"You keep him alive, and I"ll see to it you will," Ertik promised. "Perhaps I can even arrange for you to stay on for a while."
Ezmerial"s eyes brightened. "That would be a dream come true," she replied. "The things I could learn there, the knowledge I could pa.s.s on to my order..." Ezmerial worked with renewed vigor. "Don"t worry; if it means I have to stay awake for a week, he"ll be alive when we get there."
It was dusk when they saw the silhouette of the Stone of the Tower in the distance. It was flat at the top and stood fifty feet tall. The sides were smooth and round, as if they had been carved by a stone worker of unimaginable skill.
"What a strange sight to see on the plains," Ezmerial remarked as they came near.
"Legend says it was carved by Hephisolis, the G.o.d of Fire, as a present for his wife Islisema," said Lee. "It was once covered in gold and jewels, but Dantenos, G.o.d of the Dead, coveted Islisema, and told his followers to strip it bare. Only the stone remains."
Ertik smiled. "Your knowledge of lore is impressive, Starfinder."
"My library is extensive," Lee replied. "And life in a small village gives me a lot of time to read."
When they reached the Stone, Ertik called for a halt and began searching for the trail. "It"s been some time since I"ve been here, and this way is rarely used."
He returned after about ten minutes and led them around the far side of the tower, toward what appeared to be nothing but a pile of loose rocks. As they approached, they could see that the rocks staggered and turned, revealing a well-disguised trail.
"We"ll need to lead our horses for a while," Ertik instructed. "About two miles from here the path gets easier. We should be at the temple by dawn."
When they finally arrived at Valshara, they came upon a natural stone archway that served as the entrance to the temple. Two men in black robes stood at the threshold, each wearing a sword. Ertik halted and got off his horse.
"Stay here until I call you over," he told them. "We"re unaccustomed to visitors."
He walked over to the men and talked to them for several minutes. Finally, he motioned for the rest to approach.
"You must leave your weapons," said one of the robed men. Lee and Kaylia removed their weapons and handed them over.
Dina retrieved Gewey"s sword and kept it with her. "I must show this to the High Lady," she explained.
"Then Ertik must carry it, Novice," the man growled. "And you must surrender your arms as well."
Dina nodded and handed the sword to Ertik, then removed her dagger. The man motioned for them to continue.
Once past the entrance, a broad stone path led up an incline to a large wooden door. The walls of the temple were plain gray stone and twenty feet tall, extending for several hundred yards in either direction. Ertik pulled a rope that hung from the top of the door, and a bell echoed loudly in response. Moments later, the doors slowly swung open, revealing a ma.s.sive courtyard. Multicolored slate formed a walkway around the outer edge of the yard, enclosing an inner yard of well-manicured gra.s.s. In the center stood an eight-foot tall golden sword, its point buried deep into a marble slab. On either side of the courtyard were covered walkways that led deeper into the temple grounds, and at the rear was another double door, nearly as large the first.
There were at least a dozen men and women walking about the yard. None of them wore ceremonial dress or anything else that might indicate they were part of a temple, and all of them stopped and stared at the newcomers suspiciously. From the far left corner, a young woman began walking rapidly toward them. She went directly to the coach without saying a word to the rest of them and looked carefully at Gewey.
"You"re a healer?" she asked Ezmerial.
"I am," Ezmerial replied.
"You two," the woman said, pointing to Ertik and Lee. "When the stretcher arrives, bring him to the healing chamber. You do remember the way, don"t you, Ertik?"
Ertik nodded, trying to hide his embarra.s.sment. "I haven"t been away that long,"
The woman harrumphed, unimpressed.
A moment later, a young boy came running across the yard with a stretcher on his back. Lee and Ertik carefully placed Gewey on the stretcher, and followed as the woman strode off. It only took a few seconds for them to lose sight of her, but Ertik did in fact know the way.
"How did she know about the boy?" asked Ezmerial. "She walked straight to him."
"Many of our healers can feel when someone is sick or injured," Ertik replied. "Wileminia is extremely sensitive. I"m sure she has had them preparing from the moment we got to the archway."
