them upwards and back over fifty feet down the hill.
“Watch out!” Nikulo shoved Talis aside as a lightning bolt struck the ground near where Talis had stood. The bolt singed Nikulo’s leg and he cried out in pain.
Talis glanced around. There were wizards positioned everywhere, most cast spells directly at the temple, and only a few targeted Talis and Nikulo. Talis didn’t want to kill his own people, but he couldn’t have them destroying the temple either. Smoke billowed out from the rafters above.
“We have to retreat…under the temple.”
Nikulo nodded, his eyes filled with despair. Why had it come to this? Mara’s own father ordering this destruction? If he only knew his daughter was here. They ducked inside the burning temple and darted around to where Mara lay trapped, her eyes screaming as she glanced up at the beams aflame.
Talis motioned Nikulo to grab the other side of the cocoon, and they hauled Mara deeper into the temple, where a stone stairwell descended underneath. Charna darted down the stairs in front of them.
In the forming of the temple complex, Talis had ordered something different: twenty-two layers of five-feet wide stone blocks, and a stairwell that wound down and around until reaching the secured chamber housing the black crystal.
There was only one way in and out. And no guardsmen or wizard could enter without facing the power of the black crystal.
“Now we wait.” Talis mouthed the words it’s okay to Mara, and placed a hand on the cocoon. She smiled and responded back, her eyes calmer now.
Nikulo limped over to the side, and sat on a stone block. He withdrew a vial from his backpack, and dumped the contents onto the burn on his leg. He winced, and placed a hand over the wound. The area around his leg glowed golden for a moment, and his face relaxed as if the healing had worked.
“Better?” Talis said, and Nikulo nodded feebly.
After awhile the smoke wafting down the stairwell intensified, and Talis occasionally sent bursts of wind up the stone hole, pulling in fresh air from vents built into the sides of the stone room. They allowed air inside the deep chamber, but were small enough to bar entrance.
“We’re vulnerable down here…I don’t like it.” Nikulo sniffed, glancing around the enormous chamber. The black crystal seemed agitated, and pulsed with fine lines of iridescent light.
“This gains us some time at least. We’d be dead trying to fight above.”
“Unless you killed them all first.”
Talis frowned. “Are you serious? I can’t do that to my own people. They’re just deluded.”
“And intent on killing you and razing the temple. That’s enough cause for me to fight back…for the good of Naru.” Nikulo glanced over at Talis, then exhaled a heavy sigh. “Why do we even bother helping a people that obviously cares little about being helped?”
“My family and yours care. Mara cares.” Talis smiled at her. “It’s just her family.”
“It’s all a plot by House Lei. The king is dying, the healers fail to treat him properly, and Viceroy Lei will try to take over Naru. The common people will lose.”
Talis stood suddenly, realizing it was quiet upstairs. Had they stopped?
Then the fresh smell of rain and wet smoke came wafting down the stairwell.
“Perhaps the others of the Order have stopped them?” he said, and peered up into the stone stairwell. Or had father sent his troops to rescue them?
A trickle of grey water crept down the stairs. Why was it raining over the temple? Sun always fell over the temple, despite any storm that assaulted Naru. The trickled bubbled up to a gush of smoke and ash-tainted water, spreading over the stone floor. Then it came to him at once. The wizards were casting Water Magic, summoning storm clouds over the temple.
They were trying to drown them.
Soon the water turned to a flood and the floor was covered in water up to their ankles.
“Any ideas?” Nikulo said, stepping up
“Watch out!” Nikulo shoved Talis aside as a lightning bolt struck the ground near where Talis had stood. The bolt singed Nikulo’s leg and he cried out in pain.
Talis glanced around. There were wizards positioned everywhere, most cast spells directly at the temple, and only a few targeted Talis and Nikulo. Talis didn’t want to kill his own people, but he couldn’t have them destroying the temple either. Smoke billowed out from the rafters above.
“We have to retreat…under the temple.”
Nikulo nodded, his eyes filled with despair. Why had it come to this? Mara’s own father ordering this destruction? If he only knew his daughter was here. They ducked inside the burning temple and darted around to where Mara lay trapped, her eyes screaming as she glanced up at the beams aflame.
Talis motioned Nikulo to grab the other side of the cocoon, and they hauled Mara deeper into the temple, where a stone stairwell descended underneath. Charna darted down the stairs in front of them.
In the forming of the temple complex, Talis had ordered something different: twenty-two layers of five-feet wide stone blocks, and a stairwell that wound down and around until reaching the secured chamber housing the black crystal.
There was only one way in and out. And no guardsmen or wizard could enter without facing the power of the black crystal.
“Now we wait.” Talis mouthed the words it’s okay to Mara, and placed a hand on the cocoon. She smiled and responded back, her eyes calmer now.
Nikulo limped over to the side, and sat on a stone block. He withdrew a vial from his backpack, and dumped the contents onto the burn on his leg. He winced, and placed a hand over the wound. The area around his leg glowed golden for a moment, and his face relaxed as if the healing had worked.
“Better?” Talis said, and Nikulo nodded feebly.
After awhile the smoke wafting down the stairwell intensified, and Talis occasionally sent bursts of wind up the stone hole, pulling in fresh air from vents built into the sides of the stone room. They allowed air inside the deep chamber, but were small enough to bar entrance.
“We’re vulnerable down here…I don’t like it.” Nikulo sniffed, glancing around the enormous chamber. The black crystal seemed agitated, and pulsed with fine lines of iridescent light.
“This gains us some time at least. We’d be dead trying to fight above.”
“Unless you killed them all first.”
Talis frowned. “Are you serious? I can’t do that to my own people. They’re just deluded.”
“And intent on killing you and razing the temple. That’s enough cause for me to fight back…for the good of Naru.” Nikulo glanced over at Talis, then exhaled a heavy sigh. “Why do we even bother helping a people that obviously cares little about being helped?”
“My family and yours care. Mara cares.” Talis smiled at her. “It’s just her family.”
“It’s all a plot by House Lei. The king is dying, the healers fail to treat him properly, and Viceroy Lei will try to take over Naru. The common people will lose.”
Talis stood suddenly, realizing it was quiet upstairs. Had they stopped?
Then the fresh smell of rain and wet smoke came wafting down the stairwell.
“Perhaps the others of the Order have stopped them?” he said, and peered up into the stone stairwell. Or had father sent his troops to rescue them?
A trickle of grey water crept down the stairs. Why was it raining over the temple? Sun always fell over the temple, despite any storm that assaulted Naru. The trickled bubbled up to a gush of smoke and ash-tainted water, spreading over the stone floor. Then it came to him at once. The wizards were casting Water Magic, summoning storm clouds over the temple.
They were trying to drown them.
Soon the water turned to a flood and the floor was covered in water up to their ankles.
“Any ideas?” Nikulo said, stepping up
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