When Ayg could no longer sense the riders, Renier continued his trek. 'Child, continue to practice your walking meditation,' she reminded him as he set off again.
About ten days after leaving Sarmalius, he reached Hisn-Mansur, found an Inn, and booked a room. Ayg had not detected any pursuers in the last fifty kilometers, and he thought it would take him two more days at most to reach the plateau where the temple was hidden. He could see the journey was almost over. The cat-and-mouse game he had played with the Ebon Specters the past few nights had worn him down. So, in the relative safety of the Inn, he was musing about sleeping on a bed and resting the whole night when the sunset call to prayer sounded, and he automatically went to wash and then to the prayer mat. "… Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah, " he said, finishing the prayer and then went downstairs for the evening meal.
Renier was sitting by himself at a table, eating the Kavurma stew they served that evening, lost in his thought when Ayg spoke, 'Three men are sitting at a table behind you. They are not tainted, but their Mu energy is fluctuating. It may be nothing, or it may be trouble. Be alert.' Renier didn't look up and concentrated on quickly finishing the stew.
He got up to leave, turned to see their faces, saw them eagerly eying him, and then they nervously looked away. 'They definitely want something with me,' he said to Ayg.
As he climbed the stairs, a chill came over Renier, and something snapped. It was the unfairness of it. Every time he felt safe, someone came and took it from him. Every time he looked forward to rest, something happened. Every time…
When he returned to his room, he put on his armor, strapped the sword and dagger, packed the provisions he had bought that day in his satchel, filled the waterskin with a pitcher of water, blew out the candles, and sat on the mat to wait. Cold, calculating, and calm. 'Serene Ayg, could you tell me when they are coming up, please?' he asked. Certain that it would not be long.
'They're coming now,' alerted Ayg. Renier got up, unsheathed his sword, and waited beside the door. As the thieves tried to open the door, he took his ready stance. When the first man entered, he put the sword tip on his neck. "Move, and you die!" The thief quickly stepped back and tried to parry, but Renier didn't flinch and thrust, piercing his jugular to the base of his skull. As the body fell, the two accomplices were already moving forward. Renier slashed, but it was blocked. He stepped back and ducked as a blade sought his head, his sword spinning in a tight arc, deflecting the other attacker’s blow on his right. He moved with fluidity, each motion a calculated dance he had practiced many times. His movements weren’t rushed, his expression unchanging even as his blade delivered calculated blows.
The thief on the right took an extra step to the side and left an opening. Renier, without hesitation, stepped, thrust, and pierced his lung. The last man turned as if to flee. Renier snagged his foot, tripped him, and, using the forward momentum, stabbed him as he fell. As the man lay there bleeding, disbelieve in his eyes, Renier put the tip of the sword on his groin, "Tell me who sent you?" but it was too late, and the thief died in silence.
Renier turned, cleaned his sword with the bed sheet, sheathed it, opened the window, and climbed out. He walked calmly out of the city, staying in the shadows, trying not to attract attention. An hour later, he had found a thicket on the outskirts of town and laid out his bedroll to rest. 'Serene Ayg, thank you!' tears rolled down his cheeks.
Two days later, he was lying on a hill overlooking a valley about 3 kilometers wide that led to the imposing plateau where the temple was located, planning on how to get through. Ayg had detected about thirty Ebon in the valley, and he could see a few of them stationed at the base of the cliff, waiting. 'Serene Ayg, I don't think I can get through. Maybe it would be best if I went around, climbed to the plateau on the other side, and then dropped down to the cave,' Renier commented, unsure what to do. 'Child, I can sense them all around the plateau; there is no other way,' Ayg answered in the exasperated tone of a parent explaining something obvious. 'Meditate until sundown, then in cover of darkness, cross the valley and climb to the entrance. I will mask your Mu as much as possible, a couple of meters at most,' she continued, repeating the plan a second time. 'You just need to move without making sounds.'
By now, Renier didn't actually have to meditate; the breathing pattern engrained into him and the mantra constantly repeating in his head like a song he couldn't forget. Nevertheless, he sat behind a tree in the padmasana position and closed his eyes.
Renier's eyes flickered open, his breathing steady and controlled, and he began his descent, each step calculated. His feet pressed lightly against the grass as he crept down the hill, eyes darting, looking for any hint of movement. He slipped into the concealment of a dense thicket and waited, straining his senses. Hearing nothing, in deliberate, slow motion, he advanced through the foliage, utilizing the underbrush and trees as a shield. He would pause, merging with the tree trunks, then melt back into the moving shadows.
A swift wind swept through the valley, parting the veil of branches for a mere second, revealing Renier's eyes—illuminated by the speck of moonlight that managed to permeate the thick cloud cover. His heart slammed in his chest as the whispers of cloaks grazing against the undergrowth reached him from a mere stone's throw away. 'Stay still. He can't see you,' said Ayg.
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He sank lower, trying to become one with the shadowy foliage, and suppressed his breathing. He saw the shadow of an Ebon Spector as it paused, a shade darker than night, seemingly gazing directly into his concealed form. Long moments languished between pulse and pulse. The Specter’s head tilted slightly as if tasting the trepidation hanging in the air before ultimately retracting into the shroud of shadows from whence it came.
Renier dared not release the breath held captive in his lungs until the eerie calm resettled over the valley. Then, emerging from his leafy refuge, he continued towards the cliff.
Renier’s slender fingers clutched at the vines, hoisting his frame with ease. 'Move, child, they've spotted you!' warned Ayg.
