Warrior Priest Of Dmon-Li Part 23

"What would happen if it is found?" James asks.

"Death! Much death at the hands of his followers," cries the ghost.

Suddenly, the ghost begins wailing. The wailing increases to such intensity that they're forced to cover their ears. When the wailing stops, the ghost cries, "One has come!" Again the intense wailing.

"Hope is lost!" it wails and begins moving in an agitated manner.

"What?" yells out James. "Who has come?"

"One who belongs to him that shall not be named," cries the ghost. "He shall find it!"

Suddenly, in his mind, he understands. Abula-Mazki has entered the catacomb.

The ghost moves suddenly and comes to stand but inches from James. "You must take it!" it wails to him. "Take it and hide it!"

"Where is it?" James cries out to the ghost.

"Above us," the ghost replies. "You must find the Room of Stars." He moves to the side of his sarcophagus and placing a hand upon it, says, "Within here, is the key." Beginning to wail again, the ghost begins shimmering until finally dissolving into nothingness.

When the apparition is gone, they glance at each other.

James walks over to the side of the sarcophagus and tries to remove the stone slab covering it. "Help me!" he hollers back to the others.

Moving closer, they both grab a hold of the stone slab and with all three working together, manage to raise one side. Pushing the slab away from them, they begin to slide it across the sarcophagus where it drops over the other side, smashing into the floor.

Within, they see the body of the priest whose ghost had just spoken to them. Upon his breast is a golden key, three inches in length with a large diamond at one end. Reaching in, James picks it up.

"Come on!" he says as he runs from the room.

"What's going on?" Miko asks him as he follows.

"Didn't you hear what the ghost told us?" he asks.

"All we heard was wailing," Jiron explains.

"He said that there is something here that the priests of Morcyth had been hiding from someone," he tells them. "He also said that a follower of that someone is now here. I think Abula-Mazki has found the entrance to the catacomb and is now within it, hunting for us."

"The priest told me I must find the 'fire' and keep it from him. It's above us in the 'Room of Stars', whatever that means."

"What happens if he should get it?" Jiron asks.

"The priest said 'Death! Much death at the hands of his followers'. I don't think we have much choice." James hurries back to the junction and again takes the right.

He follows the hallway and comes to a set of stairs leading up. Taking them two at a time, he reaches the top and enters the hallway at a run. The hallway is constructed better than the ones below. It has worked stone for sides as well as frescoes and tapestries.

Rushing down the corridor, he comes to a door in the right wall. Upon the door is a faded picture of a diamond. He pulls out the key and finds the diamond on the door is a direct match to the one on the key. Placing the key in the lock, he turns it and opens the door.

The room on the other side is octagonal, with upraised sarcophagi upon the other seven sides of the room. Upon each is emblazoned the Star of Morcyth.

"This must be the room of stars," he announces. Turning to Jiron, he says, "Keep watch here and if anyone comes, let me know."

"You got it," he says drawing his knives.

"Come with me," he says to Miko as he drags him through the door and into the room.

The medallion on his chest begins to glow once more, the Stars on the sarcophagi begin to glow as well. The glowing of the Stars reveals that another Star has been engraved upon the center of the chamber floor.

James grabs Miko and they move to the center of the room.

"Why do I have to be here?" Miko asks as they approach the center of the Star.

"Quiet," James tells him. Upon reaching the center, he takes the medallion and holds it up high. A high pitched note begins to be heard coming from all around. It grows steadily louder and louder.

Jiron is now bathed in the light coming from the Stars as he stands out in the corridor, watching in awe at what's transpiring within the room.

Suddenly the note stops and all is silent, then the sarcophagi doors begin to open. When the doors are fully open, a warrior steps out of each and comes toward James. Each is heavily armored, bearing a longsword and a shield. The shield is embossed with the Star of Morcyth.

All but one stops when they come to within three feet of where he stands. Miko quakes in fear as the largest of the seven comes even closer. This warrior stops a scant foot and a half from them.

