The Mists of Sorrow_ Book Seven of the Morcyth Saga - Brian S. Pratt [211]
“Why?” the Slavemaster asks. “You’ll have to pardon my curiosity, but you are the first person I’ve ever met who actually wanted to go into one. Other than Dmon-Li’s priesthood that is.”
James gazes at the Slavemaster and gauges just how much to tell him. “Can you help us gain entry?” he asks.
“Possibly,” he replies. “You see, I’m the only one that I know of who was ever a slave within the temple and escaped. But that was some time ago, when I was a younger man.”
“The one here in Zixtyn?” James asks hopefully.
The Slavemaster shrugs, obviously unwilling to give him that much information about himself. “So why do you wish to gain entry into the temple here in Zixtyn? I assure you, what you tell me will not find its way out of here.”
Deciding to trust to fate, he says, “A friend has been taken to Ith-Zirul. We know there’s a way that the temples, or at least some of them, are connected through magical transportation devices.”
The Slavemaster shakes his head, “Friend, what you plan is nothing short of folly.”
“Be that as it may, that is what we plan to do,” he insists. “Can you help us?”
“Even should you gain the temple and reach the transportation device, you wouldn’t be able to use it,” he asserts.
“Then you know of it?” asks James hopefully.
“Yes,” he says. “I know of it.”
“Can you tell me how it works?” he asks.
“You mean to tell me that you planned to break into the temple and didn’t even know how it worked?” he asks incredulously.
“I have an idea,” replies James defensively.
“You need more than that if you expect to get to Ith-Zirul,” the Slavemaster tells him. “They won’t work for just anyone, you need a key.”
“I have one of those already,” explains James.
“Oh?” he asks. “How would you have gained such an item?”
James then gives him a very brief rundown of finding the medallion in the temple outside of Kern. “I know it activates the dais,” he states. “I’m just not sure how to make it take me to where I want it to.”
“Fascinating,” the Slavemaster says after several seconds of digesting what James had told him. “As to how to make it work, I don’t know that part of it.” When James gets a disappointed look, he raises his hand and says, “That’s not to say what I do know won’t help.”
“Such as?” prompts James.
“You see, each of these keys is set to take you to two different places on their own,” he explains. “I’m sure there’s a way in which to have them take you to specific temples, but I have never been privy to that information.”
“Now, if you are in the home temple of the key, which in this case would be the temple near Kern where you found it, then the teleportation dais will take you automatically to Ith-Zirul. And if you are at Ith-Zirul it will return you to the key’s home temple.”
“But what if you are at another temple?” he asks.
“I believe it will take you automatically to Ith-Zirul,” he says. “And then from there would return you to the key’s home temple.”
James remains silent after the Slavemaster finishes speaking. He remembers the time under the sand at Baerustin when during their fight, he and Jiron had stumbled upon the teleportation dais there and ended up at another place. That other place was cold and had strange little creatures with claws sharper than razors. He recalls the voice in his head that said, ‘You have come, mage.’ They must have been in the High Temple! Only they didn’t realize it at the time. When he and Jiron had fled the place and returned to the dais, it had taken them to the temple near Kern. It all makes sense now.
“Now all there is to do is for us to reach the dais within the temple here in Zixtyn,” James says.
The Slavemaster nods. “That won’t be as easy as you think,” he says. “For one thing, the dais is in a secret room in the lowest level of the temple. None but those in the inner circle are allowed there. It’s unlikely you would reach it before being discovered.”
“Could you give me some idea the best