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consciousness in time to see a group of boys come around the first barrier of stones and run toward him.
Chapter Fourteen
'THE GODSTONE,' SELMER SAID IN A HOARSE
whisper.
Paul couldn't take his eyes off the metal disk in Selmer's hand and the engraved image of the insectoid creature.
'There must be dozens of 'em,' Selmer said wonderingly. He reached out toward the other disks that were scattered along the edge of the chauka, then drew his hand back without touching them.
'They're Tal Tahir artifacts,' Karyn said slowly. Paul knew she was trying hard to keep her voice steady. 'That's all they are—just artifacts.'
'Not quite,' Selmer said. 'Paul said High Elder Brill used the Godstone to activate the chauka.''
'Leave them where they are,' Karyn said. 'Let's see what else we can find.'
Selmer placed the disk back on the chauka.
'Check the roof,' Karyn said to Jacque. He nodded and turned to go through the narrow
doorway that led to the stairs.
While the others were poking through the vegeta147
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tion that covered the floor and exploring the outer corridor, Paul decided to take a closer look at the chauka. The large dish wasn't exactly flat, he realized. It rose slightly at the outer edges to form a shallow bowl about two meters across, and was attached to a solid base that was flared at each end to give it a slight hourglass shape. He walked slowly around it. Tiny oval designs were spaced closely together around the perimeter. Protruding from under the lip on one side was a slender rod. Paul stared at the rod, his mind going back to the sacred chamber. High Elder Brill had touched the end of the rod with the Godstone ...
He turned at the sound of boots clumping down the stairs. Jacque appeared in the archway.
'The roof is in pretty good shape,' he said.
'Gives a view all the way to the temple. There's a road out there.' He waved a hand through the archway. 'Comes to within about twenty meters. Broke up in places, but passable.'
'Can we get to it?' Karyn asked.
'Sure. Brush ain't too thick on that side. Anyway, it'd be easier than going back along the river.'
'We'll go out that way, then,' she said. 'Go back to the roof for now and keep an eye out.'
'Sure.' Jacque turned and went along the corridor to the stairway.
'Looks like the place is empty,' Karyn said. Then her eyes went to the chauka. 'Except for that.'
Dorland had returned to the chauka to pick up one of the metal disks. Now he spoke for the first time since they had entered the building. The words were soft, barely audible:
'We were always told that only one Godstone existed.'
