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The Hidden Relic

James Maxwell
Chapters (75)
  1. Map
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
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  20. 18
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  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
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  48. 46
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  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
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  55. 53
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  75. Epilogue

THE HIDDEN RELIC

By James Maxwell

Copyright James Maxwell 2012.

All rights to this novel are reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the copyright holder. The characters and situations are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Cover design by Marc Forbes.

Map

Map

Prologue

Prologue

EVRIN Evenstar had given Killian a quest, and now he must see to his own vital task. If Killian succeeded in destroying Stonewater's magical machines: the harvesting plant, the extraction system, and the refinery; Evrin must work to ensure that the greatest relic of all remained hidden.

Evrin followed Killian with his eyes until the younger man disappeared from view, vanishing along the pilgrim's trail, heading for Stonewater's heart.

Evrin had done his best: he'd imbued Killian with as much power as he could, considering the young man's lack of knowledge about the runes, and armed him with the destructive cubes. The boy's fate was now out of his hands.

Yet he couldn't help worrying. Killian would face perils within Stonewater, and Evrin wished he could help more. He wished the young man good fortune, and prayed they would soon be reunited at the appointed place, the sky temple in Salvation.

The old man rubbed at his eyes, looking up the mountain, his gaze finally resting on his destination — the very summit of Stonewater, the place they called the Pinnacle.

Evrin began to climb, his joints creaking as he placed one foot in front of the other, and the path became steeper. Soon, Evrin knew, there would be a fork in the path. The left fork led to the work rooms of the senior priests and templars. It was the right fork Evrin was interested in.

Taking a series of winding stairs, Evrin paused for breath, leaning on the stone wall for support. He could remember a time when the scenes carved into the stone were fresh and crisp, and the steps sturdy and new. Now each step was cracked and worn, and he could barely make out the whorls and lines that had once created an image on the wall.

What was it a picture of? Surely he had once known.

As he waited for his strength to return, Evrin looked out at the vista below. The wind buffeted him, and he again grabbed at the stone for support. He was high, so high that even the buildings of Salvation were tiny, the people like little ants.

Evrin thought of the Primate. What it must do, for a man's sense of hubris, living up here at the top of this mountain.