"Amazing," she whispered.
Ertik led them through a series of stone hallways to an open door. Inside was a bed, several tables with various bottles and plants, and a stone basin in the center.
Three women were busy at the tables preparing medicine while Wileminia waited by the bed.
"Lay him down," she directed. "Then Ertik will show you to your quarters. The Sister that has been tending the boy will stay and help."
Lee and Ertik put Gewey on the bed and began to leave, but Kaylia refused to go.
"I will not leave him," she said defiantly.
"My dear, you must," Wileminia said with a much softer tone. "The High Lady of Valshara herself will be here in a moment to personally tend to him. She has commanded that you all be removed until it"s over. He could not be in better care anywhere in the world, I promise."
Kaylia stood silent for a moment, looking at Gewey"s nearly lifeless body, and then lowered her head. "Please tell me the moment you know something," she pleaded.
"You shall be the first," Wileminia promised, placing her hand over her heart.
Lee stepped forward. "Before you attempt to heal him, there"s something you must know. Gewey isn"t an ordinary human. In fact, he"s not really human at all. He"s a G.o.d."
Wileminia looked at him, her eyes skeptical and slightly amused. "If you mean he"s like you, then you needn"t worry; treating a half-G.o.d is no different than treating a typical human."
"That"s not what I"m saying," Lee insisted. "He isn"t half anything."
The realization of what Lee was saying struck her. "I see. Are you certain?"
"I am," Lee replied. "There is no doubt."
Wileminia looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "I will inform the High Lady. Now if you would please go, we have work to do."
Ertik led them to a large, empty den with several couches and chairs angled around a lit fireplace. "Please, sit and rest while I attend to your quarters." They sat in silence until a young woman in a blue housedress entered, giving them each a cup of honeyed water.
"No one wears robes here?" Lee asked once the girl had left.
"Only during certain ceremonies," Dina replied. "Our order is very informal when it comes to things like that. Only the guards wear robes at all times."
"The High Priestess," Kaylia said pensively. "She is a skilled healer?"
"She is most skilled among us," Dina replied. "However, you should refer to her as High Lady. We have no priests or priestesses. The order does not center on rank as much as others do. After you advance past novice, you become either a cleric or a knight, but there"s nothing above that, save the High Lady.
"A knight trains as a guardian of the order; they are among the finest warriors in the world. If you achieve the rank of cleric, you choose a focus of study that you spend the rest of your days trying to perfect. For example, I intend to become a temple historian."
"What does a historian do here?" Lee inquired.
"They travel to different cities, towns, or temples to observe and record events as they unfold,"
"Sounds like an enjoyable life," Lee said with approval.
"Yes," she agreed, a touch of sadness entering her voice. "But with the way things have turned out, I doubt it will ever be."
"Why would you say that?" Kaylia asked, trying to keep her mind off Gewey. "You are part of one of the greatest stories in known history. Who better to record and tell about it?"
"When Gewey and I met Felsafell and stayed in his house, he woke me in the middle of the night and told me a different story," Dina said. "He said that as a child of two worlds, I would have to sacrifice myself to make the world whole again. Of course, he said it in his odd little way-but there was no mistaking the intent."
"Mind his words," Kaylia advised. "They do not always mean what they seem to. As I told Gewey-" she paused, wincing slightly upon saying his name, "he is dangerous, and you risk great peril if you take his words at face value. You may yet have the life you want."
Dina smiled. "Thank you, Kaylia. I hope we all get the life that we want."
When Ertik returned, he escorted them down the hall and showed them each their rooms. The rooms were plainly furnished with a bed, a small table, and a chair. A washbasin with hot water sat in one corner of the room, and their belongings had been placed in another.
"Once you"ve rested and washed, you may wander freely-with the exception of the healing chamber," Ertik told them. "If you need me, I"ll be in the den, awaiting word of Gewey."
"I think we"ll all be joining you shortly," Lee informed him. Dina and Kaylia nodded in agreement.
