Song of the Ascendant

15. The Source

Twenty-third of Harbinger

The chamber was a shocking contrast to the grim death-filled tunnel behind them. As soon as she stepped inside, Belkai was flooded with light from a shining ball floating near the roof, almost seven feet above her. The floors, walls, and ceiling were all made of solid gold, with edgings made entirely of ruby. With the light floating above, it felt as if they were walking into a room of liquid gold. No one spoke a word as they got a glimpse of true dwarven glory, long forgotten to the outside world. Such beauty hadn't been seen by an outsider in millennia, either here or within their mountain fortresses. The central focus of the room was a bronze altar that seemed to rise out of the golden floor. Belkai felt the strange presence emanating from it, and she took a hesitant step forward. There was a haziness about the altar that disappeared as she approached, revealing a four-foot golden obelisk embedded with diamonds and emeralds. Belkai reached out to touch it, but Nizali smacked her hand away.

"I wouldn't be so quick to touch that," he said quietly, and pointed at a podium that she had missed. It was just in front of the altar and held two stone tablets. "Perhaps I shall read this first."

Belkai nodded, looking around sheepishly. Other than Davos, everyone was watching the dwarf. Davos shrugged at her. I'd do the same, she heard him think, and she gave an embarrassed smile. Nizali didn't see any of this as he stood before the podium and read over the tablets. He glanced at the obelisk with wide eyes, then began to read.

"Behold the altar of Zumani, Constructor of the Second Dynasty, Destroyer of Dasilthaz. May his line be forever cursed.

"Abandon hope, all who open his mind. Only the heaven-sent can control Zumani's hell. We have blocked the way and sealed ourselves inside. May the forest consume what remains above. Gods forgive us."

Belkai looked back at him as he went silent. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Who is Zumani?"

"Nothing more than a myth," Greywall answered. He swallowed nervously. "At least, that's what I thought. He was some sort of mystic. But he destroyed the Lost Mountain, an old fortress that has been lost to myth. If this...obelisk...was made by him, then it should be forgotten. We should never have come here."

"Belkai, that presence?" Brimur prompted.

"It's coming from the obelisk," Belkai confirmed. "At least, it's attached to it somehow. It comes and fades. It's almost as if it's waiting for something to reach out to it."

"I wouldn't be too quick to do that," Davos warned. "That warning seemed pretty clear."

"They said they sealed themselves inside," Syndra pointed out. "But there's no bodies."

"They're here somewhere," Greywall answered. He looked around and pointed at a spot along the ruby lining. "There. A crack in the ruby."

Belkai saw nothing but trusted the eyes of the dwarf. She watched as he walked over to the wall and ran his hands over it until he found what he was looking for. It took only a light push, and a hidden door swung open. Belkai stepped past Greywall, then froze. There were twelve skeletons before her, all in bronze armour. A sword pierced each chest, lined up in three rows. It was a deliberate setup, and clearly an intentional message.

"Mass suicide," Greywall said from behind her. "To ensure nothing left this room. It's a last resort."

Belkai turned back and studied the altar and its obelisk. "What is it, Greywall? Truly. What made them so desperate?"

"The rumours say that Zumani wanted to cross worlds. He wanted to find the power of the Arcane." Greywall glanced at the bones, unsure of whether he was more frightened by the skeletons or the obelisk. "They say that he went mad. He opened a portal that unleashed horrors on Dasilthaz. There is a reason that mountain was lost."