Knights: The Eye of Divinity

  Chapter 11: The Fire and the Shadow

  Four days passed after Lannon's dream, and still Vorden made no specific plans to visit the Divine Essence. The tables had turned, and now Lannon was the one trying to persuade Vorden to go. Yet Vorden seemed detached and uninterested in anything but his training. Meanwhile, Lannon grew ever more impatient. The dream stayed fresh in his mind, and each night in his sleep he believed he could feel the Divine Essence calling to him, demanding he come to it. His need to visit the god-king became overwhelming, crushing any lingering doubts or fears.

  "Why are we waiting so long?" Lannon finally asked Vorden one evening. "We should get this over with."

  Vorden shook his head. "Something's wrong, Lannon. Why would Jerret and Clayith want to go with us? They can't really sneak out of their quarters like we can, because they bunk with the other Squires. Jerret might be brash enough to try it, but Clayith--that's just not like him. I have a bad feeling about this."

  "So we're not going?" Lannon shook his head. "This is ridiculous, Vorden. Now that I'm all ready and everything, you change your mind."

  "What are you talking about?" said Vorden. "You're the one who didn't want to do this. What changed your mind?"

  Lannon shrugged. "It's not important." He didn't know if he should tell Vorden of his dream or not, but he doubted it would make any difference either way. Vorden did things to suite his own needs.

  "Why not go without them?" said Timlin. "We could go tonight, and they'd never know about it." He seemed strangely eager to try this adventure, considering how terrified he'd been down in the mines.

  "That's a great idea!" said Lannon.

  "No, it isn't," said Vorden. "They might have already told on us, and then someone might be waiting at the Temple to catch us sneaking in. I want to see the Divine Essence as bad as you do, Lannon. Maybe more so, since I came up with the idea. But I think we need to wait a while--maybe even a month or two."

  "A month?" said Lannon. "I can't wait a month!"

  Vorden gave him a piercing stare. "What's wrong with you, Lannon? You don't seem like yourself lately."

  Lannon thought about it. He certainly didn't feel like himself. He felt scared and isolated, overflowing with anxiety. He needed to talk to someone he could trust, and the only one he could think of was the Divine Essence, which he felt was the answer to all his problems. He had seen nothing of Taris or Furlus lately, and Garrin seemed distant, as if he had much on his mind.

  "Alright," Lannon said, swallowing hard. "I guess we wait."

  Vorden nodded. "What else can we do?"

  Even as Vorden finished that statement, the door to their room was yanked open and in stepped Jerret and Clayith. They wore armor and weapons (which was perfectly acceptable in Dremlock--and even encouraged, since the Knights wanted the Squires to get used to such adornments). It was snowing hard outside, and they were covered in heavy flakes and panting hard.

  Jerret nodded to them, grinning.

  For a moment there was total silence in the room, and nobody moved. Then Jerret fixed his gaze on Vorden.

  "So are we doing this or not, Vorden? I'm tired of waiting."

  "I don't think so," said Vorden, choosing his words carefully. Casually he signaled to Timlin--a hand sign the Squires had just recently learned that meant passage check. Timlin hopped up and went to the door, peering out. He gave a quick signal back indicating the hallway was clear.

  This bit of silent communication had not gone unnoticed by Jerret. "So you don't trust us," he said, with a humorless smile. "I thought that was it. Why didn't you tell us that from the start, instead of wasting our time?"

  "It's not that," said Vorden. "I'm just wondering how you two can pull this off. Won't the other Squires notice you're missing?"

  Jerret smiled. "Probably. But what's the big deal? We'll just get in trouble, and have to do cleaning chores and the like for a while. But I think it's worth it. You three aren't the only ones sneaking around--Squires do it a lot. I think the Knights are really distracted right now and don't notice what's going on right under their noses. Cartlan's supposed to do a count on us each evening, but he usually doesn't bother."

  "What if they search for you?" said Vorden.

  "They won't," said Jerret. "I can guarantee it. They're not going to waste time looking for us." He laughed. "You really have been living in a cave! Do you think they'll awaken the High Council and send a legion of Knights to find us? If they even find out we're gone, they'll just wait until we come back to punish us."

