EPIC: Fourteen Books of Fantasy (363 page)

The
corridor
was
narrow
so
Lee
drew
his
dagger.
He glanced
back
at
Lyndria.
“Stay
behind
me.”

“I...”
she
began
to
protest.

“Do
as
he
says!”
Jaleel
commanded,
cutting
her
off.
He drew
his
short
sword
and
crouched
down,
legs
parted
wide. “Step
back.
When
it
comes
you
won’t
be
able
to
see,
and
I
don’t want
you
to
stab
me...
accidentally.”
His
last
word
was
almost
a laugh.

Suddenly,
everything
went
black.
Lee
listened
for movement,
but
could
only
hear
Jaleel
and
Lyndria.
Then
the wind
picked
up
until
the
dust
stung
his
eyes.
The
clang
of
metal rang
out,
followed
by
a
heavy
grunt
and
the
sound
of
a
sword falling
onto
stone.

“Jaleel,”
called
Lee.
But
there
was
no
answer.

Again
Lee
listened
for
movement,
but
still
there
was
none. Then,
as
quickly
as
it
came,
the
darkness
faded.
The
dim
light from
the
lantern
revealed
what
had
happened.
Jaleel
was
sitting against
the
wall,
his
sword
on
the
floor
a
few
feet
away.
He
was clutching
a
gaping
wound
on
his
leg
as
blood
soaked
his
trousers and
spilled
onto
the
rocky
ground.
Lee
and
Lyndria
rushed
to
his side.

“I
think
I
wounded
it,”
said
Jaleel,
grimacing.
He
forced
a laugh.
“Or
maybe
not.”

“What
was
that?”
asked
Lee.

“That
was
the
demon?”
replied
Lyndria.
She
examined
Jaleel’s
wound
and
smiled.
“Looks
like
you’ll
live
long
enough for
me
to
kill
you
after
all.”

Jaleel
grinned.
“Yeah,
well
after
today
you
may
have
an easier
time
of
it.”

“Tend
his
wound,”
said
Lee.
He
stood
and
started
down
the corridor.

“Where
do
you
think
you’re
going?”
asked
Jaleel.
“To
meet
this
demon,”
said
Lee.
“And
to
kill
it.” “I’ll
come
with
you,”
said
Lyndria.

“No,”
Lee
shot
back.
“You
stay
with
Jaleel.
He
needs
you more
than
I
do.”

Jaleel
grabbed
her
arm.
“Let
him
go.
The
bravery
of
a
fool should
never
be
questioned.”
He
smiled
up
at
Lee.
His
gold teeth
glimmered
in
the
soft
light.
“Good
luck,
Lee
Starfinder. Bring
me
its
head.”

Lee
smiled
back
before
heading
off.
The
tunnel
narrowed after
a
few
hundred
feet,
then
sloped
down.
After
twenty minutes,
he
came
to
yet
another
fork.
He
held
up
the
lantern
to the
wall.
No
markings.
He
cursed
under
his
breath,
peering
into the darkness down both passages. They looked identical. ‘
Which way’,
he
thought.
Almost
as
if
in
response,
the
wind
stirred
to his left.
Lee
readied
himself
for an
attack,
but
nothing
else happened.
A
moment
later
the
wind
died.

He
steadied
his
nerves
and
made
his
way
down
the
left passage.
It
twisted
and
turned
constantly,
and
the
uneven
floor was
covered
with
jagged
rocks.
After
a
few
more
minutes
the passage
widened
enough
for
him
to
put
away
his
dagger
and draw
his
sword.
No
sooner
had
the
blade
left
the
scabbard
than the
wind
rose
up
again.
This
time
it
did
not
die
back
down,
and seconds
later
he
was
surrounded
by
darkness.

His
fingers
gripped
the
hilt
of
his
sword
firmly
as
he listened
closely
for
signs
of
something
approaching.
But
the wind
masked
any
sound.

‘Whatever
it
is,
it’s
clever,’
he
thought.
His
heart
pounded in
his
chest,
and
for
the
first
time
in
many
years
he
was
afraid.

There
was
a
sudden
sharp
pain
at
the
back
of
his
sword hand. Lee cried out, and the sword dropped to the ground.

Desperately,
he
reached
down
for
the
weapon,
but
his
efforts were
in
vain.
Blood
poured
from
a
long
gash
across
his
hand. Ignoring
this,
he
reached
for
the
dagger
instead.
But,
just
as
he touched
the
hilt,
he
was
thrown
back
hard
and
smashed
against the
wall.
He
struggled
to
keep
his
feet
as
the
air
left
his
lungs, leaving
him
gasping.
Another
blow
struck
his
left
temple, sending
him
tumbling
to
the
ground.
A
flash
of
pain
streaked through
his
body.
But
not
from
the
attack.
It
was
as
if
it
came from
within.
He
had
never
felt
anything
like
this
before.
It burned
into
his
mind,
as
though
searching.
Then,
one
final
blow sent
him
into
unconsciousness.

The
echo
of
soft
footfalls
was
the
first
thing
Lee
heard.
The pain
stabbed
at
his
head
as
he
tried
to
move,
and
the
salty metallic
taste
of
blood
filled
his
mouth.
He
opened
his
eyes,
but his
vision
was
blurry.
It
was
then
he
noticed
that
he
was
not lying
on
rock,
but
on
a
bed
of
soft
furs.
The
wound
on
his
hand had
been
cleaned
and
bandaged.

