***
It had taken Chahzuu two days to reach the lush valley floor. A couple of times he'd had to climb down steep cliffs, but his comfort in swinging among the tall trees of the jungle made it relatively easy for him to pass. Still it slowed him more than he wanted. The distance from the top of the ridge had been deceptive. His blood was moving with the prospect of doing something that could make a difference. His haste had made him slip once on the moist rock face with almost disastrous results. It was then he slowed for the next drop off, grinding his teeth at the delay, but also realizing he couldn't help his people if he were severely injured.
The floor of the valley was even more lush than he was used to. Water stayed in open ponds, and in several places he had to wade across hip deep streams holding his scrip case above his head to keep it dry. This was totally new. Never had he seen so much open water, and never running water. As he stepped through the first, he started gasping. The water was warm, but it was swift, and the tug threatened to pull him along with it. Once he lost his footing and fell, just catching himself before he went under. It surprised him at how nervous he was.
In his home country, and while he'd been traveling, he'd always seen water strained out of the air each morning and condense into the small basins to drink, or from the larger basins his people had constructed to hold their daily water needs. Never had he seen it standing or flowing in such great quantities. Looking back along the valley wall, he could see off in the distance water actually cascading down the sides of some cliffs, running into the valley, collecting in the lowest space it could find. It was strange he hadn't seen it from above. Now that he was on the lower level of the valley, he could.
The mystery faded from his mind as he continued to make his way to the overgrown mounds up ahead. A regular pathway, though heavily overgrown, provided a relatively easy direction to follow. Underneath, the ground was hard, like stone had been laid down earlier, and he was following a constructed thing; a road that had become overgrown with vegetation because no one had been on it in such a long time. It reminded him of the canyon where the grotto was. And where my dreams ended and the nightmares began.
Chahzuu cautiously approached one of the smaller mounds on one side of the path. This one was about twice his height, peaked at the top -- where he could follow its regular lines through the growth of foliage -- and appeared to be wide enough to be a dwelling of some sort. There were no visible entrances. He walked part way around and couldn't discern any difference from the front. Underneath the accumulated soil and foliage, he was sure lay something constructed by the ancients. It had to be so. But there were no records of any such places. At least not any clear ones, Chahzuu thought as he remembered the oldest records that had led him here.
After a closer study, he turned back onto the main path. Up ahead he could make out his destination rising above all the other mounds, and sitting in the middle of the gradually broadening way. It too was covered in lush foliage but it peaked nearly three times higher than any other mound around it. It was the largest structure Chahzuu had ever seen, easily as high as even the tallest of the jungle monarchs in his home country. Right at the top, he could faintly make out a dark opening, like a cave overhung with ferns and vines. That's where I need to be. The thought of entering another dark cave made him shudder but he put his feet to the task and continued on his way.
It didn't take much longer to reach the base of the large mound. The water seemed to have spread off to the sides of the valley, and the place with the mounds -- he instinctively thought of it as a city -- was on slightly higher ground. The surface was that of placed, flat stones, with a cushion of the mulch and growth of the jungle floor.
He tilted his head back and looked up to the top of the mound. He could no longer see the cave opening as it sat back from a terrace near the top. A detail he hadn't seen from further back. Straight ahead the side was steep but it was something he could easily climb. There must have been steps here at one time.
Chahzuu readjusted the shoulder strap of his scrip case and stepped forward onto the side of the mound. The climbing was hard. Loose dirt and bushes kept slipping with his weight, so progress was slow. He had to stop often to catch his breath, but he wanted to at least reach the terrace at the top of the mound before the Great Light burned out for the night. Being on the side of the mound, climbing in the misty dark, was not a thing he wanted to experience.
Finally, Chahzuu pulled his worn frame over the top of the terrace ledge. His breath was puffing like it hadn't in the many years since his youth. He took his time, lying on his back, and watched the mists swirling high overhead, reflecting the beams of the setting Great Light. A slight breeze coursed over him and chilled his skin, just as the Great Light burned its last for the day, and surrendered to night.
The transitions from night to day, and day to night were always a thing of wonder for Chahzuu. It happened rapidly, but the last scintillating burst of light at the end of a day was always an awe-inspiring sight as the misty particles in the air reflected the last remaining bits of light, scattering it to all the face of the mother-ground. Then with the last bit of light gone, and nothing to reflect any more, the mists quickly shrouded the world and dropped lower, cooling, while at the same time covering and insulating the mother like a cool, soothing blanket.