  Vorden's face burned red with embarrassment. "I was just trying to cover everything, Jerret. It doesn't hurt to be cautious."

  "Sure," said Jerret. "So are we in, or not?"

  "One more question," said Vorden. "The West Tower has door guards. How'd you get past them?"

  Jerret chuckled. "We never went back after training. We've been hiding out in the woods all evening, freezing our skin off."

  Vorden sighed. "This doesn't look good, Jerret."

  "We took a risk," said Jerret, "and we're probably going to be in trouble. But that's our problem, not yours. So at least make it worth our while."

  "Yeah," said Clayith. "Make it worth our while, Vorden."

  Vorden fell silent for a time. Then he said, "Alright, we'll do it--but only if Lannon and Timlin agree. I'm not their boss or anything."

  "I want to go," said Timlin. "I don't care what happened last time. This time it's going to be better. We're going to see the Divine Essence!"

  "Let's just get going," said Lannon. He pulled his weapons and armor from beneath his bed and started putting them on.

  "I guess it's decided then," said Vorden, nodding with approval at Lannon. "Looks like you're leading this adventure."

  Lannon shrugged. "I don't care who leads. I just have to see the Divine Essence, and I'm not turning back until I do."

  Clayith was staring intently at Lannon. He smiled, and Lannon thought Clayith looked like a bird of prey, with his hooknose and pointy chin. Clayith was the largest and strongest of all the Squires. But accompanying that physical strength was a gentleness that ran as deep as any Lannon had ever seen. Clayith saved drowning moths from water pools, and he defended any small creatures (even bugs) the other Squires sought to maim or squash. He always spoke in a soft voice, and never seemed to think very highly of himself but always gave praise to others.

  Lannon had often wondered how, when the time came, Clayith would be able to kill. For wasn't that what Knights always did--kill Goblins? What were the Knights thinking when they chose Clayith Ironback, who would not hurt a bee that stung him? Had they somehow missed seeing that huge part of his personality, or had Clayith disguised it from them?

  "Just tell me what to do, Lannon," said Clayith.

  Lannon laughed, and marveled at his own progress. Less than a year before he had been an isolated lad with no friends. Now he had someone looking up to him, thinking of him as a leader.

  "That's okay, Clayith," he said. "I'm not actually in charge here."

  "A skull-and-bones formation, then," Clayith said, chuckling.

  "Huh?" said Lannon.

  Clayith frowned. "Its...leaderless. That's what I meant. A dead unit, so to speak." Clayith shook his head, as if to clear it. "I don't care!" he muttered, half under his breath, and then turned away.

  "Are you okay?" said Lannon.

  Clayith turned back, smiling in his kindly way. "I'm sorry, Lannon. Sometimes my thoughts get mixed up. Its...the dark."

  "The dark?" said Lannon.

  Clayith cleared his throat. "I mean--that's what I call it when I blank out."

  "Clayith's crazy," said Jerret, with a laugh. "He talks to himself sometimes, like an old man. Don't worry about it, Lannon. He's totally harmless."

  Lannon nodded, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "It's alright. I don't mind if you do that, Clayith."

  Clayith's mouth formed the words dead unit one more time, and then he clamped his lips together for a moment, before
adding, "I'm watching your back, Lannon. Let's go!"

  "What's our plan?" said Jerret.

  Vorden thought for a moment. Then he looked to Lannon and said, "It's your call this time. What should we do?"

  Lannon hesitated, thinking carefully. He tried hard to come up with something brilliant, while the others fidgeted impatiently, but at last he gave up and settled for something simple. "We should split up, at first," he said. "Jerret and Clayith can go on to the Temple and wait for us. Then, after a bit, we'll follow them. Once we're all at the Temple, Timlin can sneak in and check the place over. If it's clear, we'll all go in and...I guess just go on from there together."

  "Why split up at first?" said Jerret, with a look of distrust.

  "We won't get in as much trouble if we're caught," said Lannon. "It would look very suspicious if Blue and Red Squires were all sneaking around in one group. And our best chance to be seen is when we're journeying to the Temple."