The eerie calm was shattered by a guttural command from below, and almost instantaneously, shadows detached from the inky blackness, ascending with an unnerving speed and agility.
With newfound urgency, Renier thrust himself upwards, limbs rebelling against fatigue. The vines beneath his fingers became slick with a sheen of anxious perspiration. Behind him, the Ebon pounced upon the vines, their ascent echoing with a silent, deadly intent. The distance between them dwindled.
Renier's muscles ached, his ascent increasingly driven more by sheer will than physical strength. Below, the Ebon Spectors were shadows melding with darkness, climbing with an unearthly, predatory grace.
A sharp whistle sliced through the night, narrowly preceding the thud of an arrow embedding itself into the rock beside him. Adrenaline surged through his veins, erasing fatigue and replacing it with a raw, vital urgency.
He moved, nimble yet precise, even as a second arrow took flight, seeking his flesh. This time, Renier was not entirely fortunate. The arrowhead scraped his shoulder, leather armor absorbing the brunt of the impact, but not all. Pain erupted, hot and searing, yet his grip remained steadfast.
However, the shock of the strike sent a jolt through his frame, fingers betraying him for a critical moment, and Renier plummeted downwards.
In those frenzied moments of freefall, Renier’s world was a blur of terror and wind. Yet, as quickly as it started, it ended. A fortuitous outcrop of rock, jutting from the cliff’s face, halted his descent with a brutal, jarring stop. Pain screamed through his body, but alive, Renier clung to the rock, a pitiful mass of pain and relief.
Below, the Ebon paused, momentarily losing sight of him. 'Stay still, child. They've lost you,' Ayg instructed. Renier willed himself to become one with the stone, invisible, undetectable. The outcrop indiscernible from below.
A soft murmur of voices curled around the cliff’s jagged face. “Do you see him, Viper?” The guttural voice of Falcon, with a hiss of impatience and authority, cut through the night.
“No, Leader. There is nothing above,” responded Viper, with an undercurrent of fear beneath the steady words. After a pause with palpable tension, “He is but a boy. Surely, he could not have survived such a fall,” she added.
“Aye, but this boy evaded us through the valley and climbed halfway to the heavens before we even sensed him,” Mirage interjected, uneasy respect coiling through the murmured agreement. “If the darkness has swallowed him, we should verify it with our own eyes,” he warned.
Silence lingered, and then reluctantly, Falcon spoke again. “Descend. Seek his broken form amidst the roots and rocks. But be swift, for if he lives, we cannot allow him to reach his goal.”
Shadows shifted, retracting from the lofty cliff as the Ebon Spectors descended, their forms becoming one with the darkness that enveloped the valley below.
'Move quickly, child. Before they discover you did not fall. We can use the talisman to heal you once you're in the labyrinth.
Renier’s limbs, now a chorus of aches and resistance, somehow found strength, propelling him upward through the oppressive dark. Hand over hand, foot over foot, he scaled the cliff with a quiet, dogged determination, his thoughts tethered solely to the distant cave that promised refuge.
After what seemed like an eternity, his hand grasped a familiar edge, a slight, knowing smile ghosting across his exhausted features. Renier hauled himself upwards, fatigue gnawing at his every movement, yet still, he persevered.
The dark cave he had entered countless times with Ayg in the Veil of Somnus greeted him like an old friend. Renier stumbled forward, the talisman pulling him to his destination.
Etched into the stone floor, a large circle, roughly three meters in diameter, declared its presence amidst the earthy tones of the cave’s interior. Its center was inscribed with a rune, meticulously carved with almost obsessive precision, glowing faintly with an indigo hue, subtle yet undeniably potent.
It was framed by a square that had lotus leaves-like patterns jutting from behind it. The leaves were encircled by diamond shapes, which were themselves encircled by complex swirls.
'Touch the talisman to the Daleth rune, and the labyrinth will open,' advised Ayg. The door at the back of the cave opened to reveal a tunnel that seemed without end.
The door closed behind him as he entered the eerily illuminated passage. 'You can recuperate here before entering the first room. Let me teach you the healing skill,' said Ayg. 'Close your eyes, and I'll show you an image. The healing skill is called Astralmend, and its rune is Raphbeth. The mandala pattern looks like this. Concentrate on the pattern and will it into the talisman.'
A mandala pattern appeared in front of Renier, and a man stood underneath it. His hands began to move. He raised one hand, fingers together, upright above his head. 'That is the mudra to guide the intent.' explained Ayg. His other hand traced a circle around it, eyes closing in concentration. 'The circle symbolizes the head or beginning and helps draw in focused, restorative Mu energy.'
A gentle, warm light began to emanate from the healer’s hands, casting a soft glow. The energy undulated gently in response to the slow, deliberate movement of his hands.
Then he extended his right hand forward, palm facing upward. The other hand, fingers together and pointed downward, hovers above it, forming a roof-like shape. 'The second part represents shelter,' commented Ayg.
The healing light intensified as the man whispered, "Raphbeth," emphasizing his intent. Then he folded his hands together, fingers interwinding. 'The last gesture forms ensures the Mu energy is securely anchored,' explained Ayg.
'You do the mudra and rune, and the talisman will shape its Mu energy into the mandala pattern.'
Renier stood. On his third try, an azure glow started to emanate from his right hand and quickly covered his whole body. He started to feel refreshed, his aches and pains disappearing as the drowsiness set in.