“Don’t
try
to
move
for
a
bit,”
came
a
voice.
It
was
distant and
hollow.
“Take
your
time.”

Fighting
back
the
pain,
Lee
shoved
himself
up
and
gained his
feet.
He
wobbled
for
a
moment,
his
distorted
sight
not allowing
him
to
keep
balance.
He
reached
out
and
found
the wall.
It
was
not
rough
like
the
rest
of
the
caves
and
tunnels,
but smooth
and
polished.
He
leaned
heavily
and
shook
his
head.

“Stubborn,
I
see.”
This
time
the
voice
had
more
substance. Though
clearly
male,
it
had
a
distinct
softness
that
gave
it
an elegant
quality.

Slowly
his
vision
began
to
clear.
The
room
was
roughly forty
by
forty
feet
square,
carved
from
the
mountain
by
expert craftsmen. The walls,
floor, and
ceiling were polished
smooth as marble.
Attached
to
the
wall
every
few
feet
were
gold
lanterns, burning
brightly.
The
surface
of
the
stone
reflected
their
light, illuminating
the
room
as
if
the
sun
shone
through
the
mountain top.
A
small
doorway,
just
wide
enough
to
squeeze
through,
was at
the
opposite
end.
But
it
was
what
rested
in
the
center
of
the room
that
immediately
caught
Lee’s
attention.

There,
stood
a
gold
pedestal,
about
three
feet
tall,
and encrusted
with
precious
stones
of
every
color.
At
the
top,
a delicate
hand
held
aloft
a
truly
immense
jewel
.
It
was
as
large
as a
bull’s
head
and
a
deep
shade
of
purple.
A
faint
light
emanated from
the
heart
of
the
stone,
casting
a
dark
aura
around
it.

Lee
noticed
that
his
weapon
had
been
placed
beside
the
fur bed.
He
attached
it
to
his
belt
and
took
a
few
steps
toward
the
jewel
.

“Do
not
touch
it.”
The
voice
echoed.

“Where
are
you?”
asked
Lee,
reaching
for
his
sword.

From
the
doorway,
a
man
appeared.
At
first
his
features were
masked
as
if
in
shadow,
but
as
he
came
near
Lee
could
see him.
His
gaunt
face
and
sharp
hook
of
a
nose
was
made
even more
unusual
by
deeply
sunken
eyes
of
undeterminable
color and
a
ghostly
pale
complexion.
A
thin,
blue
linen
shirt
and trousers
hung
loosely
off
his
emaciated
frame.
His
feet
were bare,
and
resembled
that
of
a
skeleton
more
than
that
of
a
man. Thin
white
hair,
tangled,
matted
and
uneven,
shot
out
in
small patches,
giving
his
abnormal
appearance
a
wild
quality.
He
held no
weapon
that
Lee
could
see.

“I
cannot
allow
you
to
touch
it.”
He
stepped
between
Lee and
the
jewel
.

“Who
are
you?”
asked
Lee.
For
some
reason
beyond
the
way
he
looked,
the
man
unnerved
him.

“I
am
Chaudre,”
he
replied.
“Son
of
Dantenos,
and
keeper of
the
jewel.
And
you
are
Lee
Starfinder,
son
of
Saraf.”

The
hair
stood
up
on
the
back
of
Lee’s
neck
at
the
mention of
his
father’s
name.
“How
do
you
know
this?”

Chaudre
let
out
a
cackling
laugh.
“You
really
don’t
know?”
He
reached
out
his
hand
-
Lee
stepped
quickly
back
-
Chaudre smiled,
his
teeth
almost
indiscernible
from
his
white
skin.
“I won’t
hurt
you.”

Lee
reached
out
slowly
to
grasp
Chaudre’s
hand.
A
shock raced
through
his
body
the
moment
their
flesh
met.
In
an
instant, he
knew
that
it
was
true.
The
withered
figure
before
him
was indeed
the
son
of
Dantenos.
He
jerked
back.
“What
was
that?”

“Our
kind
can
feel
each
other
when
we
touch,”
Chaudre explained.
“It
is
the
blood
of
a
God
recognizing
its
own
kind.
I take
it
you
have
never
met
another
child
of
a
God
before?”

Lee
shook
his
head,
unable
to
speak.
The
thought
of meeting
another
like
himself
had
never
occurred
to
him.
After
a
few
moments
he
regained
his
composure.
“Why
did
you
attack me?”

“I
thought
you
were
one
of
the
people
here
seeking
the
jewel
,”
he
explained.
“It
wasn’t
until
I
struck
you
and
our
flesh touched
that
I
knew
that
might
not
be
true.”
He
walked
past
Lee and
sat
on
the
fur
bed,
then
motioned
for
Lee
to
join
him.

Lee
stared
at
the
man
for
a
second,
then
sat
across
from him.
“You
say
you
spared
me
because
we
are
alike.
But
why
are you
slaughtering
the
others?
Why
not
simply
make
them
leave?”

The
shadow
returned
and
dimmed
Chaudre’s
features.
The air
stirred
and
grew
cold.
“They
come
for
the
jewel
.”
His
voice was
shrill
and
seethed
with
hatred.
His
face
twisted
and
his
eyes sunk
deeper
into
his
skull.
“They
think
to
possess
what
is rightfully
mine.
And
as
those
that
came
before,
they
will
die.”