Chapter 3 (“Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.”- His Holiness, The Dalai Lama)
Today is the day. This day and no other. Egan had waited patiently for over a year now. He had made sacrifices, some he would never be able to unravel. I was promised and today I intend to collect!
If Egan had been a younger man, back when his parents had been alive, the sight of two elven women fleeing the entrance to a long abandoned crypt with wolves at their heels would have given him pause. But he was not the same person as he was one year ago. Life in the Free City had changed him...forever. The boy that left Diamond Lake was dead and was replaced by the man standing before this threshold. He wasn’t sure what the towering half-elven woman was screaming at him while restraining her wolves. He didn’t care. Egan watched impassively as the elven archer scaled the hill the Whispering cairn was dug into, knocking her bow in anticipation of some foreseen danger. He gripped his staff tightly and strode forward.
Beetles poured from the entrance in waves, followed by a gargantuan insect. It was the size of a small horse, chitinous armor plates protecting its segmented body. Egan plunged his spirit into the well of forbidden power, the sickening taint nearly overwhelming him as he opened a gate to Gehenna. Hellfire erupted from his palms, engulfing the insect swarm in a river of flame.
“LEEYYYLLLLAAAA,” he screamed.
The smell of charred flesh filled the air. Spear swung and arrows flew. When the dust settled, both insect and wolf had perished. Wounded and weakened by such powerful channelling, Egan collapsed at Rey’s feet.
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“Wake up,” Rey yelled in Common.
Egan stirred from the edge of oblivion to find himself propped up against the side of the hill, his wounds bound.
“Who are you,” Etona asked gently.
“The name’s Egan...thanks.” The twang in his voice was provincial to a small community within the Free City, but the elves standing over him only seemed to care about the message, not the accent.
“Do you wish to die,” Rey demanded. “Is that it? Is today the day you wished to end it?”
The strange human smiled and then began to laugh hysterically.
“He’s insane,” Rey commented in Elven to Etona.
“I am NOT...insane,” Egan countered in flawless Elven. The language was taught on his tongue and the syllables clicked like pages of a book being turned, but it was correct, Egan was sure of that.
“Very well,” Etona said provisionally. “Strange that you should be here now. Of all times and of all moments. Who are you Egan and why do you come to the Whispering Cairn this day?”
“I am here for my sister,” Egan answered.
“Explain,” Rey demanded.
“My sister-”
“Leyla,” Etona interrupted.
“Yes, Leyla,” Egan confirmed. “My sister disappeared here and I have been trying to find her ever since.”
“What hope do you have that she would be here now,” Rey asked bluntly. “Are you looking for her remains?”
Etona winced at Rey’s callous remark, but Egan gave no indication that it troubled him.
“After all this time, hope is all I have, but I must try, and today is as good as any other to die trying… “ Egan’s wiry frame seemed to shake with an unseen chill. “If it’s alright with you lasses, I'd like another go at that mysterious tomb. Shall we?”
“Well, you are welcome to join us if you like,” Etona said. “This is Rey,” pointing to the woman, “and my name is Etona.”
Egan nodded his head and followed the two elven women inside. Rey led the group back to the large chamber with the newly formed pit. Remarkably the green lantern had survived the seismic activity, along with all the others.
“It seems that the cave in leads to a complex below this chamber,” Rey remarked as she looked cautiously over the edge. “Perhaps that is where those metal tubes go after they sink back into the floor.”
“Quite right Rey,” Etona responded. “However, I prefer to go up and not down. Why don’t we see what is in the ceiling above the blue lantern,” she asked to no one in particular. “I’ll go first.”
After Rey looped her rope into the lantern’s chain, it was much easier to make the climb...except for Egan. His face slowly transformed into a mask of agony as he struggled to even hold onto the rope for more than a few moments. Rey wasn’t sure if he would expire as she watched him attempt the climb over and over. Her patience wearing thin, the half-elf grabbed him by the belt with a free arm and made the ascent for the both of them. Etona watched bemused at the top as her companion nearly carried a human man forty feet up a chain. By the time they reached her, even Rey was breathing heavy.
“How did you survive this long,” Rey gasped. “You are not strong.”
Even Etona could not contain a chuckle. The space above the alcove was carved exactly like the passageways below. The hole opened up into a long hallway that ended in the visage of a screaming face, the darkness pierced by a myriad of colors dancing in the “eyes.”
“Careful as you walk,” Etona instructed. “There is a pressure plate midway down the hallway. No more traps triggered today, neh?”
The party made its way towards the enormous sculpture, the mesmerizing lights capturing their attention. Even Etona had difficulty turning her gaze away from them. Egan finally broke the silence:
“The sequence is repeating.”
“What do you mean,” Etona asked.
