Reyanna's Prophecy: Book 1 of the Forge Born Duology by Whit McClendon

Author:Whit McClendon [McClendon, Whit]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rolling Scroll Publishing
Published: 2018-08-07T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Gart blew the dust from the top of the pedestal in the eastern tower, allowing the runes on its surface to emerge. Under one arm, he held the next artifact, the next piece of the puzzle he knew he must solve. He was not much of an art lover, but he had to admit that the artifacts he had placed in the other towers had been quite beautiful. He had never seen works of such impressive craftsmanship.

The red onyx fire urn in the southern tower had been stunningly wrought, its surface the color of rubies beneath the dust that had covered it. It had not even been moved from its place on the pedestal, though a long-dead tumble of bones nearby indicated that a doomed priest had meant to take it. Gart had double-checked to see that the urn was still in its proper position, then had set a small brazier at the base of the short column. He had lit the oil and watched the flame burn for a moment to be sure it would stay lit, then poured more oil into the ancient urn.

Afterward, he had made his way to the eastern tower, the tower of Air, where he now stood. At first, he was unable to find the artifact, but finally, he located the sprawled form of another robe-clad skeleton several yards from the base of the tower. The priest had actually made it beyond the wall with his prize, but at the last, he had fallen in the same manner as his brethren. His pitiful, huddled form and ancient, decayed cloak had covered the stunning sculpture, and Gart carefully dug it out and cleaned it off.

It was stone, but inlaid with gems and gold and silver threads that brought it to brilliant life. Emerald vines entwined around each other to form a hollow circle. From the topmost arch of the circle hung a score of tiny silver chains and bells, windchimes that sparkled with music at the slightest breeze. Gart had roughly wrapped the piece in cloth to silence it until he was ready, and now he settled the wrapped sculpture onto its base and carefully removed the cover. He aligned the runes along the bottom so that they met properly, then stepped away from the pedestal. He took a moment to admire the way it sparkled beautifully in the sunlight that shone through the holes in the roof. He gazed at it for a few moments, on some level understanding what a treasure it was. Then he sighed. He had no need of it, other than as a tool to get what he needed to fulfill his mission. His face grew stern and he turned his back to the stunning sculpture, heading down the stairs toward the next part of his ritual. Keeping a careful eye out for dangerous creatures, Gart pulled out his notebook and checked his sketches against the nearest buildings he could identify. Making his best guess, he worked his way toward the center of the temple complex.

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