Chahzuu knew, though, that this was merely illusion. With the descent of darkness came the few small predators that haunted the mists, unseen, and unseeing, they hunted by senses other than what a man possessed. One rarely had warning as one of these denizens of the mist came upon them in their hunting. Sometimes, though small, they could injure before a man could fight them off. There were no trees here for safety and he was alone. Chahzuu's first duty was to find shelter.
The entrance to the mound was the logical choice, but he didn't relish the idea of walking into a cave where he had no idea of what was inside. The last time he did that it didn't turn out so well. In the back of his mind there was a sense of foreboding about this cave as well.
It wasn't fear, really, but something deeper, more poignant nagging just at the back of his mind. It wasn't something he could specifically describe. The feeling was a heavy. One that gave him concern, but not one that would step up and say, this is what I am, this is what I mean. Instead he just had the certainty that once he walked into the cave, something would happen, and it would mean either life or death.
How do I know all this? He gazed into the black depths of the opening. Then the crystal in his breast warmed. The feeling comes from the crystal. What does it mean? How is it connected with whatever's in the cave? Or is it connected?
Standing out here wondering isn't going to change what's inside.
Chahzuu turned to look out through the darkening mists once again then took a deep breath, turned and started toward the opening. The crystal grew warmer the closer he approached, and just as he got even with the opening, something on the walls flickered, and a faint glow started coming up on the walls. This time there were no pinpoints of light like he'd experienced in the other cavern. This time there was just a subtle glow that seemed to emanate from the walls, but it was a light that wasn't visible at its source. It seemed to radiate without any visible effect until it reflected back off something . . . like his skin -- which took on an eery glow -- and the other wall, and the ceiling.
The illumination was just bright enough to faintly light the hallway leading into the mound. It was still dark, but every crevice, corner, and mark on the wall was clear and crisp. There were no shadows . . . anywhere. It was as if the air itself were energized with a light that illuminated without bathing or coloring anything.
The crystal continued to warm. The feeling he'd had before entering persisted. It didn't grow any stronger, or slighter. It was still the sense that something profoundly important was going to happen, and it could mean his destruction . . . or not, and that each was equally a
cceptable to whatever awaited him inside.
Further down the hall was a branch in the corridor. He could go either way.
Which should he follow? Chahzuu shrugged and took the left. He went a short way and it curved to the left again, and he found another branch. A maze! I could get lost in here and never find what I need . . . Or never find my way back out, for that matter.
Chahzuu sat, thinking over the situation. With each maze, there is always a key. The key lay in finding the reason behind the maze.
So far the corridors, though dark, had seemed safe enough. He could sit and think a bit before feeling he had to move forward. There could be other pitfalls besides the maze if the builders wanted something hidden well enough.
And that's the key!
What was hidden was an Article of Power! Something so precious that it had to be kept out of the hands of just anybody who could stumble into the mound and find it. But it was also meant to be found, wasn't it?
Chahzuu stood and retraced his steps back to the opening. This time he thought through the old records. There was nothing in his memory that seemed to help. Then he went back over how he'd found the mound in the first place. It had been tied in with his thoughts about a certain thing, the old records regarding the Articles of Power . . . and the Crystal!
It was the crystal that led me here! And now it would have to be the crystal that takes me the rest of the way . . . I hope.
He faced down the corridor, slowing his breathing and closing his eyes, calming all his senses, he focused on the crystal's warmth setting just above his heart. Three steps forward. Three more steps. There was no change in the smoldering glow. He opened his eyes and he was at the first intersection. Chahzuu shut his eyes again to help with his focus. Time for an experiment.
Slowly he rotated to his left and took three steps down the corridor. Was there any change? No . . . wait! just faintly, a flicker in the warmth. Well, not really in the warmth. He felt just a touch unsettled. Could it simply be a matter of not being confident about the path? Something his mind fabricated? Other than that slight feeling, there was nothing.
There's only one way to check.
Chahzuu opened his eyes and moved back to the intersection, this time he kept his eyes open, focused inward, and turned to the right. He took three steps forward. Again the crystal's warmth felt about the same. Was there something different in this direction? Barely. Just a slight confidence that he'd made the right choice. It was hardly there. It could easily be his own feelings.
It's all I have.