  Jerret nodded. "I guess that's true."

  "Good plan," Vorden said. "But what about Aldreya?"

  "She's in the Library," said Jerret. "We saw her on the way up. Should we have her go with us, or should we just forget about her?"

  "She can go with us," said Vorden.

  "She's pretty," said Jerret, smiling. "She can go with me and Clayith."

  "She's from the East Tower," said Vorden, giving him a hard stare. "If you two got caught with her, the Knights would know something's up."

  "Is that your real reason?" said Jerret. "Or are you afraid I'll ruin your chance to get close to her?"

  Vorden's face was stony. "What are you talking about, Jerret? Have you ever heard of the Sacred Laws?"

  "Sure," said Jerret. "But they don't mean much, apparently. We're going to be breaking them anyways."

  "Show some manners," Vorden said coldly, straightening his clothes. "I have no interest in Aldreya other than...for the sake of this mission, I guess."

  "You're a tough one to figure out, Vorden," said Jerret, "Sometimes you seem cut from rough cloth, and other times you seem like some well-to-do snob with your neat hair and talk of manners. I can’t understand you."

  "Why?" said Vorden. "Because I believe in what Dremlock stands for, even if I'm forced to break the Sacred Laws when I know it's the right thing to do? I just don't like what you're hinting at."

  "Fine," said Jerret, with a shrug. "I guess I won't mention it again." Then he mumbled, "I must have touched a sore spot or something."

  Vorden glared, his hands knotted into fists.

  "Anyways," said Lannon, in an effort to change the subject before the situation turned ugly, "I just hope the hidden passage to the Divine Essence isn't guarded by those Dark Knights like that Garndon fellow."

  "Dark Knights?" said Jerret, with wide eyes.

  Clayith stepped forward, staring at Lannon with an odd, troubled expression--as if Lannon had said something confusing or appalling.

  "Don't say such things!" Clayith hissed.

  "Never mind," said Lannon, feeling his body recoil. Something about Clayith's expression, or way of standing, made Lannon feel almost physically ill. Did Clayith hold some hidden, important knowledge?

  "I guess I wasn't supposed to mention that," Lannon added. "So forget I said anything about Dark--"

  "Quiet!" Clayith put his finger to his lips.

  "You're better off not knowing," said Timlin to Jerret, with a giggle. "That's our secret. Right, Lannon? Right, Vorden?"

  "Not anymore," said Vorden, sighing.

  After Jerret and Clayith left, the Blue Squires sat around for a while talking things over. The wind howled fiercely outside the tower, and now and then puffs of glittering snow would blow in from beneath the window shutters. They agreed that the Red Squires seemed trustworthy--though all three boys noted that Clayith seemed to be acting a bit strangely. But Clayith always had been somewhat quiet, and they reasoned that this was probably just a side to him they had never seen before. He was, after all, the kindest Squire any of them knew.

  At last they crept from their chamber and headed downstairs. They went down two floors and then encountered a Red Squire--his sash well decorated with gold ribbons--standing outside his quarters in the hallway. He was an Olrog, about eighteen years old, and already his beard was as wide as his chest. They had seen this Squire before many times, but didn't know his name. (They barely knew any of the older Squires in the East Tower, though they had lived so near to them for almost a year.) He regarded them with suspicion in his grey eyes.

  "What are you boys up to?" he said. "Shouldn't you be in bed? If Taris catches you wandering about it will spell bad business for you."

  "We heard a noise outside the tower," Vorden said quickly. "It sounded like a crash or something."

  "You sure it wasn't ice breaking off from the ledges?" said the Grey Dwarf. "I hear that a lot. Sometimes it wakes me up in the night."

  "Could have been," said Vorden, "now that you mention it. Why didn't we think of that? Well, I guess we'll get back to sleep."

  "Alright," the Olrog said. "Just watch yourselves. I don't know what you're up to, but Taris knows everything that goes on in this tower. Nothing escapes his eye. He has spies that lurk in the shadows. You can't see them, but they can see you. They're always watching. He won't always act right away, either, if he catches you breaking the rules. Sometimes he’ll wait for a while and see what you're up to. He knows you're down here, Squires. Make no mistake about that!"

