Brian Anderson - The Sword of Truth

Lee gave Martin a letter. “Give this to Lord Ganflin,” he said. “It will explain everything. I will send his carriage back as soon as possible.”

Martin nodded and put the letter in his pocket. “May the gods keep you-especially your young friend.” They carefully lifted Gewey and brought him to the waiting carriage. His skin was pale, and he looked as though life had already left him. Lee climbed into the driver’s seat and took the reins.

“If anything happens, stay close,” Lee advised the group. “We will not stop until morning. Ertik will take the lead once we’re outside the gates.”

Without another word, Lee snapped the reigns and the horses bolted forward.

The gate was still open when they approached. They ignored the guards that were motioning them to halt, nearly running them down as they passed. Screams of alarm faded as Ertik led them west toward the Abyss.

“By the gods!” screamed Ezmerial. “You’ll get us killed.”

Lee ignored her and pushed the horses to move faster. Time was running out. Somehow, he could feel it. If they didn’t get to Valshara soon, all would be lost.

The landscape flew by in a blur as they raced into the night. Ertik led them west for ten miles, then north along a less traveled road. They kept going until an hour before dawn, when Lee called for a halt.

“Why are we stopping?” Kaylia demanded.

“The horse you ride could keep running for much longer, but if the ones pulling the carriage give out, we’re in trouble,” Lee answered. “We need to rest them for a while.”

“And I need to check the boy’s wounds,” added Ezmerial. “And I can’t do that when he’s being jostled about.”

Kaylia grumbled angrily. “One hour. Then we move on.”

“You heard her,” Lee told the group. “One hour. So rest while you can.”

“Kaylia, my dear,” said Ezmerial. “I need your assistance.”

Kaylia jumped into the carriage without hesitation. The healer told her to hand her dressings and a sweet-smelling salve. “This should help keep the wounds closed,” she explained. “If you would, I could use your help when we stop. I don’t know what’s keeping him alive, but I believe that the power of love and prayer heals. It’s obvious you care deeply for him; I see it in the way you look at him. Your love for him is giving him strength somehow.”

Kaylia stared down at Gewey’s ghostly face. He looked peaceful, as if merely resting. Ezmerial touched Kaylia’s hand.

“I’m sorry for not giving you more hope back at the manor, but I spoke truth. Now, I’m starting to believe you won’t allow him to die. Take comfort and stay strong… for him.”

“You are kind,” Kaylia said. “But you were right not to give false hope. I am bonded to Gewey in a way I am too inexperienced to fully understand, and I feel him fading.”

“Bonded how?” she asked in a whisper. “Tell me, my dear. I will keep it to myself.”

“He spoke the ancient words of my ancestors to me, and my spirit reached out and joined with his. He is a part of me in a way you couldn’t understand; even I don’t fully comprehend it.”

“Then perhaps your bond is helping him hold on,” said Ezmerial. “I have no other way to explain it, but you should be grateful for it.”

Kaylia squeezed the woman’s hand. “I pray you’re right. Thank you.”

By the time they finished tending Gewey’s wounds, it was time to move on again.

“We are heading north until we reach the Stone of the Tower,” Ertik told them as he mounted his horse. “Once we get there, stay close. The road that leads to the temple is hidden, and winds through a labyrinth of jagged rocks.”

They hurried on, only stopping when they had to rest the horses. Kaylia rode close to the carriage and assisted Ezmerial at every stop.

“You should try and sleep, Sister,” Lee told the healer. “There’s room in the carriage for you to lie down.”

“Not until we reach this temple of yours,” Ezmerial replied stubbornly. “Is it really the Temple of Valshara?”

“It is,” Lee assured her.

“It’s said that within the Order of Amon Dahl there is knowledge of healing, unknown to anyone else. To think, I may get the chance to watch them and learn.”

“You keep him alive, and I’ll see to it you will,” Ertik promised. “Perhaps I can even arrange for you to stay on for a while.”

Ezmerial’s eyes brightened. “That would be a dream come true,” she replied. “The things I could learn there, the knowledge I could pass on to my order…” Ezmerial worked with renewed vigor. “Don’t worry; if it means I have to stay awake for a week, he’ll be alive when we get there.”

It was dusk when they saw the silhouette of the Stone of the Tower in the distance. It was flat at the top and stood fifty feet tall. The sides were smooth and round, as if they had been carved by a stone worker of unimaginable skill.

“What a strange sight to see on the plains,” Ezmerial remarked as they came near.

“Legend says it was carved by Hephisolis, the God of Fire, as a present for his wife Islisema,” said Lee. “It was once covered in gold and jewels, but Dantenos, God of the Dead, coveted Islisema, and told his followers to strip it bare. Only the stone remains.”

Ertik smiled. “Your knowledge of lore is impressive, Starfinder.”

“My library is extensive,” Lee replied. “And life in a small village gives me a lot of time to read.”

When they reached the Stone, Ertik called for a halt and began searching for the trail. “It’s been some time since I’ve been here, and this way is rarely used.”

He returned after about ten minutes and led them around the far side of the tower, toward what appeared to be nothing but a pile of loose rocks. As they approached, they could see that the rocks staggered and turned, revealing a well-disguised trail.

“We’ll need to lead our horses for a while,” Ertik instructed. “About two miles from here the path gets easier. We should be at the temple by dawn.”

When they finally arrived at Valshara, they came upon a natural stone archway that served as the entrance to the temple. Two men in black robes stood at the threshold, each wearing a sword. Ertik halted and got off his horse.

“Stay here until I call you over,” he told them. “We’re unaccustomed to visitors.”

He walked over to the men and talked to them for several minutes. Finally, he motioned for the rest to approach.

“You must leave your weapons,” said one of the robed men. Lee and Kaylia removed their weapons and handed them over.

Dina retrieved Gewey’s sword and kept it with her. “I must show this to the High Lady,” she explained.

“Then Ertik must carry it, Novice,” the man growled. “And you must surrender your arms as well.”

Dina nodded and handed the sword to Ertik, then removed her dagger. The man motioned for them to continue.

Once past the entrance, a broad stone path led up an incline to a large wooden door. The walls of the temple were plain gray stone and twenty feet tall, extending for several hundred yards in either direction. Ertik pulled a rope that hung from the top of the door, and a bell echoed loudly in response. Moments later, the doors slowly swung open, revealing a massive courtyard. Multicolored slate formed a walkway around the outer edge of the yard, enclosing an inner yard of well-manicured grass. In the center stood an eight-foot tall golden sword, its point buried deep into a marble slab. On either side of the courtyard were covered walkways that led deeper into the temple grounds, and at the rear was another double door, nearly as large the first.

There were at least a dozen men and women walking about the yard. None of them wore ceremonial dress or anything else that might indicate they were part of a temple, and all of them stopped and stared at the newcomers suspiciously. From the far left corner, a young woman began walking rapidly toward them. She went directly to the coach without saying a word to the rest of them and looked carefully at Gewey.