Read Temple of the Traveler: Book 02 - Dreams of the Fallen Online
Authors: Scott Rhine
Pinetto shook his head. “Kiateros distinctly said ‘on’.”
“Hmm,” she considered. “Perhaps she was demoted from voting status when the virus damaged her higher reasoning functions.”
“That’s why she eats the heads!” exclaimed Pinetto. “She’s missing chemicals that she needs to think straight.”
“Interesting,” she said as they compared notes.
“Not as fascinating as having a god name you head of his church,” Pinetto said, fawning just a little. “Is he really the evil fiend they make him out to be?”
She shrugged, causing her dress to tighten in interesting places. “He’s trying to change his image now that he’s out of prison. I’m working on his tenets.”
“Anything we might be interested in?” asked the smith.
“Today I added: don’t kill or torture people in my name.”
The smith nodded. “I could stand behind that.”
Tashi could tell that her appearance and the cloak’s powers were turning these men into putty. Far from being worried about what she was doing to
him
, he felt jealous. “I’ve faced Archanos three times and bested him in unarmed combat.”
“If we’re done bragging like aristocrts at a school reunion, I think we can help each other,” said the seeress.
She outlined the attack on the temple via the back stair, and the smith described their run to the border with the wagon carrying the Obsidian Throne. The seeress offered, “I have a letter of safe passage. Your wagon needs to get through the eastern gate and the Imperial garrison there. We’re told that the roads in the gap are perilously steep. We happen to have a man, Simon the architect, who’s driven wagons on these roads before. He can travel with Prince Legato.”
“Let’s take them back to the teacher and get everyone’s input,” suggested Tashi. “But leave the archers here to ‘guard’ the field.”
They all agreed. Walking up the hill to the campfire, the smith wanted to know, “How did you manage to sneak up on me?”
“The river helped to mask sounds,” Tashi said evasively.
“But how did you find where we were hiding?” asked the smith.
Pinetto pointed to the invisible panther. “They cheated.”
Bagierog laughed, but did not appear. “Hail, favored of Kiateros. We, the Fallen, work together against the Pretender and his council. How did you see me?”
“I can’t see details, but there’s a void where the light of the Compass Star isn’t,” the wizard explained. “We have two eagle-headed friends at our camp, and I noticed the same flaw with them.”
“With eagles to command, you can vanquish the enemy wizards. It will be sword against claw to the finish,” the panther purred. “This is going to be a battle to remember.”
When they reached Look Out Point, Tashi introduced everyone around the fire. There was an awkward moment when they introduced Sophia and the smith said, “You have a beautiful daughter, Simon.”
“It’s his wife,” whispered Tashi.
“She’s young,” said Pinetto, looking at the architect as he would a degenerate.
“Yes and no,” said the ex-sheriff. “It’s complicated.”
“More shape-shifting?”
“Close.”
The smith shook his head. “In the middle of a war, and every guy I know is involved in sex and magic. It’s not natural. The gods meant their power to go into mighty weapons, not giggling bed rolls.”
Pinetto looked askance. “I think our way makes it a better world. You’re just jealous because you scream prematurely,” he said, making fun of every time the smith had tried to sneak up on an enemy.
“That only happened twice,” the smith clarified.
“As soon as you take it out of your scabbard,” japed the wizard.
“Shh. There are ladies and children here,” complained the smith.
After meeting, it didn’t take long before they were dividing into teams.
“The prince and about six others can take the throne through the eastern gate,” said the smith. “Many more and it might draw suspicion. Everyone else will join us at this choke point at the foot of the stairs to hold the army back. Simon can drive the oxen and carry the writ of passage. Once they make it into Kiateros proper, the Kiateran irregulars can take the prince to someplace he can be crowned.”
“My Sajika is ambassador and will go along to witness, as well as to help with the oxen. She’s driven our wagon a lot recently. We can use the empty ale barrels to hide the throne and the gypsy family disguises.”
“Won’t they need Sarajah for the pass?” asked Brent.