  "Then I guess we better hurry back to bed," said Vorden. With that, he started back towards the stairs. The others followed.

  Glancing back, they saw the Olrog enter his quarters and close the door. Vorden stopped them with a motion of his hand.

  "It's okay," he said. "He's gone to bed."

  "I wonder what he was up to," said Lannon.

  "I'm also wondering that," said Vorden. "He questioned us, but maybe we should have questioned him. Of course, he was well decorated--almost a Knight by the looks of him. I guess we handled it well."

  "His hands were dirty," said Timlin.

  The other two stared at him for a moment.

  "What do you mean?" said Vorden.

  "Black dirt," said Timlin. "Like he'd been digging. It was under his nails. And his weapon was missing. He was wearing his sheath, but no sword. Oh, and one of his boots didn't match the other one--it was old and cracked and didn't have any laces. And the name on his sash was Golath Stonesplitter."

  "You noticed all that?" said Vorden.

  Timlin smiled, nodding. "I just looked him over the way we were trained to. Remember how Master Garrin said never to ignore anyone's appearance, to always study them carefully?"

  Vorden nodded. "You make a good Blue, Timlin. Well, let's get moving. That Squire was obviously up to no good. He won't tell on us. I think he was just hoping we wouldn't tell on him."

  "Right," said Lannon. "But do you think it's true what he said about Taris knowing all that goes on here?"

  "If it was," said Vorden, "do you think that Golath fellow would have been out sneaking around? I don't think so. He just told us that to scare us, so we'd forget to question what he was doing running around with dirty hands and a missing boot. I think that if Taris knew what we were doing, he'd stop us."

  As Vorden spoke those words, deep feelings of guilt swelled within Lannon. He remembered Taris' kindness during their journey to Dremlock. He thought of his father. What would the old man think of this? This was not Knightly behavior. But then he remembered his dream and his fears returned, along with his overwhelming need to visit the Divine Essence. Shutting his guilt away, he started back down the hallway with the others.

  They made it to the library without encountering anyone else. Yet Aldreya was nowhere to be seen.

  "Maybe she went with the other two," whispered Vorden, and the look in his dark eyes said he wasn't happy about that.

  "I guess we should just keep going," said Lannon. "We can't afford to go looking about the tower for he
r. It's too risky."

  They continued down to the first floor. Lannon (again having to swallow his guilt) swiped a Birlote torch from the wall, which--because it generated only light and no heat--he hid under his cloak. As they started towards the door, a form materialized out of the shadows.

  The Squires' hearts lurched, and Timlin nearly cried out, clamping his hand over his mouth at the last instant.

  "Leaving without me?" said Aldreya, her green eyes twinkling.

  "We wouldn't dream of it," said Vorden, smiling.

  When they stepped outside, the snows were blowing fiercely. The night sky was black with storm clouds, and the wind howled down the mountainside, chilling the Squires to the bone. The snow was drifting up around the tower.

  "Great!" said Lannon, practically yelling to be heard over the wind. "I can't see a thing in this storm. I'm going to have to use the torch. I just hope no one's out and about tonight."

  "Not likely," said Vorden. "Who'd be out in this? Except us and those other two fools, that is."

  Vorden's words did not inspire confidence in Lannon.

  The torch provided enough glow to see a few feet around them, but it was hardly adequate. As they headed towards the forest, they struggled to stay on the path, which was swiftly disappearing beneath the snows.

  "What about Jerret and Clayith?" said Vorden. "You think they could find their way to the Temple in this blizzard? Did they even have a torch?"

  "Who knows?" said Lannon. "If they're not at the Temple, I guess we go on without them. We can't wait all night."

  Aldreya pressed her hand against her forehead, struggling to keep her silver curls from getting in her eyes. "I don't know about this," she said. "Maybe we should try this some other time."