He licked his lips and continued down the right corridor. If nothing else, I hope I've got a really good memory. Wait! I'll mark the path I've been, and then I'll be able to keep track.
His hand ducked down to his scabbard and pulled out his knife. I've been spooked too much by all this. I should have thought of this the first thing I found it was a maze.
He brought the knife up and pressed as hard as he dared against the wall, then scratched it down slowly, watching the result. There was no mark left. Again he tried with the same result.
Chahzuu tried to press harder, leaning onto it with both hands, threatening to splinter the hard obsidian. If he pressed any harder the knife could snap. There wasn't so much as a scratch on the wall.
He brushed his hands over the surface. It looked like stone, but on closer inspection found it wasn't. It was something harder than stone cut, or formed, to look like stone. To the touch, it felt like unique, some sort of solid mineral, or crystaline growth.
Too many mysteries, Chahzuu thought as he examined the point of his knife. It had worn where he'd pressed it against the wall. Whatever it was, it was harder than the obsidian of his blade. He put the knife back in his scrip case and again stood facing the interior of the mound.
Slight as the feelings are, I've got to trust them . . . and try to memorize the way back.
Chahzuu continued down the right branch. It went straight for a time, then curved hard to the left and doubled back, but there was no branch yet. He continued to focus his mind inward, thinking about the slight feeling of confidence. It hadn't changed. The path continued forward, and though it was dark, there was still that same glowing eeriness that lighted his steps. He tried to keep track of how many paces, making a mental map in his mind of the maze, and where he was in relation to the opening. Just ahead was another intersection. Again a right and left choice at right angles. Chahzuu paused.
This is taking too long. If I hesitate each time I come to an intersection, I may never reach what I came for. Then the converse thought came to mind. But if I press forward too quickly, I may pass where I need to be, and become lost or worse, trigger some trap set to catch those who don't have the key.
He stood, thinking.
The crystal and my knowledge of the old records brought me this far. And my first decision was based on the 'feeling' I had. Even to test, I need to remain consistant. So I'll do the same for each, and force myself to trust my 'feelings' even if it's just my imagination.
With that, Chahzuu decided to go left this time. His eyes remained open, but his thoughts continued to focus on his feelings and the crystal in his breast. The warmth didn't change, but again came the slight nagging disquiet that he'd made the wrong choice. If he hadn't been focusing, he never would have felt it.
Turning back, he continued past the intersection and went several careful strides down the right intersection. This time, again, he felt the ever so slight confidence he’d make the right choice.
Chahzuu took a deep breath and continued down the right corridor. It went for a time, and then turned again, this time to the right. Then right after the turn, he came to another intersection.
This time he chose the right corridor first. The slight feeling of confidence was there, but it seemed just a bit stronger. The crystal in his breast seemed just a bit warmer too.
Three right turns in a row, Chahzuu thought. How likely is that?
Just to make sure, he backtracked and tried the left corridor. This time the feeling of disquiet was there, only less, if that could be possible.
If I doubt the feelings and make mistakes, do I have the feelings taken away? If that were true, then the creators of the maze must be trying to teach as well as hide. Still, the feelings were so slight, Chahzuu couldn't say with any certainty they weren’t just figments of his imagination. For all he really knew, it was a simple as moving about with trial and error until you found your way.
As soon as he thought that, he knew he was wrong. If the Article of Power were here, then the creators would certainly have put in strident protections.
I must not doubt, or I really could end up lost to my own fear . . . assuming I haven't fallen prey to it already.
Chahzuu backed up and took the right corridor again. This time the distance wasn't as great until the next intersection. It was the same, two choices at a right angle. One right and the other left.
They can't have meant for each turn to be to the right. That's too simple. Anyone who made a guess to follow each right branch would be able to navigate the maze. Chahzuu chose left. Then the feeling of disquiet came again. It was a little stronger than the last time, almost giving him the impression it was a reward for getting this far, and not doubting . . . too much.
Turning back, he took the right corridor for a few paces then stopped to assess his feelings. He shook his head as the confidence came, a touch greater, and the crystal burned just a measure warmer.
It's enough to drive the sane crazy, and simple for a crazy to pass. Chahzuu chuckled as he continued down the corridor. Maybe that's the intent. Who else but someone crazy would think of always turning right? And what would make a sane person doubt more than always turning a single way through a maze?
The next intersection Chahzuu went to the right without hesitating. The next beyond it, the same. Each time there was a g
radual increase in the feeling of confidence and warmth from the crystal.
