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Back The Hidden Relic Save as PDF
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
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  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
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. Epilogue

"Listen to me!" Evrin tried to shout, as loud as he could. "You don't know what you are dealing with. You would visit on the world a horror greater than you can imagine."

"The Lord of the Night is our god," the leader of the Akari said. "We are his chosen people. Perhaps you are afraid, old man, but for me there is nothing to fear."

68

68

DAIN Barden looked at the pool of essence, the thoughts spinning in his mind. There was no way across. To touch the essence would be to die the most painful death imaginable. Yet what if he only had this one chance? The old man was powerful, whoever he was. If Barden left this place, he doubted he would be able to return.

"I do not wish to die here," the Dain said. Then it came to him. "You," he pointed at the revenant, "remove the seals."

Moving laboriously, the revenant began to crawl forward, using its hands and elbows to pull itself forward. It hauled itself over the wall and with a splash it landed in the pool of essence.

The Dain released his breath when he saw his guess proven correct. The substance couldn't harm a creature that was already dead. Dragging itself along, worming and wriggling through the oily black liquid that trickled over its body as it moved, the draug clambered towards the oval mirror and the three seals that kept the portal closed.

Barden focussed his gaze on the old man as he picked himself up. "If you had any more tricks you would have used them, but," he walked over until he stood in front of the old man, looming over him, "not a word, even so."

Evrin looked up at the Dain.

"Not a word!" Barden said.

The revenant reached the platform of stone steps that jutted from the pool and clambered up to the oval mirror. With a swipe of its arm it knocked away the seal on the left. A second swipe took the seal on the right. Only the third seal on the bottom remained. The silver surface of the portal shifted colour, now tinged with gold.

"Soluara-sonur!" Evrin called out.

The final seal lit up with a flare of heat, bathing the room in red. The revenant began to smoke and burn, finally falling back into the pool, its body destroyed while it was still short of its goal. Evrin closed his eyes.

The last seal was still intact.

Enraged, Dain Barden reached down and grabbed Evrin by the throat, lifting him up high. Evrin barely struggled as the Akari began to squeeze.

A shadow moved. Water dripped to the floor.

Something smashed into the Dain's armoured body with the strength of iron, hitting so hard that it punched through the leather, and he felt the snap of at least three of his ribs as they broke with the single blow.