Book of Fates ✔

Flames

In a quarter of an hour the fomoires and Alexander were all wide awake and crawling further down another hallway of Paititi.

Endless corridors and halls merged into shady bleakness were turning every last feeling and thought to despair, making Leir—and the others, apparently—feel like a tiny ant in the world of giants.

They were walking side by side in the same grave silence, only their steps disturbed the perfect stillness. They thought and rethought about each step and move. Maybe the city was built by the Incas hundreds of years ago, maybe it was buried in oblivion according to history books, but that couldn't be applied to the traps the citizens of Paititi had left.

Yesterday, escaping from one of the stratagems, unlucky travelers almost got entombed in ruins of a collapsed passage. It was barely possible to pass the tunnels even with the map—or with the person who claimed to memorize the map flawlessly.

Anya's father was guiding the fomoires through the Paititi temple for two days now, thoroughly choosing the route among the twisting tunnels. The great door leading to the main hall appeared to be locked tight, impossible to break in even for Tane. Therefore, they were forced to look for another way in.

Dangerous and deadly surprises waited for them around every corner. Metal spikes flying out of the walls tried to pierce through Leir's flesh, greenish fire tried to burn him alive. All the mechanisms worked as good as new, how was that possible to accomplish for half-wild Peruvian tribes?

And the lightening crystal was dying out—a few more hours, and the fomoires with their guide would be left in absolute darkness with not a single chance to survive.

"Who built all this?" Tane asked Alexander, nervously inspecting a doorway covered with soot for some unknown reasons.

"I was hoping you would tell me," Alexander chuckled and his voice echoed in the halls menacingly. "My guess is that the Incas were the inventors. Once, their civilization was the richest and the cleverest in the world. And I won't be shocked if your ancestors who hid the book in here had taught them all of it."

As a demonstration of his words, Alexander threw his half eaten apple over Tane's shoulder and through an arch. Bluish flames instantly blazed, turning the apple to ashes before it could reach the floor.

Tane swallowed hard. "Got it. That's the wrong path to go." He hurried after the others, his hair blown about his face. "But still, why fire? They could spread some kind of poisonous gas, for example. I'm pretty sure that would be a more tormenting way of dying."

"The Incas worshipped sun gods," Alexander explained briefly, peering into a dim passage with his eyes. "That's why there's so much gold and fire in here. Let's be optimistic and think that your book isn't concealed in an infernal fire trap of some sort, too."

They walked to the end of the tunnel just to see one more, exactly the same.

"The myths of the daitias say," Leir started, clearing his throat, hoping that the conversation would somehow push depressing thoughts from his friends' minds. "Since ancient times, there was a secret order called 'Universe', their job was to keep The Book of Fates safe. The same myths say all the people of Da'Ariya once were the descendants of the only one race that came from a planet of the Orion constellation."

"Another childish story to go," Charna snorted in annoyance, and marched past them.

Leir watched the red-haired fomorian strode ahead, her black cardigan blending with the darkness, and went on. "The members of the Universe could predict the future and they saw that a blood-shedding war was coming. In order to conceal precious knowledge, the members disappeared along with the artifact. Legend says that only when the time comes, they will reveal themselves once again and allow bringing the book back to light." Leir let out suppressed laughter. "I'm not really into the last part of this prophesy. So let's say time has come."