Bowing to him, the young man backs out through the archway.
Indicating a cushion sitting on the floor near him, the man says, “Please be seated.”
“Thank you,” replies James. Moving to the cushion, he settles down on top of it.
“It’s not often I have guests here,” the man tells him. Lifting up a plate bearing slightly squishy sliced fruit that’s turning brown, he offers it to James.
Really not wanting any of the old fruit, yet not wishing to offend his host, he takes one. Placing it in his mouth, he chews it and can taste the slight rancidity of spoiled fruit. “Thank you,” he says as he tries to swallow without spewing it back up again.
The man smiles and nods. “A pleasure to meet one such as you,” he says.
James arcs an eye questioningly at him. “Oh, I know who you are,” he explains. “James I believe your name is. And a mage of some power.”
James eyes him suspiciously and remains silent.
“Oh you needn’t try to hide the fact,” he says. “But who you are doesn’t really matter now does it? You wanted some information I believe?”
“Who are you?” James asks.
“Ah, that is a question many would like to know,” he replies. “Suffice it to say that I am the Slavemaster.”
“Slavemaster?” asks James.
“More of a title than a profession really,” he says.
“I see,” says James.
Without expanding any further on who he is, the Slavemaster says, “I understand you are planning on entering the temple here in Zixtyn.”
“That’s right,” he says. James is more at ease now. Seeing as how the man knows him and has yet to either dispatch him or turn him in, he doesn’t feel there is any immediate threat.
“Why?” the Slavemaster asks. “You’ll have to pardon my curiosity, but you are the first person I’ve ever met who actually wanted to go into one. Other than Dmon-Li’s priesthood that is.”
James gazes at the Slavemaster and gauges just how much to tell him. “Can you help us gain entry?” he asks.
“Possibly,” he replies. “You see, I’m the only one that I know of who was ever a slave within the temple and escaped. But that was some time ago, when I was a younger man.”
“The one here in Zixtyn?” James asks hopefully.
The Slavemaster shrugs, obviously unwilling to give him that much information about himself. “So why do you wish to gain entry into the temple here in Zixtyn? I assure you, what you tell me will not find its way out of here.”
Deciding to trust to fate, he says, “A friend has been taken to Ith-Zirul. We know there’s a way that the temples, or at least some of them, are connected through magical transportation devices.”
The Slavemaster shakes his head, “Friend, what you plan is nothing short of folly.”
“Be that as it may, that is what we plan to do,” he insists. “Can you help us?”
“Even should you gain the temple and reach the transportation device, you wouldn’t be able to use it,” he asserts.
“Then you know of it?” asks James hopefully.
“Yes,” he says. “I know of it.”
“Can you tell me how it works?” he asks.
“You mean to tell me that you planned to break into the temple and didn’t even know how it worked?” he asks incredulously.
“I have an idea,” replies James defensively.
“You need more than that if you expect to get to Ith-Zirul,” the Slavemaster tells him. “They won’t work for just anyone, you need a key.”
“I have one of those already,” explains James.
“Oh?” he asks. “How would you have gained such an item?”
James then gives him a very brief rundown of finding the medallion in the temple outside of Kern. “I know it activates the dais,” he states. “I’m just not sure how to make it take me to where I want it to.”
“Fascinating,” the Slavemaster says after several seconds of digesting what James had told him. “As to how to make it work, I don’t know that part of it.” When James gets a disappointed look, he raises his hand and says, “That’s not to say what I do know won’t help.”
“Such as?” prompts James.
“You see, each of these keys is set to take you to two different places on their own,” he explains. “I’m sure there’s a way in which to have them take you to specific temples, but I have never been privy to that information.”
“Now, if you are in the home temple of the key, which in this case would be the temple near Kern where you found it, then the teleportation dais will take you automatically to Ith-Zirul. And if you are at Ith-Zirul it will return you to the key’s home temple.”
“But what if you are at another temple?” he asks.
“I believe it will take you automatically to Ith-Zirul,” he says. “And then from there would return you to the key’s home temple.”
James remains silent after the Slavemaster finishes speaking. He remembers the time under the sand at Baerustin when during their fight, he and Jiron had stumbled upon the teleportation dais there and ended up at another place. That other place was cold and had strange little creatures with claws sharper than razors. He recalls the voice in his head that said, ‘You have come, mage.’ They must have been in the High Temple! Only they didn’t realize it at the time. When he and Jiron had fled the place and returned to the dais, it had taken them to the temple near Kern. It all makes sense now.
“Now all there is to do is for us to reach the dais within the temple here in Zixtyn,” James says.
The Slavemaster nods. “That won’t be as easy as you think,” he says. “For one thing, the dais is in a secret room in the lowest level of the temple. None but those in the inner circle are allowed there. It’s unlikely you would reach it before being discovered.”
“Could you give me some idea the best way to get to it?” James asks. “Despite the risks we must make the attempt.”
“Yes,” he says. “I can have a diagram made for you that would show the quickest route to the room you have to reach.”
“That would be great,” James says.
“You might wish to make the attempt two nights from now however,” the Slavemaster says.
James looks at him curiously. “Why?”
“In two nights is the dark of the moon,” he explains. “Every temple performs special rites to Dmon-Li when the moon is black. It’s considered holy to them.”
“Killian’s shroud blinds the giant’s eye,” he murmurs.
The Slavemaster hears him and nods. “Yes that’s what some call that time of the month.” When he sees that James is lost in thought, he adds, “The priests will all be in attendance in the sanctum before the altar. However that’s not to say the halls of the temple will be empty. They have over a score of temple guards that will be roaming the grounds, even within the temple itself. You’ll have to somehow get through them without alerting the rest of the temple to your presence. I’ve heard stories of your prowess, but I doubt even you would prevail against a temple’s worth of priests all working in conjunction to kill you.”
“Probably not,” agrees James.
Just then, the young man enters through the archway and whispers something in the Slavemaster’s ear. Nodding the Slavemaster says something to the young man who then leaves the room. “Seems your friends have followed you,” he says.
“Did they?” James asks innocently.
The Slavemaster isn’t fooled. “Don’t worry,” he says. “They’ve been taken care of.”
“What does that mean?” asks James.
“They won’t be bothering us here,” replies the Slavemaster.
