Chapter 32:

Everything around him was painted in shades of red. The sky, the ground, the dismembered people that lay at his feet ... The putrid smell of rotten flesh wafted up to his nose and the moans of the wounded coupled with the strangely jubilant cry of the jackals echoed in his ears. He could see their shadowy forms slink around the periphery of the field, their fangs bared greedily, tongue lolling out eager to lap up the blood that gushed from the open wounds.

He moved ahead, disgusted and awed by the macabre dance of Death around him. Both man and beast had fallen under her scythe, like the slender stalks of wheat at the time of harvesting. He felt bile rise in his mouth watching the multitudes of half eaten skulls stare at him accusingly, their teeth bared at the irony of life so uselessly wasted.

He saw a warrior stand in front of him, his naked sword gleamed a little in the dull light and he could see blood drip from the edge of sword. His tattered bloodstained cloak flew in the wind and his dusty back air fell in disarray around his shoulders. He paused. There was something strange about the lone warrior ... something familiar.

He saw another figure approach the lone figure, limping a little. He could see the deep gashes on the other warrior's arms and the stained linen that formed a makeshift bandage around them. When the other warrior came closer he could see that the warrior was female with only her green eyes visible from behind her mask.

"We have won. " Her voice was strained.

The warrior gave a short cynical laugh. "Have we?"

"Yes. We have." Her voice was cold. "He knows now that we are a threat to his power. He will come."

"I know. "

"Well then ... You should rest my Lord and let our healers bandage your wounds. "

"Shinwa. "

"My Lord?"

"Call me Shinwa. "

' ... Shinwa ... '

Hotohori's eyes flew open. He felt a steady pressure on his shoulders and looked up at the face that hovered above him.

"Shizimi?"

"You were having a bad dream. " Shizimi sat down on the bunk opposite to his. "I thought I should wake you up. "

"Oh ... "

"You took a name. "

"I did?"

"Shinwa. "Shizimi frowned. "You said Shinwa. Who is he?"

Hotohori frowned, running a hand through his messy hair. ' I wish I knew. ' He looked at Shizimi to find that familiar unreadable emotion in his eyes. "You know how dreams are, you hardly remember it when you wake up. "

"Yes. " Shizimi's smile was cynical. "That is true. "

Somehow Hotohori felt that they were no longer talking about his dream. The silence that had descended between the both of them was making him uneasy. He decided to turn the course of the conversation in safer channels.

"So. " He began with his most charming smile. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes." The cynical gleam never left his eyes. "I have a brother. "

"An younger brother?"

"No. "

"Oh, so you have an elder brother. " Hotohori smiled a little, suddenly remembering his lonely days at the castle. "You must have had a lot of fun together. "

Shizimi took a while to answer, and when he did, his expression was even more unreadable. "Hardly. He was being trained to take over the responsibilities of the family as its eldest son and heir. " His voice held a tinge of bitterness. "But he ... " He got up suddenly as if afraid that he had betrayed too much. "I only came here to wake you up and tell you that dinner is being served on the deck. "

He walked out. Hotohori watched him leave, frowning a little. It would seem that even after Nobu had vanished in the distant horizon, its dark shadow would forever chase Shizimi. During the last few days he had opened up, sometimes allowing a small smile to grace his features. But most of the times he would stand at the helm gazing at the sea, his expression shuttered. Even Lady Lee had failed to break his trust issues. It would seem that Nobu had left deep scars on his psyche. He had mentioned this to Menesku.

Menesku had raised his impassive gray eyes and shrugged.

' I do not see why he should trust us my Lord. I do not trust him.'

But then Menesku was suspicious of everybody. Lady Lee was much more vocal.

' And I can only imagine what those awful men did to him. If only we did not have to bring thosemean men with us we could have made him forget all about Nobu. I don't think that he is so comfortable about leading those men to his homeland. I know I wouldn't want those smelly creeps anywhere near my home. '

Hotohori pursed his mouth remembering how Izuke had insisted that five of his men accompany him to Fa Sang.

" My Lord. " Izuke's voice was extremely courteous. "Pray understand my logic. Shizimi will not be there to lead you back to Nobu. You require a back up crew for that. "

Shizimi was standing beside him. Hearing Izuke's words he let out a short bitter laugh. " Cut to chase Izuke. You wish to see what kinds of treasure my land holds. "

"Do you blame me?"

