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A vibration comes to them as the end of the corridor begins to drop down in sections. When the rumbling ceases, the light of the orb reveals that the end of the corridor has dropped and created a set of steps leading down.

“Yes!” exclaims Jiron. Moving forward, he leads them down to the bottom where a short corridor connects the stairs with a room. The light from the orb shines through the doorway into the room and they see the dais sitting there before them.

Moving forward, they enter the room and find that it’s round just as the diagram had depicted. “There it is,” James says as they move to the dais.

“It seems odd that the room containing this dais was only reachable by going though two secret doors and a room full of spikes,” comments Jiron. When James glances to him he adds, “The dais in the underground temple was right where anyone could get to it.”

James shrugs. “Maybe they were built in different times,” he says. “The one in the underground temple could have been constructed when they didn’t feel the need to protect it.”

“Could be,” agrees Brother Willim. Turning to James he says, “Now what?”

“Now we get on the dais and let it take us to the High Temple,” he says.

“Sounds easy enough,” Miko states.

“Seeing as how I hold the medallion, it might be best if you three were to get on first,” James suggests. “It wouldn’t be a good idea for me to get on first and have it activate before the rest of you have a chance to join me.”

“May have a point there,” Jiron says. Moving forward, he hops onto the dais.

Lending Brother Willim a hand, Jiron helps him up then is followed by Miko. “What’s going to happen when you get on?” Miko asks.

“If it works as I think it will,” he replies, “we’ll appear at the High Temple of Dmon-Li.”

“Then things will get interesting,” Jiron says with a grim grin.

James sighs and says, “You could say that.”

“Come on,” Jiron prompts when he sees him hesitating. Holding out his hand, he offers to help him up.

Taking the hand, James steps up onto the dais. A second later, they’re gone.

Chapter Thirty Eight

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Tinok’s stomach grumbles. The time when they should have received their third meal of the day has come and gone. Still within the cell, the ever present fear remains with them. He and Esix sit against the back wall side by side. They talk of their times together, family and friends whom they’re sure they’ll never again see, all the while trying to banish the fear that has become an ever present, unwelcome guest.

How long they’ve been down here now isn’t clear. The ever pervasive darkness outside their cell prevents the possibility to accurately judge the passing of time. During a time when Tinok was listening to Esix talk of an experience with a neighbor’s daughter that turned into a bad situation with the girl’s father, his eyes begin to detect a growing red glow some distance away from their cell.

“Look!” he says as he rises to his feet.

Esix stops talking and turns his attention toward the red glow. He, as well as the others in the cell with him, get to their feet. The red glow continuously brightens and the light coming from it casts eerie shadows about the cavern. For as the light brightens, they see that they are in fact in an underground cavern.

The ceiling vaults into darkness high above them, a few stalagmites dot the outer edge of the cavern floor. As the glow brightens still further, they come to realize that it comes from an object seeming to float in mid air two feet off the floor.

Beneath the glowing object, the floor of the cavern has been smoothed. The smoothed area encompasses a good portion of the cavern floor. It’s rather hard to make out, but it appears there are six similar patterns marked out upon the floor spaced evenly in a circle around the glowing object. Each of the patterns is ringed itself by many symbols, symbols that hurt the eyes if you stare at them too long. A lone circular pattern, larger than