The Jewel of Turmish - Mel Odom [60]
The words hung heavily on all of them.
"Perhaps," Micahan said, "with all the rains tonight there was a shifting in the earth. The rainy season makes coffins sink into the ground."
"It's been hundreds of years," Vhoror protested.
"It may have been as much as a tenday ago," Micahan said. His face looked hollow and pasty as it was lifted from the recesses of his cowl by the lantern light. "Metal takes time to rust, just as Eldath in her mercies takes time to convert." He nodded at Tohl. "If we're to do this, Brother, we'd be better served by getting it done. Morning will come all too early."
"Of course," Tohl said and took up the march down the staircase again. It quivered and quaked the whole way.
Once at the bottom of the staircase, Tohl kept the lead and guided them through the twisting passageways.
When they reached the final room, lantern light reflected from the pools of water that remained of the ice coffin. The light also reflected from the dead eyes of the boys who sat arranged against the far wall. At least, the light reflected from the eyes of those who still had them.
Astonished fear froze Tohl in the entrance to the room. Borran Kiosk was nowhere in sight.
"Eldath's mercy be upon them," Micahan said. He glanced up at Tohl. "We can't leave those children here. You know what will happen to them if we leave them."
Tohl nodded without speaking or returning the older priest's gaze.
"They will rise," Micahan said. "They will rise in a day or two."
Tohl gazed at the horror before him. He remembered the stories of Borran Kiosk's undead army and how the mohrg had raised it.
"We can't let that happen to these children," he said.
"They're thieves," Vhoror complained. "They came here and broke open this tomb. I say they got what they deserve."
Tohl whirled on the man, his fear and anger getting the best of him. "Still your tongue, Vhoror. The mohrg has been released. Whatever these boys were before this night, they are victims now, and they will be cared for as best as Eldath has taught us to do. In my presence and in theirs, you will speak with respect."
"Of course," the old priest said.
"We've got to get the other priests," Tohl said, gathering his splintered thoughts, gazing with helpless horror at the dead children. "We must lay these…" Words failed him."… to rest. We must find-" He found he didn't want to say the mohrg's name. "We must find the creature that escaped from here."
He gave the children a final look, said a quick prayer, and led the way back to the spiral staircase.
They made their way up, and Tohl shuddered every time the metal construction hammered against the stone wall. The sound echoed throughout the tomb. Tohl clambered through the opening. His exertions and fear wore on him, leaving his breath ragged and harsh.
He offered his hand to Micahan. The old priest struggled with the ascent. His hand felt cold and clawlike in Tohl's grip.
Bowdiek came through next, followed by the other priests until all six of them stood in the room.
Turning, Tohl shone the lantern light on the wall with the door. The light fell over a pile of at least a dozen skulls that had been left in a haphazard stack in the doorway.
"Those weren't there before," Effrim said.
Tohl gazed at the skulls, unable to speak, swallowed by a sense of impending dread.
"You fools!" Vhoror exploded. "It was Borran Kiosk! He's not gone; he's still here!"
Something plopped into a thin pool of water in front of Tohl. The light made the dark liquid stand out against the water. Another drop joined the first, and they looked like squids spreading out their tentacles.
"The ceiling," Effrim whispered. "Eldath have mercy on us. It's coming from the ceiling."
In slow motion, feeling the fear hammering away inside him, Tohl angled the lantern up.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Haarn's knife sliced through the wolf bitch's flanks, but he took care to cut through only the outer layer of hide and muscle. Cutting deeper would have released poisons from