"That the Star should shine here once more is dire indeed," the warrior says.

"One has come who serves he that should not be named," James replies, hoping to get it right.

"Yes," the warrior says. "I can feel his presence as he approaches. The Fire is no longer safe here."

"I must retrieve it," James says.

Shaking his head, the warrior says, "Only a son of this world may touch it. All others must surely perish."

"But..." James begins to say.

Then the warrior raises one of his hands and points at Miko. "He must be the one," he says to Miko's horror.

Miko backs away and says, "N...n...no way."

"James!" he hears Jiron call from the corridor. "You better hurry!" Then the clash of battle can be heard as Jiron engages with the enemy.

"Miko, you have no choice!" James says. "We can't let it fall to Abula-Mazki!"

Suddenly they hear a grinding sound as the back of one of the sarcophagi begins sliding into the floor. The circle of warriors part, creating a way for Miko to move toward the pa.s.sage revealed behind it. "Go," the warrior says, "therein lies the Fire."

"We'll go together," James says as he takes Miko by the hand.

From the corridor, they continue to hear Jiron fighting. Miko looks to James, the fear evident in his eyes as he slowly nods his head. Together they walk to the revealed pa.s.sage and pa.s.s through the sarcophagus.

The pa.s.sage only goes ten feet before opening up to a small room. A three foot pedestal sits in the middle of the room and upon it is a red ruby, easily the biggest ruby James had ever heard of. It has to be at least three inches in diameter. Coming closer to it, they can see light moving within it, like the flickering of a flame.

Miko looks to James and says, "What do I do?"

"I'm not sure," he admits.

Miko comes closer to the Fire and hesitantly reaches his hand out to it. When nothing happens, he picks it up.

James studies his friend, worried, but doesn't see anything happening to him.

Miko closes his hand around it and turns back to James, "It's cool to the touch."

"Put it in your pouch and let's go!" he says.

Miko does as he says and they return to the Star room. The lead warrior says, "Go and protect the fire."

"We shall," says James. As he makes to leave, the warriors rush past him and out the door, engaging the enemy.

At the door, Jiron almost runs into them, both of them coming to a quick stop. "Who are those guys?" he asks him.

"Not really sure," James says. He looks down the corridor and sees them fighting most effectively against the soldiers. "Let's get out of here while we can." One more glance back at the fighting and he sees the warriors have mowed through the soldiers like a scythe through wheat.

They begin running down the corridor in the opposite direction when James suddenly feels an intense p.r.i.c.kling sensation. Abula-Mazki! Abula-Mazki!

A feeling of evil and revulsion rolls over them like a wave. James is almost reduced to vomiting from the feeling of it.

"What was that?" Jiron asks.

"I'm not sure," James replies once he's regained control of his stomach again.

From up ahead, they hear movement. Holding the orb up, its light reveals a corpse shuffling around the corner ahead of them, others following behind. "He's raised the dead against us!" James cries out.

"James!" hollers Jiron. "The Star!"

Holding the Star of Morcyth high, the light again comes from it. The dead only shy away from it, it slows them down but fails to stop them entirely.

"It's not working!" shouts Miko when he fails to see the dead dissolve like the torsos had.

"The magic of Abula-Mazki must be sustaining them," replies James. Turning to Jiron, he says, "Only one thing to do."

Nodding his head, Jiron moves to the fore where he begins laying into them. Hits that would normally drop a living man have minimal effect upon these.

"Don't try to kill them," advises James, "they're already dead. Try to disable so we can get by them." He sees Jiron nod as his tactics suddenly change.

One of the dead is wielding a sword and Jiron easily takes it from him. Then he uses the sword in one hand and a knife in the other as he begins cutting off limbs from the dead.

Miko suddenly cries out as a hand that had been severed from a corpse grabs his foot. Screaming, he kicks out with his other foot and knocks it away. In revulsion he sees the hand still moving, as it begins pulling itself across the floor toward them with its fingers.