“Red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo, and violet. The colors appear in that order and then the sequence repeats. If the color green were included, it would represent the visible spectrum of light. Not only that, this wall is radiating quite a bit of magic.”
“Curious,” Etona remarked. “I wonder-,” letting her thoughts go unspoken. Then just as suddenly, she got excited. “Could you stay here Egan, I have an idea. Come with me Rey.”
Egan stood in front of the screaming mural, while the two women climbed back down the chain. After some deliberation, they began moving the magical flame from one lantern to the next. Egan noted that whichever lantern was lit by fire, the color in the visage’s eyes disappeared. It wasn’t long before the group deduced that they would need all the lanterns lit to solve this puzzle, but the question arose: where were the red and indigo lanterns? And then it hit Etona like a sack of loadstones.
“The Emporium,” she whispered.
“What was that,” Egan muttered.
“The red lantern. I’ve seen it before, it lights the antechamber of the Emporium. Mind you, I have never really been inside,” Etona said wistfully. “It’s because of a lack of...cash? Is that the correct term? We will still need help locating the other. I suggest we consult with Allustan.”
The elf noted Egan’s eyes go wide with the suggestion.
“Do you know him,” Etona inquired.
“Well...yes. I mean..no. Well, I used to work for him,” Egan stammered.
“How fortunate,” Etona declared. “We can use that connection to make an agreeable introduction.”
“I am afraid that it will not go as you think. We did not leave each other on the best of terms,” Egan confessed.
“Either way, our path leads to the professed...smartest man in Diamond Lake.”
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Allustan’s house was not what anyone expected it to be. For a man who was brother to the Governer-Mayor of Diamond Lake and an accomplished scholar of the Free City, many would have presumed he could afford a much more sizable house than a simple cottage. Ringed with a rickety white picket fence and a front yard consisting of haphazard flora in various states of life, the party found the Sage watering roses with a rusty green watercan. Etona was pretty sure that the plant was quite dead, but kept that information to herself. She opened her mouth to speak, when Allustan interrupted her.
“Etona isn’t it,” Allustan inquired without turning to greet the party.
“Yes. I believe we met before, but I did not think you would remember me.”
“I remember everything, though I must confess I am a poor predictor of behavior. For instance, I could not foresee the return of my young apprentice,” he said leveling his gaze at Egan.
“It is good to see you well Master,” Egan murmured.
“Egan, what have I said about standing up straight and looking people in the eye when you speak to them,” Allustan asked.
“My apologies Master,” Egan stammered.
A wave of disappointment flashed over Allustan’s face before he motioned towards the cottage. “Shall we go inside and have some tea?”
The party accepted the gracious offer and proceeded inside. The interior seemed...larger than it should. The central living area was a huge chamber whose walls were lined with bookshelves containing a veritable treasure trove of knowledge. Dominating the center of the room was a large circular wooden table. On its surface spilled parchments, maps, and a board containing an ongoing game of dragonchess. As the group got closer, everyone instantly took note of an unstrung silver hunting bow and indigo lantern which were currently being used to hold a rather large map of the region in place. Upon the map were numerous circles with “X’s” through them. Etona froze, staring at the bow as if it was her own infant child.
“Where did you get that,” she said almost breathlessly.
“I have a man in town who...alerts me to unique acquisitions. And this is interesting,” he said. “Lady of Dreams and Daughter of the Night Sky. I have heard that her favored clerics conjure a bowstring of divine power and loose mystical arrows upon her enemies. Or so the legends go.”
Etona walks to it and picks it up, caressing it. "I am leaving with this," she said. "You may ask me what you will, but that is what is happening."
“You are a...unique negotiator Etona,” Allustan said with a smirk. “But since you brought it up, there is something I want.” Pouring some tea for the party, the sage continued. “Do you know the history of these lands? No, I gathered not. Suffice it to say that Diamond Lake is an afterthought in the long timeline of this region. A great battle took place not far from here. Legendary warriors defeated a great evil, but at great personal cost. It is my contention that those men are buried somewhere in these hills along with that history. For the indigo lantern your friends keep staring at-Etona? I don't feel I have your attention." Allustan sighed and continued talking to Egan and Rey instead. "I will require you to document any glyphs or inscriptions you find on your journey within the cairn you are exploring. You will deliver these findings daily and we will convene at least weekly to discuss your progress.”
“How did you know we were exploring the Whispering Cairn,” Rey asked.
Allustan looked over at the board of dragonchess before responding. “You will never win, if you do not realize that you are playing.” Whether that statement was to satisfy Rey or himself, the party could not tell. “For the bow, I require a favor.”
“Name it, though I only speak for myself and not my companions,” Etona declared.
“Then I guess we have a deal,” Allustan said as he sipped his tea.