The Jewel of Turmish - Mel Odom [58]
All of them gathered around Tohl as another hghtning streak seemed to set the sky on fire. As the white brilliance nickered above them, Tohl studied the men gathered before him. They had believed in him enough to rise from their beds, endure the cold, whipping rains, and lay their lives on the line to fight a monster.
Tohl had never experienced anything like that moment with them, and he was disappointed when words failed him. With all the blessings and prayers and counseling he'd done over the years, something should have come to him.
"Eldath willing," he said finally.
"Eldath willing," the priests whispered around him.
Holding his mace in one hand, Tohl lifted the lantern from the wagon and turned toward the tomb. The others followed, none of them speaking.
At the top of the stairs, about to enter the building, Tohl turned when he heard the wagon surge into motion behind him. He watched in disbelief as the horses tore through the graveyard back in the direction they'd come. Before they'd covered half the distance, one of the horses stepped in a deep hole and went down. Tohl heard the snap of breaking bone even over the distant echo of thunder. The falling horse took down the other animal as well, causing the wagon to slam into both of them and overturn. When the wagon settled against the ground, neither of the horses moved.
"Effrim," Tohl said.
At once, the younger man peeled away from the group and raced across the graveyard. Tohl watched Effrim check both animals then run back to the tomb steps.
"Dead," Effrim said when he returned. His breath was tight in his throat. "Both animals."
"It's an omen," Bowdiek whispered, then stopped himself.
"Or a sacrifice Malar himself arranged," Vhoror commented.
Tohl forced doubt from his mind and said, "It's nothing more than bad luck. Come on."
He stepped into the tomb and held the lantern high, leaning on the certainty that Eldath watched over him. The dream had tied him to Borran Kiosk and brought about personal attention from the Quiet One. He tried to keep that in mind.
The lantern light bathed the outer chambers, highlighting the disuse and neglect of the tomb. A slithering noise echoed through the darkness. The sound made Tohl's skin prickle.
"What was that?" Vhoror asked.
Tohl stopped when the sound reached his ears, and the others had stopped with him. Holding the lantern high, the mace gripped in his hand, Tohl examined the rooms that lay before them. Only the flickering shadows moved there, but he couldn't help thinking how evil often chose to cloak itself in the raiment of night.
"It's nothing," Tohl said a couple of breaths later, when the sound wasn't repeated.
He continued forward and discovered the broken door that led to the record keeper's room.
"Someone has been here," Effrim said.
Studying the rotted wood, Tohl said, "That could have been done days, even tendays ago."
Effrim squatted and touched a clump of matter on the floor. His finger came away stained. "Mud. It's fresh, and from the shape it looks bike someone tracked it in from outside."
Despite his growing fear, Tohl stepped through the broken doorway, letting the lantern guide his way. He said a silent prayer to Eldath, asking the goddess to watch over him. The lantern light filled the small room.
No one was there.
Tohl gazed at the section of floor that hid the passageway to the secret tomb. A feeling of relief washed over him when he saw that the stone was still in place.
"The tomb hasn't been disturbed," Vhoror whispered. "We can go."
"No." Tohl's throat felt phlegmy and thick, making him force the word out.
"Brother Tohl." Vhoror spoke in that precise way of his that grated on the nerves. Over the years, he'd shown his skill in the way of an argument. "We have seen that the tomb has not been disturbed. Our work here is done."
"No," said Tohl, "we have seen that the entrance to the hidden tomb is closed, but we don't know that Borran Kiosk's tomb is likewise undisturbed."
As soon as Tohl spoke the mohrg's name, a cold, wet wind whipped