  No one replied, and as they entered the forest, the wind continued to whip snow into their faces, with the Knightwood trees offering only a little protection against its wrath. The treetops swayed back and forth, creaking giants. They paused behind one of the cabin-sized tree trunks to get out of the wind and driving snow for a moment and catch their breath, brushing melting flakes from their faces.

  "I've never seen it this bad!" Vorden said.

  The others could only shake their heads, and they started moving again. At some point, they strayed from the trail and didn't realize it, as the snow had become too thick. Suddenly they were wandering randomly through the Knightwood pines, going in circles for all they knew, until at last they came up against an iron fence.

  "What is this?" said Lannon. "Where in the world are we?"

  Vorden shook his head disgustedly. "This could be the Cemetery fence. If it is, we have to find the main trail, which is somewhere by this fence, and follow it straight to the Temple."

  "It's no good," said Lannon. "We can't see anything, Vorden. We can't stick to any trail. We need to try to get back to the tower, before they find out we're missing. What do you think, Timlin?"

  Timlin wiped snow from his eyes. "I can't see where to go. I'm sorry." The lad hung his head, as if he expected the others to be upset with him.

  "I can't do anything, either," said Aldreya. She took out her stone dagger and made it burn with green fire, but its light was too small to make any difference in the raging snowstorm. She put it away again. "See, it's no use."

  Lannon struggled hard to think. All he could see was the dark and the swirling snow. Yet he could feel the Divine Essence calling to him.

  "I can use the Eye," he said, suddenly inspired. His words were smashed apart by the howling wind.

  "What did you say?" said Vorden.

  "The Eye!" Lannon yelled. "Help me unlock it."

  Aldreya leaned close to him. "What is the Eye, Lannon? I still have no idea what you're talking about! Taris has never taught me any sorcery like that, and when I asked him about it, he smiled and said I shouldn't concern myself with it. So I really don't know..." Her words slipped away in the storm.

  The two Squires flanked Lannon, and spoke their opposing words directly into his ears while tapping his shoulders. It took many tries this time, for the storm was distracting to Lannon. But at last, when he began to doubt it was going to work, his mind suddenly split, and the power surged forth.

  The Eye of Divinity reached into the storm, and Lannon could feel a strange and hidden strength there. He probed deeper, and the Eye showed him glimpses of things he would have never pondered on his own. He saw that the storm struck fear in the hearts of the living, causing people to huddle away beneath blankets and sit next to comforting flames. But it also removed the pettiness from the world and made all things equal. Beneath the storm's fury, social status became insignificant, and people strove simply to weather it out--until the sun's warmth came again, exposing flaws and dividing humankind. Inside the storm was a hidden power, a freedom from the chains of life that could allow one to open doorways ordinarily never glimpsed.

  Lannon turned the Eye away from that vision, for he did not understand its true meaning and it did nothing to help his current situation. He directed the Eye on finding a path, and it passed beyond the iron fence and into Dremlock Cemetery, touching lightly upon the tombs of the dead. Lannon kept the Eye moving, for he did not like the bits and pieces of mortality he was shown there. The tombs were built not out of respect for the dead--but out of fear. Fear of death ruled this place. Yet something frightful lurked amid the tombs as well, something that had succumbed to its fear and had crafted its own reality--its own prison. It watched Lannon with a deep hunger, desiring his existence while disbelieving its own. Piece by piece the centuries had worn its prison away, until the illusion itself had become thin and lacking in substance. Yet still it stubbornly remained.

  "Go away," Lannon whispered, as he directed the Eye past that wretched being. "You must know by now there's nothing for you here!" He shuddered, shocked by his own unexpected words and overflowing with dark anxieties.

  For an instant, the Eye touched on something even more horrible--a smug, vain thing that believed itself superior to all others. This monstrosity could reach forth and crush Lannon into pudding--a massively powerful hand that was hunched beneath the soil, bearing a tension like a coiled spring.

  For a moment Lannon faltered at that last hideous image, and the Eye wandered this way and that, displaying confused sights. Then he managed to steady himself and bring it under control. He knew one thing for sure, now. The Cemetery was a place he would never go--not in daylight or darkness.

