CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
She'd left Michael with the intention of resting, but her curiosity was too much, especially in consideration of all that had transpired. And of course in conjunction with Michael's revelation — she couldn't fathom having powers. There had been so many things throughout her life that had made her feel less than normal, but she couldn't conceive of what he'd described. Yet, she was hardly in a position to argue that what he'd said couldn't be possible. After all, her father had done what he had for a reason.
'How far is the Saeculum?'
Duncan, who'd met her in Michael's doorway as she was leaving, took a moment before answering. It seemed as though it had been awhile since he'd been there himself. 'Not too far. An hour's ride or so.'
He scratched his beard, his brows furrowed. 'I chose to bite my tongue in Michael's presence, but if this ever happens again, I won't leave your scolding to him — I'll personally make sure that you understand the consequences of your actions. Many died in Eidolon to bring you back here safely. I know you care about Sara, but being whose daughter and sister you are, you must realize your actions have more weight than before. You may not consider it much to risk your life, but it means everything to Michael. And to me.' He reached over, and pulled her to him.
'I'm sorry Duncan,' she whispered.
He patted her back roughly with his hand, and then released her. Taking her by the shoulders, he leaned down to face her eye to eye. 'I heard a rumor that you defeated a few of their men before being apprehended. Is this true?'
'Eight or nine? I wasn't really in a position to keep count.' She rubbed her shoulder where Aiden's blade had pierced her, the memory lingered still.
'Nine?' He laughed. 'That shouldn't surprise me. I'll give you this, you're brave. I have had grown Adorians twice your size cower in their boots at the sheer thought of going anywhere near Eidolon, and you ran off alone in the night to walk right into it. Did you see her? Was she still alive?'
'Yes. She's one of the breeders, as you said she might be.'
He tilted his head to the side, his hands shoved into his coat pockets as they walked down the corridor. 'So, you saw her in the outer courts.'
She knew without asking where this conversation was going. 'I followed them into observance. You didn't think I would go there unprepared to find her did you?' His eyes grew wide, as she expected. 'I'm too tired to go over all of this again, do we have to talk about it right now?'
'No. You don't really want company today do you?'
She paused before answering. She felt guilty considering all that he had gone through for her sake.
'It's alright. You aren't going to hurt my feelings. We have been constantly by your side since you arrived here. I will tell you how to get there, just make sure you take Koen with you, please. Give an old Adorian some peace of mind at least.'
She leaned down to pet him. 'Of course, I'd be lost without him.'
Duncan smiled and began to give her directions.
As she ventured beyond Cyphrus, out into the countryside, she thought of her conversation with Michael. Why would her father have asked her brother if he recalled the way to the Saeculum, had it not had a purpose? As soon as Michael had said the words, she immediately wanted to see it for herself.
She'd been riding almost an hour, when she saw the thick overgrowth on the rocks ahead as Duncan had described. At first she decided that she'd in fact stopped in the wrong place, but something caught her eye. Beneath the vines and foliage, she saw what looked like stone.
It was a stairwell, twined with ivy and twisting root. It lay beneath years of detritus. She pulled at the vines and after awhile she found that the stairs led to the mouth of a hall. She looked back at Koen.
'Well, I suppose this is it, are you coming?'
Koen stayed frozen in place near the horse.
'Koen, you coward! Fine, suit yourself. They'll come after you if something eats me in here.' Taking a deep breath, she started into the hall.
She'd gone several yards into the darkness when Duncan's assurance of Aurora stones was made good. Except this time, they weren't randomly scattered about, they were gathered in groups and held in bowls carved from ordinary stone.
She continued further, running her hands along the walls as they led her deep into the ground, finding that it was nothing like she'd expected. The hall evolved into a complicated series of columned corridors.
The light from the stones became so intense it was as though it were daylight. Looking around, she found herself amazed that there were no signs of the years that had to have passed since anyone had been there. There were no spider webs, and just the lightest covering of dust upon the floor. Just like it had been in Arcadia.
Its beauty took her breath away. She'd already been told by Bronach that the Saeculum preceded Adorian record and she could see where their ancestry had been born. How could Michael have left out how indescribable it was? The deeper she progressed, the more ornate everything became. Sculptures stood esoteric along the length of the halls.
The immortals. Their eyes pierced her with the knowledge of things that she could scarcely dream of. She could feel it in her blood. The main throughway that she was following led finally to a dead end. A large wooden door with intricate carvings stood before her.
After trying the door and discovering it to still be locked, she looked for a keyhole and found none. She considered going down another hall, that maybe this wasn't the door Michael had been referring to, but as she ran her fingers over the roughness of the wood, she came to a shape she recognized.
She pulled the key from her cloak pocket.
'Is this what you intended?' She placed the key flat against the door and slipped it into place, where it appeared to merge with the wood. The door moved and resonated with what sounded like pins falling into place from a large lock. She lifted the handle and began to leverage her weight against it. Moving smoothly, the door opened to reveal an immense room. As she walked farther in, she realized there was no light beyond the doorway. She reached back, remembering her luck with the stones in the castle and picked up one of them. Without moving any further, she lifted the stone in her hand, shining the light around her.
It started slowly at first. Hundreds of sconces lined the walls. Holding the stones like torches, the sconces stirred to life. Once all of them were lit, she could see the room clearly. It was beyond majestic. It seemed similar in size to where Jareth had taken her, but this was a room that had been soaked in complicated forethought. Everything had detail. The floor was made of carved stone. A perfect circle, it reminded her a little of the sanctuary that she'd seen in Arcadia, yet a thousand times more spectacular.
At the top of the ceiling, words were carved into the border. The characters looked foreign to her at first. She walked out into the center of the room.
'What did you know that you couldn't tell us?' she whispered, thinking of her father. Though she knew what she'd intended to say, it sounded strange to her ears. She froze as she realized that she wasn't speaking either the common tongue or Adorian.
Everything around her began to shift. She turned her gaze toward the ceiling as she tried to regain her bearings. The words started to change shape. When the room stopped spinning and her vision cleared, the formerly unknown words were as known to her as her own flesh.
Her mind couldn't wrap itself around what she'd just read. It was too great, too much for her to comprehend. Could it be? Could they have known — even before mortal man had summoned Ciara into Middengard? Adorian history had given no such illusions, yet here upon the walls of those who breathed before all others — here it was inscribed in stone. Everything was there save one small detail.
Seven. It foretold of seven members of the Laionai, not six as she'd always heard. Jenner himself had spoken of them as six individuals now acting as one collective.
Seven kings of Man will rule in the last days. Darkness, long awaited, will appeal to them and they will open the gates between the realms and death shall pass over all created kind. A sacrifice will be offered — one life for many. A wager will be made against this sacrifice, the outcome of which will depend upon a battle born of blood
