Temple of the Dragonslayer (27 page)

She looked to her friends for guidance. They were all smiling, even Jax.

“Go on,” Catriona said. “It will be all right.”

Sindri, Elidor, and Jax all wore similar expressions of encouragement. Then she looked to Davyn. At first it seemed as if he were unsure what to say, but finally he smiled along with the others.

“This is something you need to do,” he said.

Deciding that she felt as brave as she was going to get, Nearra took Nysse’s hand and allowed the cleric to help her to her feet.

Nearra turned to give her friends one last look. “When we next see one another, I might be a completely different person.”

“Then we shall have the pleasure of getting to know you all over again, won’t we?” Elidor said.

Nearra hoped it would be so, but there was no way to foretell what the future might hold. All she could do—all anyone could—was keep moving forward and hope for the best.

She turned to Nysse. “I’m ready.”

T
his is the Chamber of the Sky,” Feandan said in a reverent voice that was also tinged with pride.

Nearra couldn’t respond; she couldn’t breathe. It was so beautiful.

Inside the chamber it appeared to be night, and above them stretched what seemed to be a star-filled sky. But these stars were larger and brighter than true stars, and the white light they gave off was cool and soothing. The illusion was perfect, save for the smooth stone floor beneath her feet and the marble dais in the center of the room.

“How—?” Nearra began, but she wasn’t sure how to frame the question.

Nysse laughed softly. “To be honest, we’re not certain. We believe it is some manner of enchantment placed here by one or more of the clerics from Elethia’s time. Perhaps even Elethia herself.” Before entering the chamber, Nysse had gone to her room and retrieved a staff carved from white wood. She now carried the staff in her right hand, its white wood seeming to glow in the light of the chamber’s stars.

“We do know that the temple clerics came here for prayer and meditation,” Feandan said. “They also used the chamber as a
place of both physical and spiritual renewal.”

“It was here that the greatest healings were performed,” Nysse said. “Since your situation is unique, this seemed an appropriate place to bring you.”

The atmosphere in the Chamber of the Sky was so peaceful that Nearra no longer felt any fear about what might happen next.

“What should I do?” she asked.

“Climb onto the dais and lie down,” Nysse said.

Nearra did so without hesitation. Nysse walked over to stand on Nearra’s right side.

Feandan stood on Nearra’s left. “Look up, child.” He pointed to a particular configuration of stars that formed the image of a dragon. “That is the constellation of Paladine.”

The dragon of Paladine’s constellation seemed nothing like Slean. To Nearra, it looked like a proud and noble creature, good in every sense of the word. The longer Nearra looked, the more it seemed to her as if she stared not at a mere pattern of stars, but at an actual Stardragon. And it seemed to be looking back at her with eyes filled with love.

Nysse pointed with her staff. “That is Mishakal’s constellation. It’s in the shape of a figure eight lying on its side.”

Nearra found it easily. It was very close to the dragon.

“Mishakal is Paladine’s daughter and a true goddess of healing. I will now call to her and beseech her to restore that which has been lost to you.”

Nysse spoke a soft prayer, and one of the stars in Mishakal’s constellation broke free of the others. It drifted down toward Nysse and settled onto the tip of her staff. The star glowed with a gentle blue-white light, and Nysse lowered her staff until the star touched Nearra’s forehead.

Nearra felt drowsy all of a sudden and she closed her eyes. She felt light as a feather, as if the slightest breeze could send her into flight, floating up through the air to join the rest of the stars in the heavens.

Images tumbled through her mind then: the faces of a man
and a woman, both with blond hair; a small cottage on the edge of some woods. The man was driving a wagon full of firewood down the lane while the woman stood in the cottage’s doorway waving goodbye. This scene was quickly replaced by a series of narrow stone corridors, dark and gloomy. Nearra felt herself walking down one of the hallways, carrying buckets full of water. She felt weary, on the verge of collapse, as if she had worked for days without rest. There was also a sensation of uneasiness, as if she were afraid of something, but she didn’t—

Another face—this one belonging to Maddoc. The wizard was looking down at her, chanting words that she didn’t understand. The robe he wore was as black as midnight. She looked up and saw a tapestry hanging above a cold, empty fireplace—a tapestry that depicted a woman with raven-black hair and cruel violet eyes.

Those eyes began to glow with magenta fire and Nearra screamed …

Nearra sat up abruptly. All she saw now were the concerned faces of the two clerics. The star on the tip of Nysse’s staff had gone out.

“I’m sorry. It was starting to hurt.” Her head pounded and her stomach was queasy. She felt so weak that she was afraid to try to get off the dais, let alone walk.