"Not at all. " Shizimi turned at Hotohori. "Take his men my Lord. "

Hotohori was startled. " Are you sure? "

" Yes. Izuke let five of your best men accompany us. " He turned to go. "But do not get your hopes too high Izuke. Even though your men bring back tales of the wondrous things they will see, they will never be able to lead you to it. "

Izuke's eyes hardened and the smile on his lips deepened. " For the sake of your homeland, pray that it is so. " He turned towards Hotohori and executed a prim bow. " So, what have you decided?"

Hotohori's eyes met Menesku's and for a while a silent agreement seemed to pass between them. Then he spoke once more. " Speak plainly Izuke. You will not allow us to take a boat unless we let some of your men accompany us."

" No offense my Lord, but look at it this way. You scratch my back. I scratch yours. That's the way things work around here. "

"I see. " Hotohori smiled. "You want Fa Sang to be your base. "

"My Lord is wise. A fort protected by sea is much better than one protected by land. "

"I wish you luck with your quest. " Hotohori smiled coldly. "But if your men put one toe out of line then I will personally rip their heart out. "

Izuke's eyes twinkled. "You are most welcome to do so my Lord, but they will be on their best behavior. But you must also promise that you and your men will not harm them because I know that you have pledged to protect Shizimi's people. "

" If I have to chose, I will choose my people. " Hotohori's mouth curved into a lopsided smile. " I will not harm your people. "

' I will simply have Chulivey erase their memories. '

Izuke bowed again. "It is settled then. Godspeed and Good luck my Lord. "

Hotohori flung the covers from over him and sat up. He needed to get some fresh air. He flung the heavy cloak over his shoulder and stepped outside. At once he was greeted by the biting cold winds and the damp kiss of the fog. Night had descended and the lanterns that hung from the mastheads overhead did little to dispel the pitch-black darkness that surrounded their vessel.

"You are up my Lord. "

Hotohori turned to look at Menesku. "Yes. " In the dull light of the flickering flames he saw that Menesku's brow was marred with a frown. "Is anything wrong?"

"For a sea which claims to be temperamental and tricky our journey is proceeding very smoothly. "

"And that is bad? "

"I never said it was bad my Lord. I was merely making an observation. " Menesku shrugged. "We should head down. Dinner is being served. "

"I thought it was being served on the deck. "

"In this weather? Surely you are joking my Lord. "

Hotohori turned towards Shizimi. He was at the helm, his eyes once more on the foggy sea. He sighed before turning his attention towards Menesku once more. "Let's go. "

A narrow set of stairs led down to the belly of the ship, which served as the pantry, and temporary sleeping quarters of the crew. A long rickety table was laid down at a side to serve as a dinner table when necessary.

"Hotohori." A cheerful voice greeted him.

His face broke into a smile. "Good evening Lady Lee. "

Lee patted an empty spot beside her. "Have a seat Hotohori. "

Hotohori took the place offered, a bit irritated that the place on her other side was occupied by Faraco. However Liang diverted him.

"Come 'ere ice block. "Liang called Menesku. "Meself is gonna teach you how to gamble. "

Menesku raised an eyebrow but took the seat offered. "Indeed. "His voice was long suffering.

However his attention was drawn by the lovely tinkle of laughter that came from beside him. Lee was laughing at something that Faraco said. He was entranced by the sparkle in her eyes and the soft curve of her petal like lips. Almost as if Lee felt his heated gaze on her, she turned slowly to meet his eyes.

Hotohori watched fascinated by the soft color that suffused her cheeks and the ridiculously demure shyness that leapt into her eyes. He had an unseemly desire to bend down and touch the pink of her cheeks with his lips.

"My Lord. "

He was more than irritated when Chulivey's call broke the spell. He turned towards her plastering an awfully fake smile on his face.

"Yes Chulivey. " His voice was polite. ' Damn you. '

Chulivey looked unfazed. "There is something you should know. Something you should all know. " She fiddled with the vegetables in her soup. "Today afternoon, I detected a brief flare of ki. It was very faint and gone almost instantaneously. "

"Indeed. "Hotohori frowned. "I detected nothing unusual. "

"You see I had worked a spell to amplify my ki sensing capabilities. It enables me to sense ki fluctuations from a great distance. It is a variation of the locating spell. "

"Enough with the lessons already missy, move on. "Liang snapped. "Yer boring me. "

"Patience Liang. " Chulivey paused. "It was his ki. "

Hotohori's eyes narrowed. "Whose?"

"The Black warrior's!"

Hotohori felt an involuntary shiver run through Lee's frame. He suddenly felt angry at himself, at his inability to have protected Lee like she deserved to be. He had sworn to guard her and had failed when it mattered most.