“It would be the best guarantee,” said Tashi.
“You’re just trying to get rid of the defenseless women,” Sarajah grumbled. “I can fight almost as well as the Dawn folk. I’ve put you on your back more than once,” she said to the ex-sheriff.
The smith snickered at the suggestive wording. Alana had been an infamous cougar.
Tashi replied, “Sophia’s a woman, and she’ll be staying with us as a guide,”
Simon seemed uncomfortable with the arrangement and argued with his wife off to the side, fingers dancing.
“You’re responsible for the restoration of Kiateros,” Pinetto said gravely. “If anyone were to discover the prince or the throne, you’d have to adapt the plan on the spot. We’ll give you the crown to carry. If anything goes wrong, we’ll need someone resourceful and powerful to hide the crown until the next opportunity.”
On cue, the smith handed over the important golden torc.
Grudgingly, the seeress said, “Fine. If we start now, we can be there before daybreak.”
Pinetto winced. “We can’t cross the border yet.”
“Every beat we delay, that army gets closer,” hissed Sarajah.
The smith nodded. “Aye. But Legato has to finish assembling the throne
himself
before he can sit on it. It needs to be accomplished by sundown tomorrow or no dice. Tomorrow is Emperor’s Day, right?”
The seeress nodded. “Can he finish it from the Imperial garrison at the top of the falls?”
The smith and astronomer glanced at each other, each shrugging. “Sure.”
“I’ll get him there and chase out the Imperials,” she promised.
Simon shook his head. “Anything abnormal will alert the temple guards on the wall. They track that path with a huge ballista. Anything suspicious gets attacked.”
Owl furrowed his brow. “What’s that?”
The boy grinned. “It’s like a gigantic crossbow that slings bolts the size of a dining room table.”
The smith grunted, “If one of our oxen gets nailed by one of those bolts, it could slide down the embankment, dragging the throne and prince alike to their deaths.”
“I’ll take care of the ballista,” volunteered Tashi.
“That’s suicide,” Pinetto said.
The smith responded, “And what the rest of us are doing isn’t? If he says he can do it, he can.”
“He’ll need someone with map knowledge,” said Jotham, pointing out Tashi’s memory problems without being rude. “That would be Brent or Sophia.”
Simon pointed to the map. “These doors lead to the parapet you want. But the way is heavily guarded. You may have better luck climbing out this window, one floor higher. The stone gets a little slick when it rains or the snow melts, but that route gives you the best chance of success. By the way, Sophia’s of no use in combat.”
Tashi reasoned, “Neither is my teacher. He’s going into the inner sanctum. With luck, his team should gain entrance by stealth and complete your task with no one the wiser. Sophia knows that route best. I’ve worked with the boy before, and he can hold his water. He’ll go with me. We can each take one of the gravediggers in case we run into locked doors.”
Jotham nodded, “Or places where use of excessive force might attract too much attention.”
Everyone murmured agreement. Owl spoke up, “Tatters is the quieter of us. He should go with the good architect’s wife. I’ve had more experience fighting.”
Tashi examined the scraggly man in a new light. “Pleased to have you. We’ll all stay together up the back stair. We cut the rope bridge so no one can attack us from behind and split into teams when we get safely to the Great Hall.”
The smith said, “The menagerie, the wizard, and I will stand at the base of the backstairs until you signal us that you’ve captured the ballista.”
Tashi smacked fists with the smith and said, “New money. I’ll come to join your fight once I clear the parapets. The gravediggers and Brent can help Sophia across the falls. When we see the final Door close, we all run for the border of Kiateros.”
“How will we know?” asked Pinetto.
“You’ll be able to tell with your eyes closed,” said Jotham.
Tashi suggested, “Simon can send the rest of your troops to join us at the base of the stairs.”
Pinetto shook his head. “Someone of rank has to go with him. Since I can’t run and I’m the only one who can hold back the wizards, I’ll stay here.”
“It’s a two-hour walk back to the orchard,” the smith objected.