“Rest a moment, child,” Feandan said. “The discomfort should pass soon.” But the cleric sounded uncertain.

“Tell us, Nearra, what did you experience?” Nysse asked.

“I’m not sure I can describe it. I saw things … people, places, but I don’t know who and what they were.” A tear slid down her cheek.

Feandan patted her hand. “Whatever enchantment has befallen you is very strong—too strong for us to easily remove.” His tone was apologetic, but also confused. Clearly, he couldn’t fully comprehend what had just taken place.

“We are all new to the practice of healing magic,” Nysse said, “and we still have much to learn. But do not give up hope. We shall continue to search for a way to help you. And we
shall
succeed.” But Nysse didn’t sound very confident.

Nearra’s head and stomach were already beginning to feel better, but doubted if any amount of time would alleviate the despair she felt in her soul.

From somewhere deep inside her—so deep that Nearra was only barely aware of it—came the sound of cruel, mocking laughter.

“And this room houses the archive, where our various books, scrolls, and parchments are kept,” Gunna said.

Davyn and the others, along with their two guides, stood outside a room that was literally overflowing with papers of all sorts. They were jammed onto shelves, stacked on tables, and spread all over the floor in lopsided piles.

“Obviously we haven’t gotten around to cataloguing the collection yet,” Pedar said wryly.

Davyn was only partially paying attention. He was worried about how Nearra was doing in the Chamber of the Sky. Whatever happened, he hoped Nearra wouldn’t be harmed.

“Given how long the temple was abandoned, I’m surprised the pages are still intact,” Elidor said. “I’d have thought they would have crumbled to dust long ago.”

“It’s magic, of course,” Sindri said.

“Of course it is,” Gunna said gruffly. “Some manner of preservation spell was cast on the archives by the clerics who used to live here. The books and scrolls are as fresh as the day they were made.”

“Really?” Elidor said, eyeing the cluttered collection with obvious interest.

“As long as they remain in that room,” Pedar said. “The magic only works inside it. If you take one of the writings out,
poof!
It
turns to dust in mere moments. That’s why there are so many works crammed in there. They cannot be moved anywhere else.”

“I see,” Elidor said, sounding disappointed.

Davyn had to fight to keep from smirking. Those books were truly thief-proof!

Pedar closed the door to the archives, and then he and Gunna led the companions farther down the hallway. They stopped in front of a polished mahogany door with a golden handle that had been shaped to resemble a graceful swan.

“And this—” Pedar said in the tone of a proud owner about to show off his most prized possession—“is the repository.”

He opened the door, then stood back and gestured for the companions to enter. They did so, Catriona leading the way while Davyn brought up the rear. When they were all inside, the two clerics followed.

This room was no larger than the archive, but since it contained far fewer items, there was much more space to move around. Recessed display areas had been carved into the stone walls, sixteen of them in all. In addition, five small marble columns were placed around the room: one in each of the corners, while the fifth stood in the middle. In the wall recesses and on top of each of the columns rested a different object, each more intriguing than the last—a small bell with a handle carved to resemble an armored warrior, a silver needle and a spool of golden thread, an eagle’s claw encased in amber, a skull with runes carved into the bone, and many more. In the middle of the room, resting atop one of the columns, lay a white arrow.

“Is that Elethia’s arrow?” Catriona asked. “The one she used to slay Kiernan the Crimson?”

“We believe so,” Gunna said. “The temple had been abandoned for centuries before we came here, and what records we have managed to discover are incomplete. But we know that the repository is where holy objects were kept, so we can only assume this is Elethia’s arrow.”

“Amazing,” Sindri reached out to touch the white arrow, but Catriona—who had been keeping a close eye on the kender the entire time—swatted his hand before he could touch it.

Sindri jerked his hand back and gave Catriona a resentful look, but he didn’t try to touch the arrow again.

“It is curious, though,” Pedar said. “The objects can be taken from the repository without any difficulty.”

“How interesting,” Elidor said.

“Aren’t you worried they might be stolen?” Catriona said, giving Elidor a look that said he’d better keep his hands to himself.

“No,” Pedar said. “These objects don’t have any real value aside from their mystic powers. And I’m afraid that the blessings placed upon them might have somehow worn off. We’ve attempted on several occasions to use the objects—under carefully controlled conditions, of course. But we’ve never been able to make any of the items actually
do
anything.”

“Maybe it’s because the objects knew it was only a test,” Sindri said. “Maybe if there really was a need for them, their magic would activate.”

Pedar and Gunna looked thoughtful then.

“That’s a very good point,” Gunna said. “You may be correct.”

Pedar then clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Well, then. Shall we go see how your friend is doing?”