"Are you sure Chulivey?" His voice held some of the anger he felt inside himself.

"That's the whole point. I am not absolutely sure; it was only for an instant. " Chulivey frowned. "And for a while I thought that I had imagined things. So I stewed on that for the entire afternoon wavering between whether I should disclose what I felt. Then I decided that we should be prepared for all circumstances, because is I had indeed sensed his ki, then..."

"Then?"

"Then they have almost half a day lead on us. "

"That's terrible. " Lee's voice shook a little. "But, how did they know the way to Fa Sang? Where did they get a boat?"

Hotohori brow clouded. A pair of fathomless eyes holding the call of a mocking challenge in their depths floated before his eyes for a second.

' Do you dare stop me Demon?'

He had not realized that his eyes had begun to bleed red. ' Witch, I swear by Suzaku, you will regret your challenge. '

"Well. " His mouth curved into a predatory smirk. "We all know that a confrontation is inevitable. It is only a matter of time till out blades cross again. "

"That ... is true. "Menesku agreed. "Though Lady Lee has a point. Where did they get that boat and map?"

Hotohori stared moodily at the bowl in front of him. His mind flew back to their encounter with the Black warrior on the Holy Mountain. He curled his fists into tight balls. Even after invoking the power of Suzaku he had to struggle to defeat him.

' We should not be evenly matched. I am a seishi and he is not.' He frowned. ' I should not have had any trouble defeating him. Yet I struggled to vanquish him. Am I that weak?'

Unknowingly his eyes began to bleed red and his aura flared. He pushed the bowl away from him and got up. ' I need to rethink my strategy. '

"Pardon me." Even to him his voice sounded like a pale shadow of his usual honeyed drawl. "I need to get some fresh air. "

He was gone before anybody could say anything.

Lee stared after him a little unsettled.

' What's wrong with him?' Her irritating inner voice quipped up. ' He is acting just like Tori does before his semesters. '

She turned a questioning eye towards Menesku. Menesku bestowed one of his rare smiles on her. "Do not be worried Lady Lee. My Lord is merely ... stressed. " He turned calmly at Liang and laid down his cards. "I win. "

" What ! "

"He says that he won. "Chulivey clarified looking up from the scroll.

"Yeah right. "Liang scowled. "Meself demands a rematch. "

Menesku yawned. "Fine. "

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hotohori gripped the bulwark till his knuckles turned white. Turning his head up he took in the cold air deeply. He frowned.

' All right. Time to think logically. ' He closed his eyes. ' The Black Warrior is almost as powerful as I. And as much as I hate to accept it, we were pretty evenly matched. But he knew my weakness and exploited it with the efficiency of a surgeon's scalpel. Now, what could be his weakness ?'

A slightly arrogant face with a pair of fathomless eyes came to his mind. He let off a short bitter chuckle.

' Of course. Witch, you are his weakness, are you not ? ' His mouth curved into a small cynical smile. ' Watch your back Witch, because this is one rematch I intend to win. '

He could almost see her lips curve up into a mocking smile and the mystery in her eyes deepen ...

' Indeed. '

He frowned. Unsheathing his blade he watched the dull yellow light dance on the naked steel, the hilt cold in his hands.

' I need to regain my focus. '

He swung the sword in a wide arc, reveling in the swishing sound it made as it cut through the icy air.

... And then he was one with the naked steel in his hands and together they danced the dance of death in the semidarkness of the slippery deck. He moved with the grace of a panther, his movements showing the leashed violence that he deliberately kept in check.

When he stopped at last his back was drenched with sweat even in this weather and his face was flushed. He leaned on his sword panting a little, the dark cloak pooling around him. Vaguely, he became aware that he had an audience. But then all the men were down in the pantry, except for ...

"Shizimi ?"

Shizimi moved forward. Some light fell on his form but his face remained obscured by the darkness.

"You are ... impressive. "He said at last.

"T... Thank you. " Hotohori said quietly.

"What is troubling you ?"

Hotohori looked at him startled. "How did you know ?"

Shizimi chuckled. "My ... brother did the same when he was worried. "

"Oh ? Your brother is a swordsman ?"

"Yes. "

Hotohori could feel it happening. Shizimi was once again retreating behind thin wall of ice that he had built around himself.

"This is not enough. " He said abruptly. Anything to keep Shizimi from withdrawing into himself. Even baring part of his soul.

"What ?"

"This... " His voice was dissatisfied. "They all say that I rank among the best swordsmen in the lands. But ... " He paused sheathing his sword.

"But ?"