Lee was the first to return to the den. Ertik was sitting in a chair by the fire, thumbing through a leather bound book, humming to himself. When he saw Lee, he sat the book on the arm of the chair and gestured for Lee to sit across from him.
"You look...cleaner," Ertik noted. "Though I"d wager you must be exhausted."
"My kind doesn"t tire very easily," Lee replied.
"Yes, I forgot," Ertik said thoughtfully. "It must be quite a burden."
"Why would you think that?"
"Such strength and power breeds jealousy. Hiding who one is all the time can"t be easy."
"It can be tiresome," Lee admitted. "But I have Millet. He"s been with me a long time, and he shares my secret. It makes it easier to have someone like him with me."
"He sounds like a good friend. Where is he now?"
"On his way to Hazrah to take my wife and child out of the city," Lee answered. "With the Dark Knight on the move, I couldn"t risk leaving them so close to his borders."
"Hazrah?" Ertik repeated, suddenly looking troubled. "How long ago did he leave?"
"More than a week now. He should be there in about two more weeks. Why? Do you know something?"
"I got word that Angraal now has dominion in Hazrah. Whether the city was sacked or they surrendered, I don"t know-but your friend is walking straight into the heart of the Dark Knight"s power."
Lee closed his eyes tight, trying to still his mind. "Can you send word to Hazrah?" asked Lee. His voice was unsteady. "Do you have a messenger flock that travels there?"
"I"m sorry," Ertik replied regretfully, "your friend will arrive well ahead of any message I could send. Still, I will try."
"Thank you. I need to have Lady Nal"Thain and her son evacuated from Hazrah, and taken to the city of Dantory. It"s a small oasis in the eastern desert. Tell them to mention Millet if she questions the truth of the message. I will pay anything it costs, ten times over, if they are brought safely there."
"Payment is not necessary," Ertik a.s.sured him. "I will send the message now. There are no messenger flocks between here and there, so the message will have to be carried much of the way by members of the order. Still, I shall see to it at once." Ertik got up and hurried away.
Lee sat there, holding his head in his hands, as Kaylia and Dina entered.
"What"s wrong?" Kaylia asked as she took a seat next to Lee. Dina followed close behind.
Lee told them what Ertik had said.
"Millet will get them out," Dina said, confident. "I know he will."
"I hope you"re right," he replied.
"Millet is wise and capable," Kaylia added. "Much more than any other human I"ve met thus far. If there is an army guarding their door, he will find a way to get past them."
"You"re right, of course," he agreed. "It"s just the feeling of helplessness I can"t stand."
"Believe me, I understand," said Kaylia. Lee looked at her and nodded knowingly.
After an hour, Ertik returned. "I sent your message. I also sent word to Dantory to be on the lookout for them."
"I"m in your debt," Lee said graciously.
"Not at all," Ertik replied. "You have done us quite a service."
"There"s something else you should know," Lee said. "I believe I have the Book of Souls in my possession."
Ertik froze. "Where is it?"
"In my room. I was hoping someone here would know what to do with it."
"Are you sure that"s what it is?" he asked.
"Not completely," Lee answered. "But from what we"ve learned, we"re as certain as we can be."
Ertik clapped his hands. "That is news. We must tell the High Lady when she is finished with your friend. She will be overjoyed."
"If she can heal Gewey, she can have it," said Lee.
"It will be some time before we know if he will heal," said a voice from the doorway. It was Wileminia. They all stood up.
"What"s happening?" Kaylia asked anxiously. "Will he live?"
Wileminia sighed heavily. "He has been struck by the power of the Sword of Truth. If it had been the Sword itself, it would have destroyed him; thankfully, it was not. We have removed the energy that prevented his body from healing, but it has left him near death. He may not recover."
"He"s a G.o.d," Kaylia cried. "He will not die."
Wileminia stared at Kaylia for a moment. "G.o.d or no, he is in mortal form. But he is strong-stronger than any I"ve seen. Now that the bite of the Sword"s power has been removed, his body may heal on its own. But I"m more concerned with his spirit."
"What do you mean?" Lee asked.
"His spirit wanders," she answered. "And it has not found its way back."