After several more turns, each to the right, the feelings were such that he didn't doubt any longer. Instead he started thinking about what the creators of the maze were trying to teach.
It took him a while. More than he thought, given his initial impression of the size of the building. The light never changed so it was hard to gauge the amount of time he'd been walking. It was made harder because, though the feelings were much stronger, he still had to focus in order to make sense of them. He didn't want to blindly continue down the right intersections just to have it change at the end.
Another thing he noticed was the fatigue in his leg muscles. It appeared that he'd slowly been ascending, going up. Yet the length of time he'd been walking surely would have brought him to the top of the structure by now. It didn't seem to make any sense. And he'd long since given up trying to keep track mentally. The map he'd tried to keep in his mind had been sacrificed to focus his mental energies on his feelings and the warmth of the crystal.
The next turn, again to the right, Chahzuu could discern a slight blue, glowing line across the floor. It ran up the wall on either side and joined across the top of the corridor, as if it were a seam in the structure, or a break to a different part of the building.
Chahzuu slowed his approach. Nothing seemed to change in his feelings, and there was no reason not to proceed. He stepped right up to the line along the floor but didn't break the plane it made. He put his hand close to the plane, though didn't cross. There was no sensation, yet something told him this line was significant. If he crossed it, he would not be able to turn back. If he crossed it, and wasn't supposed to, he'd be dead.
He'd long since given up trying to figure out how he just 'knew' things. It had to be the crystal. Chahzuu had enough experience with it now to know, and not have to know 'how.' Hopefully that would come later. It was enough to make him pause before the blue line.
I am here because I was guided, Chahzuu thought. It was more to reassure himself than anything.
He took a deep breath, then letting it out slowly, stepped over the line. A tingling filled him from the front to back as he moved across, as if he were being scanned. And as the crystal in his breast came even with the plane, it burned, a glow of comfort, as if he’d finally come home. But he knew he was far from it.
Now he knew how the creators of the maze would ultimately protect what was inside from the lucky or insane. If the traveler did not have a crystal, it was a final barrier. How long has it been there, waiting for someone to pass?
So much to learn, never adequate time. Chahzuu turned back to look at the barrier. It was glowing a faint red now. Barely visible even when you knew where to look for it. He turned back to his task. He must be very close now.
The hall up ahead seemed to be growing lighter just as it turned another corner. There were no more intersections. Chahzuu moved cautiously forward and eased his head around the corner. What he saw was a large chamber starting to fill with light. He’d made it!
Nothing seemed to be hindering his way, but he still, carefully, looked over the entire chamber over before moving. Just as he was about to step into the chamber a point of light flashed right in front of him. He jumped back and stared as the point grew, blinding with intensity. Inside the light coalesced the figure of a man.
His countenance and skin were of brilliant radiance as were his flowing robes. Chahzuu raised his hands to shield his eyes from the glare. His first thought was that it was Nemesis, come to challenge him again. That thought soon faded. Nemesis hadn’t had such radiance. Also this being didn’t look like him at all. He had a kindly, almost fatherly air about him. His eyes were a dark contrast to the luminescent form, and his head was void of any hair.
There was something else. Something familiar. It reminded him of when he was in another place . . . just after he’d been ‘drained.’
The being stood in the air in front of him. His feet were a slight width above the ground. Nothing was said as they regarded one another.
Chahzuu opened his mouth to speak then remembered he couldn’t anymore. Instead, he focused his thoughts.
Are you a Guardian?
There was no sound, but there was a caress in his mind, and a slight nod of the being’s head.
Are you here to help me?
This time there was no response. Chahzuu was surprised.
Why are you here?
The silence continued for a time as the being continued to regard him. Finally a voice inside his mind spoke, while the being in front of him blinked his eyes.
You don’t realize what you’re doing. You must turn back.
What? Chahzuu responded.
What you seek is not what you think. It was placed here for a far larger purpose. Once retrieved – if you ‘can’ retrieve it -- can never be placed back. It is too dangerous to take now.
Chahzuu stared at the being. What is it for? There is an Article of Power here then.
There is. Its purpose is for . . . later. I can’t say. We are not sure ourselves. But the power is too dangerous for you to take. Especially now.
The flavor of the being’s thoughts told Chahzuu that they doubted he could handle whatever it was, and further, their greater worry was that it would fall to the hands of Nemesis. It was amazing how much could travel through even the barest hint of a thought. Such a rich texture of meaning without the cumbersome nature of words.
