sounded frightened.
“I will go to the Temple District and find him immediately,” said Broin. “Do you know what temple he and Maybell would have gone to?”
“Ayliazarah,” Gewey answered. Broin nodded and flew out the door.
“What does it say?” Kaylia asked anxiously.
Gewey handed her the letter. His own name was written just above the broken seal.
It was signed ‘
“I will go with you,” Kaylia said firmly.
At first Gewey was going to tell her he didn’t want to put her in danger, but one look at her face told him there would be no argument.
“The rest of you must stay here,” he said. Gales of protest came from the rest of the group, but Gewey was determined. “We can’t all be in the same place if this turns out to be a trap. The rest must stay here until I return.”
“Do you plan to wait for Lee?” Dina asked.
“For as long as I can,” he replied. “But if he is not back in time, I must go without him.”
Gewey went upstairs and retrieved the sword Broin had given him and drew it. The blade sang as it slid from its scabbard. He stared at it for a long moment, and then sheathed it again.
“I hope you won’t need it,” Kaylia said from the doorway. “But all the same, it is good to be prepared.” She tapped her finger on the hilt of her long knife and smiled wickedly.
Chapter 23
It took the carriage thirty minutes to get to the Temple District. Lee had the box wrapped and stuffed inside a cloth sack. He hoped the Sister they were going to see would be able to help, but he wasn’t optimistic. Maybell, on the other hand, was excited to see the woman, and told Lee many times along the way about her unparalleled knowledge in lore.
“She is by far the most learned Sister in the order,” she said. “If anyone can help us, it’s her.”
“No doubt,” said Lee, smiling patiently. “And I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”
“We were novices together,” she told him for the fifth time. “And best friends.” Maybell had the excited look of a young girl seeing a temple for the first time. The carriage stopped in front of the Temple of Ayliazarah, and Angus hopped down and opened the door.
“We may be quite a while,” said Lee. “Feel free to leave. I’m sure you have other things that you’d rather be doing.” He reached in his pocket and tossed Angus a silver.
Angus looked at the coin as if Lee had insulted him, and then passed it to the driver, who was more than happy to accept. “My instructions are to be at your disposal,” he said. “I shall be here when you are ready to leave.”
Lee could barely contain his laughter. He bowed to the man and walked Maybell up the stairs to the temple.
The interior looked much like the temple in Kaltinor, except that smaller statues of the other eight gods surrounded the large statue of Ayliazarah in the center of the entrance hall. In the corners of the hall, several plush chairs were set up in small circles, and a short brass table with a thick a glass top stood in the middle. At least a dozen novices buzzed about their business, and nearly all of the chairs were filled with men and women reading and talking.
Maybell stopped a passing monk. “Is Sister Ruthisa here?” she asked him.
“She would most likely be in the archives,” he answered courteously. “Do you need directions?”
Maybell smiled. “No, thank you, brother; I know the way.”
Maybell led Lee up a flight of stairs and down a narrow hall to a marked door. Inside, tall shelves lined the room, filled with hundreds upon hundreds of ancient-looking books.
“Ruthy,” Maybell called as she poked her head down each row of shelves.
“Here,” an old woman responded, exiting one of the rows at the far end of the room.
Though Maybell had told Lee that she and the Sister were the same age, the woman he saw looked much older. She wore light blue and white robes, and her silver hair was wrapped in a thin silk scarf.
She was bent with age, and her stride was little more than a slow shuffle. In her arms, she held a thick leather book that was nearly half as big as she was. She looked up though a pair of thick spectacles and smiled widely
“My word,” said Ruthy, feigning irritation. “I thought you’d forgotten about me, you witch!”
“Don’t just stand there,” Maybell chided Lee. “Help her with that large and probably very boring book.”
Lee suddenly felt like a guilty child, and he rushed to take the book from Ruthy’s arms.
Ruthy looked at him firmly. “Don’t let that old hag boss you around,” she scolded him. “The day I can’t carry a bloody book on my own, I’ll just go ahead and die.”
The two women burst out laughing as Lee stood there, unsure of what to do. Ruthy handed him the book, then went over to embrace Maybell.
“By the Gods, it’s good to see you,” Maybell said. Tears began streaming down her cheeks.
Ruthy stood back with her arms extended, still holding Maybell. “I’m so happy to see you, Bell. We heard about Kaltinor. I was afraid that demon of a woman might have done you in.”
“She wishes she had,” Maybell replied. “But alas, I live to fight another day.”
“Will you be staying?” Ruthy asked hopefully.
“Not quite yet,” she answered. “I’m only here until tomorrow. I have something for you see, though.”
Lee removed the box and handed it to Maybell. Ruthy’s eyes went wide as Maybell held it out.
“How did you get your hands on this?” she asked in a whisper. She trembled as she took the box and slowly ran her hands across the lid. “Do you know what this is?”
Maybell nodded. “The Book of Souls.”
“Quite right,” Ruthy replied as she traced the elven letters with her finger. “I assume you have been unable to open it?”
“That’s why we’re here,” Maybell explained.
“And here I thought you had come to see me,” she teased.
“Don’t be cute,” said Maybell.
Ruthy grinned mischievously. “This is better than a visit. Besides, you promised me you’d retire here, and it certainly doesn’t look like you’re ready just yet.”
“Not quite,” she replied. “Can you help us?”
“To open the Book of Souls? Not a chance. It can only be opened by one with the power of heaven, or so the legends say. The elves kept it for centuries, but that part you probably know. It was stolen in the Great War, and was thought to be lost forever.”
“What is it, exactly?” Lee asked.
“It’s the very words written by the Gods, is what it is,” she replied as she turned the box over and over, examining every detail. “In their own hand. It is said that if a being with the power of heaven were to read from its pages, creation itself could be undone.”
“No wonder the elves protected it,” Lee said in awe. “Such a thing in the wrong hands could doom the world.”
“Indeed,” Ruthy agreed. “But I don’t think there’s much danger of that. Even if someone who possessed it intended to destroy the world, they wouldn’t be able to get it open. The box itself is indestructible.”
“I’ve found that out the hard way,” Lee admitted.
