Brian Pratt - Warrior priest of Dmon-Li

“Who are you?” James asks.

“I am no longer,” the ghost explains. “I wish no longer to be.”

“Why are you here?” he asks the ghost.

“To guard, to watch, to bar, to wait,” the ghost replies.

“Guard what?” James asks.

“That which must not be found,” he says. “That which must never leave.”

“What must never leave?” he asks.

“The fire, the scourge, the ending,” moans the ghost.

“I don’t understand,” James says.

“Stolen it was,” the apparition says. “Stolen by us, never to leave. No, it must not be found!”

James glances back to his friends who look back at him nervously. Returning his attention to the ghost, he says, “Who did you steal it from?”

“The name that shall not be spoken,” the ghost wails with great anxiety.

“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 passage 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 passage and pass through the sarcophagus.

The passage 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.