The Mists of Sorrow_ Book Seven of the Morcyth Saga - Brian S. Pratt [228]
Then pairs of the cowled figures move to stand behind the monstrosities. Once the last cowled figure is in place and has grown still, the dark one raises his arms and the glowing object seems to pulse twice. Words, painful, fearful words, begin to issue forth from the dark one. Then, Tinok looks on in horror as the monstrosities once more begin to move.
“Are we here?” asks Jiron.
No sooner had James completely stepped upon the dais then they were suddenly elsewhere. The light from the orb in his hand dispels the darkness of the room they suddenly find themselves in. The room itself is rather small, barely two feet wider than the dais. The only exit from the room is a single corridor that extends into darkness past where the light from the orb ends.
“Yes, we are,” replies Brother Willim. “There’s a feeling of wrongness here the likes of which I have never before felt.”
The prickling associated with the working of magic is very strong upon James’ skin. “They’re doing the rite here too,” he says in a hushed voice. Stepping down from the dais he moves to the mouth of the corridor.
“We’ve been here before,” Jiron says to him.
“I know,” replies James. They both look around for those little creatures that proved such a nuisance the last time they were here. Both are relieved that they are absent.
“See if you can locate Tinok,” urges Jiron. When he sees him hesitate he says, “They’ll know we’re here soon enough.”
“Right,” nods James. Pulling forth the cloth, he casts his spell and they are elated to see it begin to move and then point to someplace below them and to the right.
“Yes!” exclaims Jiron.
“Can you see if he’s still alive?” he asks.
Putting the cloth back in his pouch, he removes his mirror. Concentrating on Tinok, he tries to bring him into focus. They all gather around and watch the surface of the mirror as it begins to shift. Then it clarifies and Tinok’s image appears. He’s gripping what looks like iron bars as he stares out at something beyond the image in the mirror. His face is bathed in a red glow.
“Try to see what he’s looking at,” Brother Willim tells him.
He works to move the image away from the bars and just when something begins to appear, the mirror shatters in his hand. A drop of blood wells from his thumb where one of the glass shards impaled it.
“What happened?” asks Miko.
Eeeeeek!
They turn to see one of the little creatures James and Jiron had met before hovering not more than two feet away. Its shriek sends a chill down James’ spine. Jiron pulls his knives as Brother Willim exclaims, “A Hikuli!”
“You know these things?” Jiron asks him.
“Oh yes,” he replies. “We’ve known about them for some time, only we didn’t know where they were.”
Eeeeeek!
Screaming again, the creature disappears.
“Come on,” James urges the others. “We haven’t much time.” The prickling sensation suddenly intensifies, whether due to the creature that just vanished or for some other reason, he can’t tell. He sends forth the magic and creates a translucent floating sphere. He’s used similar ones before when trying to locate someone. As it moves down the hallway, he says, “Let’s go.”
Jiron takes the lead with James right behind. Miko and Brother Willim follow closely.
“Do you feel it?” Brother Willim asks Miko.
“I feel something,” he replies. “Never felt it before.”
“This temple resonates with evil,” he explains. “What you feel is the signature of evil. Remember it.”
Miko glances to him and says, “I doubt if I’ll ever be able to forget it.”
Following the sphere, they hurry down the corridor. The coldness of where they are increases the further they go until their breath begins misting in the orb’s light. And still the temperature drops. As they approach the end of the corridor, they see