  He located the path beyond the Cemetery. He motioned to the others and they followed, keeping close to him, as he wandered the fence line. When they reached the trail, he sent the Eye out farther, seeking to know what had become of Jerret and Clayith. But the Eye could reveal nothing about their whereabouts. And so, from that point on, he kept it focused on the trail. (He carefully avoided turning it on the others, not wanting to see their deeper truths after what he'd been shown the last time.)

  As they left the Cemetery behind, the Eye suddenly lurched off to one side on its own, revealing a figure wandering through the woods. It was Jerret.

  The Eye probed the Red Squire, showing an honorable, courageous heart that could be easily corrupted. Jerret Dragonsbane would follow the lead of whoever got to him first, whoever pleased him the most. He walked the knife edge between light and dark. But right now he was trustworthy, and that was all that mattered.

  "Jerret!" Lannon called out over the wind.

  "Lannon?" came the reply. A moment later Jerret lurched out of the drifting snow and bumped into them. He looked half frozen.

  "Am I glad to see you people!" Jerret said. "I got separated from Clayith, and I don't know where he went. I've just been feeling my way around, trying to get back to the West Tower. It was bad enough earlier, when there was still a little daylight. But now that it's dark out, you can't see anything at all!"

  "We've noticed," said Vorden. "Lannon's leading the way. He knows how to get there. Just stay close to us and follow along."

  "We're still doing thi
s?" said Jerret. "Well, okay. But I don't see how we're going to find our way there. This storm is crazy."

  Huddling around Lannon, they trudged straight to the Temple. When they finally stood before it, unable to see it save for the front entrance, which was barely visible in the torchlight, the Eye of Divinity probed the structure. This Temple was erected in honor of the Divine Essence, and it had been built with tremendous care. Each stone had been placed flawlessly and purposefully. But it was an uncertain structure nonetheless--because the god of Dremlock was an uncertain deity. This god did not exist in the heavens in a shimmering palace--instead it lay underground in a cavern--and the Temple reflected that. It was a sacred place, yet something was wrong here. It had been built for a god that had known great suffering.

  Lannon shook the vision away, feeling strangely empty. The Eye seemed to be leaping about too quickly, revealing the truths behind truths, teaching him things he wasn't ready for. He didn't want to know such things, for he felt unworthy. Why should he, of all people, be shown such knowledge? And was it even trustworthy? Perhaps the Eye was showing only possibilities, speculation. Or perhaps that's just what he hoped. He realized he would have to learn to control the Eye better, or it might eventually put a strain on his sanity.

  Lannon focused on the Temple door. It bore a stout lock, but nothing Timlin couldn't handle. Lannon nodded to the little fellow, then stepped aside and let him go to work. It took Timlin several moments, but at last he got it unlocked.

  "I don't want to go in by myself," said Timlin. "I know that was our plan--to have me check the place over--but I guess I'm still thinking about what happened before. Let's all go in there together."

  "You don't have to," Aldreya said gently. "I'll go with you." She glared at the others. "Even if they won't."

  "Don't worry about it, Timlin," said Lannon, feeling guilty beneath Aldreya's stare. "I wouldn't want to go in alone, either, even though this is a good place--not like the mines. We'll all go in."

  Lannon was growing weary of receiving so much knowledge so quickly, and as he stepped inside, he drew the Eye partially within himself. There would be time for studying the true nature of things when he felt ready. The Eye was a powerful force, and already it had awakened deep fears within him. Perhaps the Divine Essence could help him understand it better.

  They closed the door behind them, leaving it unlocked in case they needed a swift exit, and hurried down the short hallway, which still smelled of incense even though none was lit. The door at the end bore no lock. Lannon pulled it open and started through. Glancing back, he saw that Jerret hadn't moved.

  "I don't think I can do this," Jerret said, looking grim. "It feels wrong. This is the Temple of the Divine Essence. What right have I to sneak in here?"

  Lannon searched his own feelings. Surprisingly, he felt no guilt now that he had reached the Temple. He could feel the Divine Essence somewhere below. It wanted him to come here, to break the Laws.

  "It's okay," said Lannon. "You can wait here if you want to."