Why did you bring me here then?
We didn’t.
Chahzuu was confused. But the crystal. The light. I was guided here, was I not?
You were.
Then by whom?
Unknown. Perhaps by yourself, and your desire to help your people. Perhaps some other force we have not seen.
Underlying that thought seemed to be a shielded hope.
Chahzuu didn’t know what to make of it, so pressed on with what he ‘could’ understand. Helping his people.
Will you help me then?
What do you wish?
Now Chahzuu was starting to get frustrated.
If I’m not supposed to take the Article of Power then what should I do for my people? You do know what’s happened to them don’t you?
We see. The Guardian blinked at him again.
Then what should I do? Chahzuu let his thoughts carry the note of anger he was feeling. Why would they stop him, and then act as if they didn’t know what to do? It seemed that maybe these Guardians were not the all-knowing, benevolent deities he’d been raised to believe.
We are not ‘deities.’ We are simply . . . older.
Chahzuu was silent for a time, waiting for the being to answer the rest of his unspoken question.
We have told you all we can. We cannot become, there was a pause as the being seemed to be searching for the right expression. We are prevented from becoming ‘directly’ involved. Forces fighting the light you seek counter our efforts as we are trying to counter theirs.
Nemesis is with them . . . The others you’re trying to fight? The realization flashed in Chahzuu’s mind.
Yes.
Again, what should I do? How can I reclaim my people and put them back on the right path? If your enemies are helping Nemesis, then you must help me?
We are.
How! Tell me what I should do! At least give me more than simply telling me ‘not’ to do something. Give me a reason. Give me something better to do!
You already know. The being stared back with no expression. Seek out The One. The One of The Two.
And then what?
You will know.
Do ‘you’ know?
No.
Chahzuu stood gaping at the being. Then why was I brought here? You said yourself that you didn’t know why. Only that you thought it was too dangerous, and that it wasn’t the right time. Chahzuu was beginning to doubt the whole Guard
ian myth he was led to believe.
What if I still think I need to pursue this? To help my people? The Guardian wasn’t being any help at all. And the more he thought about it, the more he felt he needed to press on. It seemed the Guardian himself didn’t know other than what he’d said. Yes, he needed to find the other Pale One, but where should he look? And why shouldn’t he get the tools he hoped would help along the way?
Why is the Article of Power so dangerous?
Unknown. We don’t know why it was constructed?
Didn’t your people make it?
The Guardian hesitated. Yes. Or rather those who came before . . . then left.
More mysteries! Why don’t you tell me straight out what I need to know?
You are not yet . . . ready.
What?
There was no reply.
So. I’m on my own again?
I have said all I can.
What if I disagree? What if I still think that I need to take the Article of Power? And further, what if I still think I need to gather the others, and then use them to help my people? You don’t have a better idea do you?
The glowing being was silent.
You won’t try to stop me? There was a definite reason why he was here. It ‘would’ help his people, and the Guardian hadn’t given him a better plan.
Again the being remained silent.
Then move aside.
You must not do this! You don’t realize what you’re awakening? We are not even sure those who made the Articles knew what they were constructing. So much has been lost.
Stand aside. You don’t know any more than I do.
The Guardian held up his hands as if to prevent him from passing, then slowly he lowered them. In your ignorance you may destroy all. But in our ignorance, we may do the same. Who’s to say. You ‘were’ brought here.
Be aware though, that what you seek, you have no idea of, and what the Articles may do, may just destroy what you are hoping to save. We do not know. Still, taking it is far from accomplished.
Underlying that thought was another volume of meaning. There was something here they didn’t know, nor had they been able to solve. If they had been able to solve the problem in taking it, they might have already taken it for themselves.
Chahzuu looked at the being before him. The Guardian nodded then slowly started to fade, until all that was left was a bright point of light in the center of the air until that flickered out. The entry to the chamber beyond was open.
Chahzuu stepped forward. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It looked to be a simple chamber about the size of the one he’d been in before. There was no source of light he could see, but the room was brilliantly lit, not with the small pinpoints of light like the other. This time there were no pedestals where what he was looking for was sitting out in the open.
Instead, across to the far side was a stone alter of sorts that was bare. It sat in front of a giant man-like statue that appeared to be made out of stone, but Chahzuu knew better than to assume that stone was all it was actually made of. It was twice as tall as Chahzuu and about three times as wide.
