied in unison.

Aliana noticed Mortuc grinning at the forcefulness of the Prince’s words. The Healer got back on her feet with Gerart’s help, then took a drink of water. She checked over the condition of her wounds, bandaged them, and asked Gerart to help her put her breastplate back on. Then she picked up her bow and quiver and slung them over her shoulder.

Once she was ready to go, she explained to the group what she had experienced. “The guardian, whether or not he is a spirit, spoke to me while I was unconscious. He vowed to kill us if we don’t leave his temple—Temple of the Earth, he called it, or at least that’s what I think I heard. It proves we are in the right place, the place where Haradin was headed, the second of the lost Ilenian temples... the great Temple of the Earth. Based on what I heard, it sounded like it must be sacred to him, a temple belonging to his ancestors—if I understood correctly. I just can’t be sure. He also mentioned something about earth becoming earth. I don’t know if that’s exactly what he meant but his threat was perfectly clear. If we continue on, he will kill us. I have no doubt about that.”