  "What?" said Vorden, with a disgusted look. "Come on, Jerret. Don't be a fool. You risked a lot to come here, and now you're going to turn away at the last moment? If you ask me, that's just plain stupid."

  Jerret swallowed. "I just... Alright, Vorden, let's keep moving." Still looking grim, and a bit sheepish as he glanced at Aldreya, the Red Squire started forward.

  They entered the sanctuary and hurried up the steps to the altar. The torchlight fell on it, revealing the runes of the Sacred Text.

  "I guess we should push on it or something," said Lannon.

  Vorden snickered. "Use the Eye, Lannon."

  "Oh, that's right," said Lannon, his face reddening. He let the Eye extend out and probe the altar. At first a jumble of thoughts ran through his mind, revealing tiny glimpses of religion and worship throughout the ages, but Lannon ignored that fragmented knowledge and focused on finding the hidden entrance. He saw that the top of the altar simply lifted off, with a stairway leading down underneath. Lannon explained it to the others.

  "We can't lift that," said Timlin. "It's solid stone. We need Clayith."

  "We can do it," said Vorden. "Right, Jerret?"

  "Sure," Jerret said reluctantly.

  The four Squires grabbed the edges of the stone slab and strained to lift it. Putting forth a tremendous struggle, they still couldn't manage it. Months of rigorous strength training still had not given them enough power to move the great slab.

  "Forgetting someone?" said Aldreya.

  "It won't make any difference," said Vorden. "It's too heavy."

  She placed her hands on the slab and concentrated. Her lips muttered silent words. The stone slab shuddered and shifted, suddenly filled with energy. "Lift it," she said, her voice strained.

  The Squires pulled with all their might, but it wasn't necessary. The slab had grown much lighter, and they lifted it off the altar with ease and sat it aside.

  Aldreya wiped sweat from her forehead and smiled. "Well, that drained me quite a bit. But I'll be okay. Let's get going, then."

  A stone stairway descended from the very top of the altar down into the darkness. A dank, musty smell arose from below--a cold and wet smell.

  Lannon suddenly felt afraid. Was he expected to go first? He drew the Eye back into him a ways, dreading what it might show him.

  Vorden smiled at Lannon and leapt up onto the stairs. He started down, as if he needed no torchlight to find his way.

  Lannon and the others quickly followed.

  At the bottom of the stairs were two doors of Glaetherin--one on the right and one on the left, with a wheel lock at the center of each. Lannon let the Eye probe the door on the right, peering beyond it into the passage. He glimpsed a powerful force up ahead, though from this distance he couldn't make out anything about it except that it was not an evil power. Beyond the left door, he sensed something dark and powerful--and quite evil--that he didn't dwell on for more than an instant.

  "We should go right," he said, his body trembling.

  Vorden nodded. "Whatever you say, Lannon. Lead the way."

  Lannon focused the Eye on the wheel lock, and it took him only a moment to solve it. Then the door stood open.

  Jerret gasped in amazement. "Lannon, how did you do that? Those things are supposed to be impossible to solve."

  "He does that all the time," said Aldreya, shaking her head. "Don't bother asking, because apparently he likes to keep it to himself."

  Lannon felt a surge of pride, but could think of nothing to say for a moment. At last he shrugged and said, "I guess I just have the gift."

  Lannon suddenly began to feel ill and weary. His stomach felt heavy. It seemed the Eye had been out too long and had revealed too much. He needed a break from it. Having accomplished this major task in solving the wheel lock, he drew the Eye all the way into himself, and the halves of his mind merged into one.

  As the Squires started through the doorway, a noise behind them made them jump. Someone was coming down the steps--heavy footsteps and panting. They froze in horror, not even able to ready their weapons, while the figure descended.

  "Hey!" a familiar voice called out. "Don't forget about me."

  A tall, burly form stepped into the torchlight. It was Clayith Ironback.

  The others breathed sighs of relief.

  "You scared the wits out of us!" whispered Jerret. "But I'm glad to see you. How did you find this place in the storm?"

