Shanhaevel shivered. Iuz the terrible joining forces with a trapped demon! The elf was beginning to think this whole expedition was a horrible mistake. We should go. Get out of here right now. They’re too powerful. Too strong. If we got far enough away, the temple wouldn’t affect us.
The man in the dark armor nodded, and he and everyone else stepped back even farther from the doors. Falrinth cast. Shanhaevel watched the wizard with a critical eye, trying to determine what was about to happen.
“What’s going on?” Ahleage hissed from somewhere beyond, back in the chapel where Shanhaevel’s body sat. “What’s happening?”
Suddenly, the elf recognized the spell Falrinth was conjuring, and he realized with terrible certainty what was about to happen.
“Oh, Boccob!” Shanhaevel muttered. “They’re going to destroy the doors!”
Falrinth completed his spell and sprinted in the opposite direction, retreating from the doors as a small, streaking cinder went flying toward the stack of kegs. There was a sudden concussive blast accompanied by a blossoming ball of fire that was quickly overwhelmed by an even larger and more destructive detonation.
Shanhaevel felt the blast as it occurred, even though in reality he was far away. As before, it shook the temple to its foundations. Chunks of stone, earth, and wood exploded with vehemence. The particles of what had once been the front of the temple showered down upon the surrounding woods.
“That cannot be!” Thrommel whispered fiercely as the vibrations faded. “The warding magic of those doors is too powerful. It was placed there to prevent just such an occurrence. There should be no way to destroy them.”
“Perhaps there shouldn’t be,” Shanhaevel said, “but that’s exactly what they just did. They intend to destroy all of the doors and free the demon.”
“Well, then, we’ve got to stop them!” Elmo growled.
Shanhaevel nodded and released his hold on the spell, bringing his frame of reference back to the chapel once more. “Yes,” the wizard replied, blinking as he adjusted to the difference in lighting. “Forget the gems. We must stop them before they destroy another door.”
“Yes, but how are we to find where they will strike next?” Shirral asked. “We don’t know where the other doors are.”
“I do,” Thrommel said quietly.
Everyone looked at the prince.
“I was there when the doors were sealed,” he explained. “Shanhaevel, you were observing them working on the front doors, right?”
The elf nodded.
“Start there, once we leave this place. You must go to the surface and track them down from there. I can leave first, as I suggested before, and hopefully lead any threats away. You follow. Get to the great temple just inside those outer doors. Follow the large staircases. Each door gives way to another, deeper in the temple structure. Eventually, you will find one that they haven’t destroyed yet.”
“We can waste no more time,” Govin said. “We are rested. We must depart at once.”
“Give me a few moments, then follow,” Thrommel repeated. “Just tell me the way out.”
An idea occurred to Shanhaevel. “Hold on,” he said, reaching for his pack once more and rummaging through it. He retrieved the rolled-up map he had found in Falrinth’s chambers, the one with the dangerous glyph on it that he had removed from the wall. “Perhaps this can help,” the elf said as he unrolled the parchment. “When I was studying it before, some of it looked familiar. Give me a moment to remove the explosive symbol.”
“If you’re going to do that in here, I’m going in there,” Ahleage said as he retreated into the other room. The rest of the group and the prince moved a safe distance, as well.
Shanhaevel pinned the corners of the map down with things from his pack. Careful to avoid looking directly at anything written on the map, he cast a magical dispelling, similar to the one Shirral had used to free Ahleage from the effects of the illusory basilisk. Muttering the words of the spell, he centered the magic on the map and released the energy bound there, and a portion of the markings disappeared.
“All right!” Shanhaevel called out, studying the map. “It’s safe to come see now.”
The group clustered around the large sheet of parchment, examining it carefully. It did not take them long to determine that it was, indeed, a depiction of some of the temple. It included Falrinth’s chambers, plus most of what the Alliance had traversed to reach the chapel, although it did not show the chapel itself. Shanhaevel traced the path backward from where they were now to Falrinth’s and the tunnel to the well beyond, showing Thrommel how to return to the surface. The prince studied the route carefully for a few moments, then stood up to leave.
“I cannot stay to aid you, though I consider the cause worthy enough. I must return to Furyondy and to Jolene, but I will get word to Burne. He will know what is happening here. Find Falrinth and stop him, then destroy the orb. The people of many lands are counting on you. May the hand of Cuthbert guide you to victory.”
With that, the prince slipped out of the hidden chapel and was gone, leaving the Alliance to seal the secret door behind him.
The group sat for a moment, letting the prince’s words sink in and giving the royal progeny time to get ahead of them. Then it was time to go. The companions gathered their gear and prepared to set out.
“Let’s hope he was successful in luring the spider-shadow away,” Govin said. “May Cuthbert go with him. Let’s go find that wizard.”
With Govin leading the way, the Alliance slipped into the darkness beyond.
23
The horrid undead thing that had resulted from Lareth’s death was nowhere to be found. Shanhaevel watched every shadow as the group retraced its steps back along the path. The elf could only imagine what horrors prowled through these passages when the temple flourished ten years ago. He was surprised that so much of the place was empty now, and yet, he was grateful, too.
The companions managed to return to the tunnels between the well and the tower without incident, but as they reached the cavern, Govin hesitated.
“Which way should we go?” he asked as everyone else passed through the secret door. “I imagine either direction will be watched.”
Frowning, Shanhaevel nodded. “You’re right,” the elf said, considering. “But I have something that just might solve that problem. Come on.”
The companions moved toward the well, and just before they reached the door leading into the side of the shaft, the wizard gathered everyone together in a small group and gathered the magic forces within him. He summoned the arcane energies and cloaked the group in them, causing the Alliance to disappear from view.
“Hey!” Ahleage said. “That’s pretty damned handy.”
Slowly, so as not to bump or trip one another, the group made their way into the well. Ahleage moved up the shaft to the top and peered over the lip.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone around,” he whispered, “although they could be hiding in the barn or the ruins of the house.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Elmo called back up. “Let’s just get to the temple.”
“Wait!” Shanhaevel said, then called out to Ormiel.
Friend! the hawk greeted. You hide beneath the ground a long time.
Yes, the elf replied. Are you well?
Hungry, the hawk projected. Hunting food.