"Come on!" he hears James yell. Turning back toward him, he sees that the last corpse has been sectioned and the way is clear. He hurries past the moving pieces of the dead that try to grab him as he pa.s.ses, and joins James and Jiron.

They make a break down the corridor and come to another junction. The orb's light shows shambling shapes coming from the right so they turn and go to the left.

Running down the corridor, they follow it for twenty feet before it turns sharply to the right. Around the corner, they come to a flight of stairs. Without pausing they race up them, taking them two at a time.

When they reach the top, they find themselves to be in an old cellar, perhaps of a temple of some kind. The ceiling has collapsed in several spots and it's difficult to make it through to the doorway on the far side.

They're going to have to dig out some of the rubble in order to squeeze through. "Guard the door!" James yells to Jiron as he and Miko begin clearing the way.

"Hurry up man!" Jiron hollers over to them. A corpse comes into view at the bottom of the stairs and begins to climb up. Many more follow.

Digging as fast as they can, they finally clear a wide enough s.p.a.ce for them to squeeze through. Miko goes first and James has to push him through for him to make it. He widens it a fraction more before he hollers over his shoulder, "Jiron, let's go!" James quickly squeezes through and then turns to watch Jiron still fighting at the stairs.

Jiron kicks out at a corpse, knocking it back down the stairs. Then he turns and dashes toward the narrow opening and easily wriggles through.

Leaving the room, they follow a hallway for another twenty feet before coming to a flight of stairs going up. Rubble chokes it, but they are able to work their way up the stairs and soon find themselves outside under the moon and stars.

"Which way?" Jiron asks when they're all out.

"Not yet," James says as he pauses a moment and summons the magic. When he releases it, the ground begins to shake and they start to lose their balance. Suddenly realizing he went too far, he yells, "RUN!"

They follow him as he runs away from the entrance as fast as possible. Behind them, they begin to hear a roar as the shaking of the ground increases. They are thrown to the ground and all they can do is lie there. The roar intensifies as the shaking continues, James prays they'll not be caught up in it.

When the ground finally stops shaking and they're able to get up, they move cautiously back toward the entrance to the catacomb. The dust is thick and it takes a while before they can see clearly. When they do, the sight amazes them.

The cliff had collapsed and fallen into the canyon. The moonlight doesn't show the extent of the damage but the edge of the cliff is now a lot further back than where it had been. The ruins they had climbed from are gone, probably lying somewhere in the bottom of the canyon.

"Hope that killed him," Jiron says as he stares into the darkness of the canyon. From below, they can hear the sound of stone sliding down the slope.

"I do too," agrees James.

"I don't think we should stay here," Jiron advises. "We better put as much distance between us and here as we can."

In the moonlight, James nods agreement. They set out away from the canyon, ever mindful of the troops awaiting them at the northern end. Angling more east than north, they walk for several hours before stopping.

"Just a quick rest, and then we must be on our way," James announces. "I'll take first watch."

He can see Jiron nod affirmatively and lie down. A glow suddenly appears from where Miko sits. Glancing over, he sees him holding the Fire in his hand. "Probably shouldn't be touching it more than you have to," he advises him.

Jiron sits up and looks over to Miko. "What is that?"

Miko gets to his feet and brings it over to them. "They said it was the 'Fire'," he explains.

"Fire?" he asks confused. "What does that mean?"

"It would seem it has to do with Dmon-Li," James replies. "The priests of Morcyth had stolen it somehow and had secreted it back there," he explains, gesturing back toward the canyon. He goes on to explain all that the spirits had told him.

"Man!" Jiron exclaims. "Now what?"

"I don't know," James replies. "But we better make sure that it remains hidden."

"It's so beautiful," they hear Miko whisper. Looking over, they see him completely engrossed with the gem, his gaze fixed upon it.

"Miko," James says, trying to get his attention. When Miko fails to respond, he hollers louder, "Miko!"