It is a golden thread that Elina seeks and her search is pulling her directly to the large crystal pyramid. Feeling a sense of urgency she can’t explain, she moves toward the pyramid and finds it sealed shut. When she places a hand on the cold stone, she feels a weak stuttering heartbeat inside. Swiftly moving through the outside stone, she is pulled through following the heartbeat. Once inside, she pays no heed to the grandeur of the tomb. The tunnel is lit by whale oil lamps, shining to light the way for eternity. Ignoring the bodies of those who litter the floor, she follows the stuttering heartbeat straight into the center of the pyramid and a huge open chamber.
As she walks from the tunnel, she looks above her and the night sky is represented in gemstones embedded in the ceiling above. A bronze map of China sits below the ceiling covering the entire floor. Like a serpent moving through the land, a liquid silver sea flows swirling its way around, cutting through the map.
Speechless, Elina looks around the enormous tomb and sees a beautiful bronze mausoleum, the resting place of an Emperor. Confused but alert, she carefully makes her way through the bronze sculptures, only to find the heartbeat fades. Pausing, she listens and finds it once more. Turning, she leaves the main room and follows the drumbeat of the heart calling to her. She follows it deeper into a room full of stone warriors all silent and frozen in time. They are ready for battle awaiting the Emperor’s call.
The heartbeat is stronger now, and she hears a child weeping. Rushing through the stone warriors, she finds the spirit of a young girl her hands over her ears, huddled behind a warrior. Seeing the terrified child, Elina is surprised to see a golden thread and strong aura around the girl. Just before she reaches her, the girl looks, up her beautiful face tear streaked, and scrambles back away from Elina. She can’t be more than eight years old, Elina thinks as she kneels on the floor.
“It’s going to be okay, you are safe now,” she tells the girl in fluent Chinese. She jumps up running towards Elina, flinging her arms around her shoulders. She sobs clinging to Elina.
“I couldn’t go home. The mean man blocked me,” she sobs out.
Elina comforts her by stroking her blue black hair, and she asks her, “What’s your name?” As she starts to feel safe, she loosens her grip on Elina.
“I am called Maeling” she says with a shaky smile and sets the child away from her.
“How old are you, Maeling and how did you end up here?”
Ashamed she hides her eyes from Elina’s; she says with a quivering chin, “I am six years old. I sneaked inside to watch the dancing. They said it was to be a celebration of the completion of the tomb, but the guards locked everyone inside. The screaming started, and then fighting and everyone died! The mean man said you would come, but I didn’t believe him.” The child begins to cry again.
“I want to go home. Why can’t I get out?” Maeling asks. Elina comforts the child and feels sick to her stomach. Someone used this child to lure her here.
“I am a Watcher too, like you.” Elina tells her “I can help you get home but I need some help, too. Have you seen where the scrolls are kept?”
With her dark watchful eyes, Maeling looks at Elina and says, “The special ones are kept in the mausoleum with the emperor. The rest are in the scroll room two levels up,” she says pointing down a narrow tunnel.
“Thank you” Elina responds. “Maeling, when you get home, I want you to tell your family that the bad ones can track us by our threads. You must not watch until you can shield your thread. Okay?” Sensing the seriousness, Maeling nods her head.
“Good, now I want you to close your eyes and picture your family waiting for you. Now look at your room, see your body and imagine your foot moving; very good. Now imagine your hands lifting. Hold that thought and you will be back.” With a gentle push, Elina smiles as the child fades and returns home, “Thank you,” Elina hears in her mind. As she smiles, she runs back towards the main hall where the Emperor is buried.
To get back to the resting place of the Emperor she has to make her way down a bronze road paralleled by the quicksilver rivers. Slowly she edges through, feeling unsure; she arrives at the bronze coffin and finds nothing. That’s when she hears it, the sound of soldiers marching. She turns around sees she is now surrounded on all sides by the terra cotta army. They hold various weapons, bows, long swords, and spears, all pointing directly at her. They all smile as they say in harmony, “We have been waiting for you, Keeper.”
“Time to go,” Elina thinks and tries to port out only to find she can’t! With her back to the bronze casket and the quicksilver river on each side, she looks for a way out. When she hears metal scrape on stone, she turns towards the sound. Advancing slowly towards her is a demon more deadly than any Elina has ever faced.
A terrifying son on the One, hovers just above the floor, dragging two long silver swords on the concrete floor. His long, black hair covers his face shielding his piercing, silver eyes. He is wearing a floor length wrap around his waist and his skin is ebony, almost blue black. His ribs can be seen easily through his skin, and in each muscular hand he holds a long, silver sword. Silver boots can be seen on his feet as he glides slowly towards her and matching silver gauntlets cover each hand.
Without a sound, he
