Mythical Book #1

Chapter 15

Paige steps on another large pointy stone, "Ow, damn it!" she then frustratingly asks, "How far away from the desert are we?" 'It's past mid-day, and it would be nice to be at our destination by now. Whatever that might actually be...where the hell are we actually going to? Ugh, one off those horses from the other day would be nice right now. But they had to be returned to their owners.'

"Not too far, but still a little way. Aye, I know we have to get there before the Trolls and all that. But, don't worry, love, we have the advantage! We know the actual name and location of the city we are going to, and there are very few who do," the Grand Master smirks.

"Really? And that would be?"

"Hey, Bannick, what was the name of that Nymph you swore you would marry and change her ways?"

"Hey!" Bannick reacts.

"Funny, Dragon, but seriously," Paige responds.

"Seriously. The temple where the stone resides is hidden. This town is the only place in the land that has a person who knows where the temple is, and that place lies north of here,"

"And this place would be called?"

"Did you change her ways, Bannick?" Kalla quickly jumps in. The group laughs except for Bannick who seems to be getting annoyed.

"Okay, it's a small village on the edge of the woods, just as the land begins to get rocky. It's known as the village of wandering hearts, or Fanachcroi [Fawnock-cree]." The Dragon concedes.

"Oh, yeah, that was her name," Bannick laughs back.

Paige laughs too, 'I'm glad these people aren't boring,'

They continue down the path that is starting to be overrun with thick grass. The pine trees start to become shorter spaced farther apart, Paige randomly picks up a pinecone and asks, "Dragon, how do you know there is a person in Fanachcroi who knows where the temple is?"

"You don't have to call me 'Dragon.' You can call me, Diego,"

"That one, huh? That's an old one. As I recall, though, a good one," Bannick remembers out loud.

"Shut it, nymph!" Diego comically snaps at Bannick.

"Ooooh, you going to take that?" Kalla jokingly eggs on Bannick.

"To hell with you all...picking on me...I'm going to ignore all of you now!" Bannick grumps.

"Finally, some peace! Now back to Fanachcroi. So the person is actually a Centaur. I visited the city long ago, and was at a pub there having a bit of wine, when I over heard him boasting to the bartender that he had followed the "Tale of Tavrish the Elf" and found the Fire Temple."

"The Tale of Tavrish the Elf?" Paige reacts.

"Oh, you haven't heard that tale before? Hmm, well maybe not, because it is one that was cast aside to be just a story. But it is a good one. Basically, Tavrish was a Grand Master during the Wars of Power, who believed that hidden in the script of the Book of Archs is the locations of the Ancient's temples where the power stones of the weapons of power are stored. He figured if he found a weapon and a power stone, he could help the Elves in the war."

"What happened to Tavrish?"

"No one knows, he was never seen again. Some writings of his travels were found, but none of it said he actually found anything at all. I believe the last written account was that he was in the desert, but not a word after that. Most Arch's believe he died lost in the desert. Yet, word of mouth accounts, legends, and tales in the towns and villages say he did find the temple, but wasn't allowed to enter, though was rewarded for his effort."