She understood themall.
It was a story carved into the walls.
Ezer slid her gaze across the symbols, drinking in the strange language. It was the story of a time long ago, when men walked with gods, and magic had freshly entered the realm.
There were six of them.Sixgods, instead of five.
They depicted a great split between the six. When a terrifying power – a cloud of darkness – overtook the light.
It sounded just like what they were facing now.
But in this depiction … the roles were reversed.
Thedarknesswas made up of five.
And the light … the light was onlyone.
‘What do they mean?’ Kinlear breathed against her. She’d nearly forgotten his presence, so lost in her new understanding of the symbols. Like some part of her mind had been off-center. And now it had just shifted back into place.
‘I … I don’t know,’ Ezer lied.
The symbols faded the further they went into the cave. But more signs of life soon appeared. Small, natural pools of water gathered. Raphon pups lingered by the edge, playing in the shallows. Some yowled, and others cawed, like they were caught in an adolescent phase between cat and bird.
Six’s head was on a swivel. She began to purr.
All about the space, there were piles of sticks and golden, shimmering things. Pommels of Lordachian blades. Bones. Helmets and shields with various house symbols.
And some were far older, with sigils Ezer did not recognize, like they’d been here for centuries. Like they were special treasures, set aside to admire.
‘Nests,’ Ezer breathed.
Little treasure troves, just like Six had inside her cage. She lookedabout, wide-eyed, drinking it all in. Somehow, it felt more holy than visiting the stalls of war eagles.
The raphons lived raw and free.
More torches flickered on as they went. She kept waiting for darksouls to come pouring out of the darkness. For a wave of enemies to overwhelm them. She reached for the blade on her hip, but suddenly it felt so insignificant.
What could one blade do against thousands of darksouls?
What could one woman, and one man, do to fight back against the Acolyte’s might?
This plan seemed so futile now. They were walking right towards their doom.
And still … neither she nor Kinlear turned around.
So she let Six go on, as if some part of her were magnetic. As if whatever was in that darkness ahead …
It called to her very soul.
More symbols drew Ezer’s gaze as they entered another great rounded cave. This one, far larger than the last and still lit by the strange sconces.
The symbols spoke of thousands falling to that great wave of darkness.
Thousands upon thousands, whose eyes were sealed shut by it. But after quite some time, onlyonewas able to crack them open. To remove the scales from them and finally see.
Wrenwyn.
Ezer’s own ancestor.