  Clayith shrugged. "I just got lucky, I suppose." His skin was pale, his hair and eyebrows frosted with snow and ice. He licked his lips. "It wasn't so bad, you know. Just follow the east wind, like winter's breath..."

  "What?" said Jerret. "Are you alright? You look like a snowman."

  Clayith laughed. "No, I'm just fine. Hey, that purple thing's up ahead, you know. We should go deal with it." He cleared his throat, looking confused.

  "Purple thing?" said Lannon. "Oh, you mean the Divine Essence. Right, let's get going. I think we're pa
st the hard part now."

  They passed through the doorway and found themselves moving down a short hallway. The hallway ended at a trapdoor, which bore a huge iron padlock.

  "It's all yours, Timlin," said Lannon.

  Timlin knelt down, and a moment later the lock was open. "I'm getting faster," he said, grinning, while the others looked on in admiration.

  Vorden lifted the trap door, revealing an iron ladder that stretched down beyond the torchlight. The sound of running water came from below.

  The ladder looked sturdy, and they immediately started down, with Vorden in the lead. They descended about thirty feet and ended up in a round stone chamber. Four tunnels led away from the chamber, but three of them had been sealed permanently with solid barriers of Glaetherin that bore no locks. Flowing through the middle of the cavern was a little stream that came out of a hole in one wall and disappeared through a hole in the opposite wall. The chamber, and the stream, looked like natural formations.

  "I guess we've got one choice," said Vorden.

  His heart pounding with anxiety and growing excitement, Lannon hurried towards the open cavern. As they passed along it, they could see shards of multi-colored crystal protruding from the rock.

  "We're getting close!" Lannon breathed excitedly.

  "Ugly things!" muttered Clayith. "Those crystals hurt my head."

  The others heard him, but paid little heed. They were bent on seeing the Divine Essence and nothing could distract them. The cavern curved up ahead, and the crystals became the walls, replacing the stone. The Squires could feel optimism building in their minds. As the light of truth fell upon them, they felt like anything was possible, that all would work out for a greater purpose. Behind them, Clayith began to whimper.

  As they rounded the curve, the light became radiant, and then before them, in the chamber of fantastically colored crystal, stood the three purple Flamestones that made up the Mind of the White Guardian. Tall, pointy gems rising from a flat base, they were narrow at the bottom and widened out at the top. They were spaced unevenly apart, forming a triangle. The gems were rugged, a bit misshapen--far from the perfection the Squires had been imagining. Yet the Divine Essence was revealed at last, and the Squires were swept away with emotions, bathed in a wondrous glow of truth. Vorden and Timlin stood transfixed, while Jerret dropped to his knees.

  "The King of Dremlock!" Aldreya breathed. Then she knelt next to Jerret.

  Instantly Lannon's mind split of its own accord, and the Eye of Divinity came forth--as if being pulled out of him. It surged straight into the Divine Essence. It showed him things about the Essence that astounded him. Despite everything the Knights of Dremlock seemed to believe, this was not some all-knowing god. This was a lonely child with an uncertain future, a child partially destroyed yet still clinging to life. It was a lone candle burning in the darkness, struggling to give hope, yet threatened from all sides by the swarming shadows.

  Lannon was overcome with a desire to help this child, to make it whole again and allow it to grow. But that was beyond his power. The White Guardian was no more--just shattered fragments that still pulsed with life.

  Lannon was deeply saddened, and in his despair, the Eye of Divinity drew back inside him. Yet even as it retracted it revealed images, and he glimpsed a dark danger just behind him. Someone else in this chamber, like the Essence, was lonely and suffering--a puppet controlled by rage and hatred. In his mind he saw the poison blade slice the air towards his back, but he saw it too late to take action.

  Lannon screamed as the cold steel pierced his shoulder. His body went numb and his legs gave out. He collapsed, but for a moment he remained coherent and was able to lift his head long enough to glimpse what was happening around him. He heard shouts, and he saw Vorden leap across the floor towards Clayith. Clayith was holding a black dagger, and his eyes gleamed with insanity. Vorden's axe bore down upon the burly Squire. Then Lannon's mind went black.