The eyes of the figure were made of a black crystal that seemed illuminated with a dark light, but Chahzuu couldn’t tell because the shade was so dark it might just be the light reflecting off their glossy surface.
He moved forward, trying to keep light on his feet and observe everything around him at the same time. His hunter’s senses were as alert as he could make them. The only thing he noticed was the eyes of the statue. They seemed to be watching, though Chahzuu was sure it was only an illusion.
Nothing happened as he approached the alter. He turned back to gaze around the room searching for some clue to what he was looking for. He didn’t know what an Article of Power looked like. The walls all around were smooth, apparently made of the same material as the maze. The alter in front of him reached up to about mid-thigh and was a squared off slab of the same material about a pace wide and half that deep. It was about a hand span thick and supported by two vertical slabs of about the same size. On the ground at the front of the alter was another slab placed apparently where a supplicant should kneel.
Chahzuu could see nothing else so shrugging his shoulders he knelt at the alter. Nothing happened. What now?
The crystal must have something to do with this. It has with everything else.
He looked around the chamber once again, just to make sure nothing had changed, then he bowed his head and focused his thoughts on what he was seeking, repeating over and over in his mind the children’s limerick that had started all this.
For several moments, all continued to be still, then Chahzuu noted a slight dimming in the light then he felt a small, growing vibration begin in the floor of the chamber. The vibration grew until the chamber seemed to resonate with it. He glanced at the statue behind the alter. Cracks appeared in the wall behind it. It was separating from the wall! Chunks of material started to fall away, and Chahzuu jumped back from the alter, afraid the statue was going to fall on him.
Instead the arms swung out then its head pulled free, the eyes focused on Chahzuu. The statue leaned forward, then turning its hips to free the rest of its body, it took one step over the alter in Chahzuu’s direction.
The crystal in Chahzuu’s breast burned with a fire he was sure would char his insides but he seemed unharmed. He didn’t have time to wonder as the stone giant raised its arms out straight and with a booming voice, “I am the guardian of what is here. Mulda’ fi, what do you seek?”
Chahzuu was shocked. Mulda’ fi? What does he mean? He knew the legends. Those were the Promised Ones sent by the Guardians as protection from the forces of evil.
He hadn’t been sent by the Guardians. And he certainly wasn’t Mulda’ fi.
“Mulda’ fi! What do you seek?” There was a sense of urgency in the giant’s voice.
Whether he was Mulda’ fi or not, Chahzuu knew what he was seeking. He wanted the Article of Power that was here. Then it occurred to him.
I can’t speak! I can’t answer!
“Mulda’ fi, you must answer! You must answer now!”
The giant statue took a hulking step forward. Chahzuu backed out of his way.
“What do you seek?”
Chahzuu tried to focus on the crystal, still searing his breast with its burning heat. He tried to focus his thoughts and direct them at the giant continuing to move his way. I seek the First Article of Power. The power of creation!
The giant continued to move forward, seemingly unaffected by Chahzuu’s directed thoughts.
“What do you seek?” The giant swung an arm down, a blow that Chahzuu barely ducked and danced back to his left, away from the giant. If the sweeping blow had connected, Chahzuu would have been crushed. “What do you seek?” The giant moved after him.
Chahzuu glanced back to the doorway. It was covered in a haze of red. It looked as if the way out was blocked. He knew if he tried to pass through that doorway, whatever the haze was, it would kill him. If he didn’t find some way to answer the giant stone guardian, and fast, he would be just as dead.
He moved to one side of the chamber against the wall. As he neared it, he noticed the wall had started to glow in the same hazy red as had appeared across the doorway. Then the haze moved out from the wall in a vertical plane that advanced closer to him. Chahzuu moved away, to the other side, and noticed the same thing was happening with that wall, all the walls! The deadly haze was moving in, constricting him to a narrow path between he and the giant, who was slowly moving forward.
Chahzuu backed up as far as he could until he bumped up against the alter. He stumbled and fell to his knees on the slab facing the giant now standing directly above, hands raised, fists locked together for the final, killing blow.
“Mulda’ fi! What do you seek?”
Chahzuu opened his mouth in desperation, but he co
uld force nothing out but a rush of air as the thoughts behind the words he wanted to speak formed in his mind. I seek the Power of Creation!
The giant's fisted hands began their downward fall.