“Then I’d appreciate it if you moved your noisy ass as fast as possible,” said Pinetto. “And bring the eagles back with you.”
Even Jotham was impressed by the lone human defender volunteering to rearguard their venture against an army. “Is there anything we can do to aid you?”
“I only have a dozen darts with me. Make me a pile of sharp things that I can throw: darts, daggers, or pointy rocks.”
Owl dropped a sack of rock pitons at his feet. “I brought extra just in case. With two fewer people and most of the climb on a staircase, I can leave half the climbing spikes with you.”
“I’ll leave the two archers with you,” the smith insisted.
Brent turned to the seeress. “Since you’ll be going with Simon and the sword guy, you should probably give me the deck of cards now.”
“I’ve been thinking,” Sarajah said, folding her arms over the pouch protectively.
Tashi placed a hand on her shoulder. “This is the day, the day we’ve been working for. I do not hesitate to spend my life for this cause.”
“It’s not just yours anymore,” she snapped. When she opened her mouth to say more, he kissed her passionately. Sophia faced the boy away as the two made soft moaning sounds.
Then she left the boy with Owl while she said farewell to her husband. The gravediggers and the boy urinated on the embers of the cook fire, but this didn’t extinguish it completely. Seeing a small tin bucket hanging awkwardly on the trunk of a nearby maple tree, Brent fixed the handle with his metalworking tools. Afterward, Tatters filled it with dirt from the trail and finished smothering the embers. They left the bucket in the center of the camp site for the next traveler to use.
When the couples had finished their goodbyes, Baran Togg saluted Pinetto. “I’ll be back before sunrise. The enemy shouldn’t attack before then.”
Tashi came away from the embrace with a smile and deck of cards. As Tashi handed the magic deck to his teacher, he asked the smith, “Is this wizard truly favored of Kiateros?”
Baran Togg nodded. “He’s the man responsible for rescuing the Obsidian Throne. When the Fallen god offered him a reward, all Pinetto wanted was a piece of fruit.”
“And you trust him?” Tashi demanded.
“With my life and fortunes,” the smith confirmed. “He’s a good man and an innovative wizard. Do everything you can to keep him alive.”
Tashi saluted the former Executioner. Baran Togg, Simon, and the seeress jogged toward the Friendship Bridge.
When they were gone, but before the archers arrived, Tashi said to Jotham, “Teach Pinetto the last mystery of the Spirit Temple.”
The priest asked in a higher than normal tone, “You think this wise?”
“This man seems well-balanced and will hold our lives in his hands today.”
“If he can’t contain the mystery or becomes too greedy?”
Tashi shrugged. “The power of boundaries will enable him to stand firm. At worst, he’d level this mountain and the temple with it. If we fail, that’d give humanity a few generations of peace, at least.”
Unable to counter the logic, Jotham sighed. “I’ll tell him a little, so the wisdom is not lost upon my death.”
Approaching Pinetto, Jotham led the wizard away from the others. “Consider this waterfall,” he began his lecture.
Half an hour later, Pinetto stumbled back to his friend. The wizard’s eyes were glowing a faint silver in the darkness. “Are you feeling all right?” Tashi asked.
“He wasn’t kidding about the power,” Pinetto said, in a daze. “Mostly, he taught me to see potential. Something on that mountain is pouring it out like a river. The things he told me made everything I learned in wizard class look like a child’s drawing.”
“You look like you’re going to throw up,” said Brent.
“It’s . . . a lot to cope with. I’m dizzy.”
“Bleed off power in small amounts,” the panther-headed creature whispered. “Or you’ll melt the rocks under your feet.”
Pinetto pulled out the chipmunk stone to see how far the smith had reached. When he fed a trickle of power through the glass fossil, it flared silver and exploded. Power from the rain of energy struck his cloak and poured down his arm like water. “Whoa. Not what I intended.” The liquid power flowed from his cupped like an irrigation spout. “Give me one of those darts; I have an idea.”