Perhaps it was just imagination, but the darkness seemed thicker as they walked down the other tunnel and the air grew colder. No one needed the other to tell them that this was not normal in a cave, where the temperature supposedly stayed constant. They reached a branch in the tunnel, but no one felt inclined to go left, which might lead them back to the Hall of the Ancients-and the wounded slug.

By now, everyone was experiencing the sense of growing evil Veldahar and Lyuthi had first sensed down this path. Their footsteps slowed, and it was only through force of group will that they continued on.

Jing didn’t like this at all, her tail curling up around her a little. She really wished now that Bast hadn’t brought them to the cave and wished they could just leave.

Lei by now was holding onto Dalit again, looking around a little uneasly.

Lyuthi moved closer to Veldahar and slowly wrapped her arm around his(good) arm. She felt a shiver run down her spine as they continued on. “…Creepy…” She whispered trembling slightly. She did not like this feeling at all.

The tunnel came to an abrupt end. Crumbled stone and rubble lay beneath a hole in the rock wall. The sense of malevolent evil flowing from the darkness beyond the hole could almost be felt, wafting across the flesh like the touch of unseen fingers. The companions stopped, none of them-not even the nerveless jerboa-daring to enter.

“It’s not that I’m afraid,” Silver confided in a whisper to Jing. “It’s just that I’d rather be somewhere else.”

The silence became oppressive. Each could hear his own heart beat and the breathing of the others. The light jittered and wavered in one of the draik’s hands.

“Well, we can’t stay here forever,” Galdrias said hoarsely. “I’ll… go first.” He took the light, and moved to the hole. Veldahar moved forward, after disentangling his arm from Lyuthi’s grasp. “I’ll go with you.”

Jing looked at Silver and nodded “I agree with you there.” She muttered, her tail frizzing out a little to show just how nervous she was, though she tried to smooth out the fur.

“Wh-what?” She said making fists at her sides, she didn’t want to be left alone! Scooting closer to Lei she frowned. “This place is really creeping me out..” She whispered as she tried to hold back from shivering. She really didn’t like Veldahar going ahead but knew he’d just be angry if she protested.

Galdrias entered the hole in the wall, followed by Veldahar. The light revealed a narrow chamber, vanishing into darkness beyond the staff’s reach. On either side were rows of large stone doors, each held in place by huge hinges, spiked directly into the rock wall. This was where the evil was centered.

“There’s carving on the doors,” Veldahar murmured. The flickering flame threw the stone figures into high relief.

Galdrias stared at it. “The Royal Crest!” he said in a strangled voice. “What does that mean?” Veldahar asked, feeling the draik’s fear infect him like a plague.

“These are the crypts of the Royal Guard,” Galdrias whispered. “They are pledged to continue their duties, even in death, and guard the king-so the legends speak.”

“And so the legends come to life!” Veldahar said softly. The draik heard the sound of huge stone blocks shifting, of rusting iron hinges creaking. Turning his head, he saw each of the stone doors begin to swing wide! The hallway filled with a cold so severe that Veldahar felt his fingers go numb. Things moved behind the stone doors.

Lei looked at Lyuthi, smiling a tiny bit. “Don’t worry, I’m sure your friends will be fine.” He said, trying to comfort her before looking towards the hole where he heard the noises.

Jing took a step back as she heard the noise. “Guys? What the hell is going on down there?” She called, giving up on trying to smooth out the fur on her tail now. The place they were in was creeping her out way to much.

“Get back!” Veldahar gasped. He stumbled backwards and reached the entryway, only to find it blocked by two figures. “Run! Who- Grisfam? No, you crazy old man! We’ve got to run! The dead guards-“

“Oh, calm down,” the old ixi muttered. “Young people. Alarmists.” He turned around and helped someone else enter. It was Iris, her white robes gleaming in the light.

“It’s all right,” she called softly. “Look!” She drew aside her cape: the medallion she wore glowed blue. “Grisfam said they would let us pass, if they saw the medallion. And when he said that-it began to glow!”

“No!” Veldahar started to order her back, but Grisfam tapped him on the chest with a long, bony finger. “You’re a good man, Veldahar Dragonkin,” the old mage said softly, “but you worry too much. Now just relax and let us send these poor souls back to their sleep.
Bring the others along, will you?”

Veldahar, too startled for words, fell back as Iris and Grisfam walked past. As Veldahar watched, they walked slowly between the rows of gaping stone doors. Behind each stone door, movement ceased as she passed. Even at that distance, he could feel the sense of malevolent evil slip away.

Jing listened to everything in silence, though when she felt the evil feeling slip away she sighed “Come on.” She muttered before heading into the hole.

Lei didn’t move for the moment, more surprised at what Grisfam had called the gold draik “Veldahar… He is a dragonkin too…?” He muttered quietly. Probably the only ones who heard him were Dalit and Lyuthi since they were close to him.

