“Well,” I said, “maybe with a few fresh pairs of eyes, we’ll be able to find something you overlooked.”
“A pair of sober eyes, you mean,” Isu muttered. “This weed-addled fool knows nothing. We already intended to venture to the fountain.”
“We never knew about a temple, though,” I said. “Cranton, how about you take us down there?”
I doubted he’d be much of a guide, but leaving him to walk the streets alone might not be the best idea tonight. His thuggish acquaintance might be waiting for such a moment to get his revenge.
We left the One-Eyed Ogre and made our way across Erst to the fountain, the zombie Resplendent Crusaders trailing along behind us. The crowds had disappeared almost completely now, as most people had either passed out somewhere or had gone home.
We found the fountain at the lonely center of a square, with only a few stumbling drunks keeping it company. It was a large, impressive piece of architecture. Multiple jets of water gushed from sculptures of stylized fish, mermaids, and mermen. One merman was wearing a breastplate, and carved into it. was the unmistakable image of Xayon’s tornado symbol.
“I told you I knew that symbol,” Elyse said.
“Man,” Cranton said, his bony shoulders hunched over, “I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent staring at this damn fountain. Even with the help of a good lungful of greenfoil, I haven’t been able to figure out the secret entrance.” His eyebrows suddenly lifted, and a goofy grin appeared on his face. “Hey, I have an idea.”
Isu glared at him. “All those hours, and suddenly you have an idea tonight?”
“I just never had any friends with me.”
“Let’s hear it,” I said.
“What if we all sat around the fountain and just smoked, like, a wagon-load of greenfoil? I know someone who’d still be up at this hour. We could go see him, get as much greenfoil as we can carry, and bring it back here. Another guy I know has a pipe as big as this fountain. Might be able to cart it down here and get to smoking. I figure this puzzle can’t stand against this amount of smoke-powered brainmass. Then, of course, maybe we could, uh, split the bill, and—”
“Somehow, Cranton,” I said, “I think sober minds might be better at solving this problem.”
We all walked slowly around the fountain for quite some time, scanning the surfaces one by one and investigating every little detail. Nothing seemed to pop out, though, and as dawn crawled closer, we became increasingly weary and frustrated.
Elyse slumped against the fountain while Rami sat cross-legged in front of it, staring at Xayon’s symbol on the merman. Isu contented herself with scowling a good 10 yards away, obviously uninterested in the quest. Plumes of smoke drifted through the air as Cranton sought inspiration from his pipe.
Dawn’s light wasn’t far from the horizon. We only had a few more hours until morning came and the square was filled with people.
I was at the end of my rope. And the only person who might shed some light on the mystery was halfway to the stars by now.
“Cranton,” I said as I waved the smoke away from my face, “you probably know more about this fountain and the square around it than anyone. Is there anything else nearby that’s as old as the fountain? Something that may have been built around the same time?”
“Well… yeah man, there is one thing. But I don’t think it’ll help.”
“Show me anyway.”
“This way, brother.” He gestured for me to follow.
A green cloud divided us as we walked across the now-deserted cobbled square, until Cranton stopped in front of a bronze statue of the Lord of Light. It was sculpted in a pompous style, depicting the Lord of Light standing in a triumphant pose and gazing out over the square.
“This is the oldest statue of the Lord of Light in Erst,” said Cranton. “It was built at the same time as the fountain.”
The statue’s eyes seemed to be looking right at the fountain. The Lord of Light was holding a bow, as he was often depicted, and on his back was a quiver of arrows.
I climbed up onto the statue’s plinth and started investigating. Triumph surged through me when I saw that one of the arrows in the quiver had a tiny carving of Xayon’s wind symbol on it.
I felt the bronze arrows in the quiver and discovered that the one with Xayon’s symbol on it was loose.
“I think I’ve found something,” I said.
I pulled on the arrow and, despite some initial resistance, it started to come out of the quiver. It felt as if it was attached to a spring, and I kept pulling until I heard a click come from somewhere inside the statue.
Things suddenly went quiet.
“Did you do something?” Elyse called out. “The water in the fountain has stopped flowing.”
The ground beneath my feet began to rumble.
“Lord’s Brightness,” Cranton said. “Vance, man, you did it!”
I jumped off the statue, and we raced back to the fountain. The water was quickly receding through a hole in the bottom.
“Remarkable,” Elyse said. “Absolutely remarkable. I’ve never seen this fountain run dry. Not during hot summers or city-wide cutbacks, never.”
Rami had gotten to her feet and smiled. Even Isu had approached the fountain to watch.
When it was finally empty of water, the ground shook again, and a large slab of stone slowly slid open in the bottom. Steps led down from the secret doorway into inky darkness.
Rami dropped to her knees and whispered a quick prayer to Xayon.
“This must be the lost temple of legend,” she said, awestruck. “I always heard rumors of its existence, but
