them in. Word was sent back to de Payens in Jerusalem of his knights’ failure to enter the temple. A high priestess of my order and bloodline, Lilith del Aquae, who had travelled to the Holy City to aid in decoding the ancient scrolls beneath the temple in Jerusalem, volunteered to make the journey to the Sinai. She led the knights into the complex. In her presence the knights were able to penetrate the lower complex without falling victim to an invisible sonic burst that emanated from deep within the temple and literally knocked the life out of any man who attempted to descend the entrance path without a female in his company. It was discovered that a lever, just beyond the lower temple entrance, needed to be engaged to flood the pits in the outer chamber with a flammable liquid to stop the beetles from gaining access. Once the pits of the outer chamber of the temple were set ablaze, paths could be followed to the two side chambers. One of these housed the Star vial and the other contained the Fire vial, both of which could only be removed by the priestess. There was one other door that lay directly opposite the entrance of the outer temple chamber, and this was opened by placing the two vials in the carved spaces alongside the massive golden doors.
An inscription warned that no mortal man must enter the Ark chamber, but the knights of de Payens ignored the warning, instructing the priestess to open the doors. All the men who witnessed the opening of this chamber were said to have perished in a blaze of light. When the priestess emerged to confront the remaining members of the company of knights, she advised them that the second Ark had been discovered but would not be moved from its resting place—given that any man who tried to enter would die.
The door to the secret temple complex was again sealed and buried in dirt and sand. The knights left for Jerusalem with the keys to the Ark chamber in the safekeeping of Lilith del Aquae. Their party was ambushed by Arab assassins, who killed the priestess during the attack, along with most of the knights. But these Arab defenders of the Star-Fire Temple did not succeed in capturing the vials. One knight escaped and took the vials to de Payens in Jerusalem. It was decided that the keys should be transported back to Languedoc to my sacred order for safekeeping. The Order of Sion may not have gained possession of the second Ark, but as long as my order held the keys, nobody else could utilise the Ark’s great destructive powers either.
As we neared our destination, I was sick with worry about how I would open the gateway to the complex we sought, given that Devere still had possession of the Star vial. Secretly, I was hoping that he was pursuing our party—the Star vial alone was useless to him, as the Fire vial alone was to us. Ideally, he would be captured before Molier’s knights had a chance to fully excavate the gateway. Failing this, I knew from the legend I had been taught that there was a supply of the sacred Star substance hidden somewhere in the ruined Temple of Hathor. Perhaps I could discover it before I was forced to confess that Devere had stolen the Star vial from me? Molier and his knights would not be at all amused if they discovered we’d travelled through harsh desert conditions only to be unable to enter the temple. Even if we did manage to open the complex, returning only one of the vials would not complete my quest. What the hell had I been thinking, to not tell Molier the truth back in Antioch?
It was mid-afternoon when we had finally ascended the mount and arrived at the ruins of Hathor, and the sun was at its blistering best. As was usual for the Sinai, there was barely a cloud in the sky. To our great surprise and trepidation the circular gateway to the Star-Fire Temple was not only exposed, but also open! I recognised the gateway from the descriptions in the legends of Lilith del Aquae. They had been told to me many times, so that I would always remember them.
Somebody had reached the site before us, but only I suspected who that somebody was—my relief was as great as my foreboding. Yet, even if Devere had managed to open the gate he could not have entered without a woman in his company—unless, of course, he had found a Bedouin female to oblige him. When last I had seen him, he had certainly charmed at least one local female.
The notion made me incredibly angry, or was I just jealous that another woman had had the pleasure of assisting in the completion of his quest? Travelling with Molier had been very uneventful and I was grateful for the respect he and his men had shown me, but the truth was I did miss the thrill of Devere’s intoxicating company.
Molier was immediately on his guard. Of the forty knights in our company, he sent half further up the mount, where only a few remnants of the Temple of Hathor protruded out of the solid dirt terrain. It was allegedly a huge complex in ancient times. Behind the few partially exposed stone pillars bearing ancient hieroglyphs was a large rocky mound where a force might hide in ambush.
‘Word has it that the order of Melchi assassins who murdered Lilith del Aquae are as active and vigilant today as they ever were, so we can’t be too careful,’ Molier explained. ‘They, too, want what we have.’ He motioned me toward the open gateway. ‘So, if you will lead the way, I’ll have the rest of my men stay close to you in case any intruders have entered before us.’
Molier ordered our Bedouin guides to stay and watch over the camels and they appeared more than content to do so.
There was a steep path, glimmering red, which led down into the shrine. The path was part of a long round tunnel covered with hieroglyphs.
‘It’s solid gold!’ commented one of the knights, holding a torch up and illuminating the passageway as he trailed Molier and myself down the smooth red path.
‘I’d like to know what all these hieroglyphs say,’ stated another, who sounded more fearful than inspired.
‘They speak of the Council of Goddesses for whom this temple was built, over which Hathor—the goddess of the Desert Mountains of the Dead, goddess of Fertility and She Who Shines—resides,’ I informed them, glancing over the ancient language, the learning of which was part of the earliest teachings of my order. ‘It warns that this is an ancient feminine space and that the council will only meet in the field of
‘The field of
‘Some say it refers to a dimension of the Blessed—the Realm of the Orbit of Light,’ I said, ‘while others think
‘What do you think it means?’ the knight ventured to inquire.
‘Less chatter,’ Molier cautioned. ‘If the enemy lies in wait, let us not advertise our descent.’
I sensed Molier was a little unnerved by my comment, which was unusual for a man who was always so sure of himself. I supposed he was aware of the tale of Lilith del Aquae and of the fate of the men who had accompanied her into this shrine—perhaps all these knights knew the tale? Still, we were not here to retrieve the treasures within; we were here to return the stolen and much-prized keys, and so had little to fear.
When we entered the large outer chamber, Molier sent his men off down a stone pathway that led around the