She didn’t quite get what was going on but when she saw Iris and Grisfam so easily passing through she wanted to go through too. She stopped though and looked to Lei, she believed it. “…I guess so. Are you?” She asked lowly but looked to see Veldahar’s reaction.

Veldahar was rooted to the spot, looking after Grisfam with shock and denial. He finally shook his head, and turned back to the hole, to help the others through. “Come, it’s safe now.” He called, deciding it was best to just ignore the crazy old ixi.

Lei looked at Lyuthi and nodded “I am.” He said before looking at Veldahar. “How can he not belive in dragons… if he is part dragon?” Shaking his head he looked at Lyuthi. “Shall we go?”

Jing just continued to walk, following a little ways behind Grisfam and Iris.

Lyuthi frowned. “Perhaps things happened in his life that he wishes to not remember.” She said but nodded as she moved forward. When she reached Veldahar she smiled faintly. “Are you alright?”

Veldahar nodded, but didn’t smile back, falling into step with her as they walked down the hall.

The others moved ahead after Iris hurriedly as they came into the hall, but Silvertongue, pausing to peek into one of the crypts, saw a tall figure dressed in resplendent armor lying on a stone bier. Skeletal hands grasped the hilt of a longsword lying across the body. Silver looked up at the Royal Crest curiously, sounding out the words.

“Sothi Nuinqua Tsalarioth” said Galdrias, coming up behind the jerboa. “What does it mean?” Silver asked. “Faithful beyond Death,” Galdrias said softly.

At the west end of the crypts, they found a set of bronze double doors. Iris pushed it open easily and led them into a triangular passage that opened into a large hall. The hall was perfectly intact-the only room in the crypt they had encountered so far that had survived the eartquake without damage.

Jing followed behind the two, looking around the room in suprise. “Wow… This place looks better then the last.” She said, walking around a little.

Lei looked at Veldahar in silence, really wanting to ask him some questions he had now but knew it was not the right time. Instead he kept quiet.

Lyuthi gave him a more sympathetic smile but didn’t move to grab his arm this time. “It’ll be okay.” She said trying her best to calm him down…or something. Looking back at Lei she gave him a small smile but turned her attention back to Veldahar. Seemed they both were learning about their fathers today.

Veldahar didn’t move to hold Lyuthi’s hand but seemed comforted to have her beside him. He rubbed his injured arm slightly in sullen silence as they entered the hall.

The only way out of this new chamber were two identical bronze doors at the far end of the chamber, leading west. Galdrias, walking up to inspect the two, admitted he had no idea which was the right one. After a brief discussion, they decided to take the door to the right. The door opened onto a clean, narrow passageway that led them, after about thirty feet, to another single bronze door. This door, however, was locked. Bast pushed, tugged, pried-all to no avail.

“It’s no use,” the kankiru grunted. “It won’t budge.”

Silver watched Bast for several minutes, then finally moved forward. Examining the door, he laughed and shook his head. “Jt’s a false door!”

Jing just stood back, listening to them all and finally chuckled. “Guess that means we only have one choise…” She muttered, walking back into the big room and over to the other set of bronze doors curiously.

“I really hope that means this isn’t a trap.” She mumbled as she looked to Veldahar. Looking to the others she turned around and began to follow the others into the other room.

The other bronze door led into a perfectly round chamber, about one hundred feet in diameter. Directly across from them, to the south, stood a bronze door and in the center of the room-

“A crooked column,” Silver giggled, walking over to inspect it. It was indeed a tall, thin column that slanted at an angle. After Bast looked at it for a while he laughed, “It isn’t a column at all!, it’s a great, huge chain!” He moved to point at the base, “Look, you can see here it’s hooked to an iron bracket on the floor.”

“Then we are in the Chain Room!” Galdrias said in excitement. “This is the famed defense mechanism of Pax Thorken. We must be almost in the fortress.” The others gathered around, staring at the monstrous chain in wonder. Each link was as long as Veldahar was tall, and as thick around as the trunk of an oak.

“Wow… But I don’t get it… Why would there be a huge chain like this in the middle of a room? How could it be a defence?” Lei asked, walking over and looking at Galdrias.

Jing looked at the chain for only a moment before looking around the rest of the room. Part of her was worried this place, like almost every other they had been in, would house a giant slug, or some other kind of defence.

Lyuthi did NOT get as close as the others. She stared at the room then back at the chain. “Maybe it isn’t a good idea to be so close to that chain.” She said tugging on Veldahar’s sleeve. It wasn’t that she was scared, it was more of the feeling this whole place gave her.

“The chain leads to the mechanism itself,” Gilthanas answered. “As to how it works, I am unfamiliar with engineering. But if this chain is released from its moorings”-he pointed to the iron bracket in the floor-“massive blocks of granite drop down behind the gates of the fortress. Then no force on Midgardia can open them.”

Leaving the jerboa to peer up into the shadowy darkness with Lei, trying in vain to get a glimpse of the wondrous mechanism, Galdrias joined the others in searching the room.