"I must become stronger. "

Shizimi's voice was unreadable. "You are a Prince my Lord. The best swords masters in the lands must have trained you, and yet you say that you are not strong enough. Such dearth of confidence in yourself hardly suits you my Lord. "

"But that is standard protocol. Each and every crown Prince is tutored by the best teachers available in the lands. But that doesn't make him the best. "

"It doesn't ? " Shizimi chuckled. "Many would think otherwise my Prince. "

"Well I do not know about others, but the one time I found myself in a real battle, I became painfully aware of the inadequacies in my skill. "Hotohori said hotly.

For a while both were silent, then Hotohori gave a low chuckle. "This is not how I wished our conversation to proceed. "

"Really ?" Shizimi's voice was amused.

"Yes. I have noticed how you tend to withdraw into yourself, I just wanted to break this wall that you have build around yourself. Instead, I kept babbling about my insecurities. "

There was a moment of silence and when Shizimi spoke his voice was mature and older than his years. "Walls when erected are not so easy to break down my Prince. " He chuckled dryly. " The last decent conversation I had was with my brother. " His voice was a little strange and Hotohori wished that he could see his face. "He always said that I was a better listener than a speaker. " He turned abruptly. "Good night my Prince. I must attend to the helm. We are entering tricky waters. "

Hotohori sighed. Just when he was beginning to think that he had made a crack in his icy fortress. Turning he went towards the cabin. He needed some extra cloaks. Tonight he would stand guard with Menesku.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Keeah gazed into the transparent depths of the water. She was kneeling beside the tiny water body that Taasha had discovered earlier. A lazy wind flitted through the glade playing with the tips of the grass and lifting her wayward locks. She touched the still surface of the water with her fingers creating tiny ripples on the blue surface.

"You are saying that this pool is the way through which Mehen might have entered Fa Sang ?" Keeah turned at Taasha. "Are you sure ?"

Taasha knelt beside her. "I am not saying that I am sure Princess." He said quietly. "I am saying that there is a possibility that this might be the way. Besides I do not think that I could take the ship through that current. Going out the way we entered is simply out of the question. "He paused bending forward. "Look at that Princess. "

"What ?"

"There. Look at the very bottom. "

"I think a see something. " Keeah squinted her eyes. "It's a painting !"

Suraco bend forward until his nose touched the water surface. "By Seiryuu, so it is. This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder. "

Sotisku frowned, watching the worried and meaningful glances exchanged between Keeah and Suraco. "Okay. "He snapped. "Out with it. " He looked at Keeah. "What does he know that I don't know ?"

"A moment Sotisku. "Keeah held up her hands in a placatory manner. She looked at Taasha. "Tell me what you think. "

Taasha paused as if organizing his thoughts. Then he spoke. "What kind of a natural pool has an smooth marble bed with a painting on it ?"

"None that I know of. "

"There is more. I could not see the painting so well from up here and for a while it appeared to me to be similar to this. "He brought out an amulet from the depths of his clothes. It was tied around his neck by a thin golden chain. He took it off and handed it to Keeah.

Keeah took the amulet in the palm of her hands. She had never seen a metal similar to the one the amulet was made of. At first she had mistakenly assumed that it was made of silver, but silver did not shine with the colors of the rainbow when light fell on it. On it was carved the ferocious likeness of a snarling tiger in the most intricate detail.

"This is beautiful. "Sotisku's voice was awed.

"I know. "Taasha said, and for a while Keeah felt that there was the barest trace of bitterness in his voice. When he spoke again his voice was almost wistful. "Tao gave it to me. "

"Tao ?"Keeah was curious.

"He was my ... teacher. "Taasha's frowned and then shook his head as if to clear it of unpleasant thoughts. "Anyway, this is the crest of Bastet. See this. "He pointed at the strange carvings that ran along the edges of the amulet. "This is the motto of the people of Ubasti or at least ... it used to be. "

"What does it say ?"

"We will survive. "

Keeah turned the amulet over in her hands, suddenly feeling new strength flow in her veins. Yes, it was a motto a woman wanting to rebuild her kingdom from its ashes would adopt. It is a worthy motto for somebody who would have to swim against the tide and establish her niche in the world.

"We will survive. "She repeated to herself, before looking at Taasha. "I like that. "

"Enough with the philosophy. "Suraco cut in. "So, what exactly is the connection here ?"

"As I said before. " Taasha began. "I couldn't see it that well, so I decided to get a closer look. "

"Oh, so that's why your clothes were all wet. "Sotisku exclaimed.

"Don't interrupt. "Suraco said irritatibly.

"Stop it. Both of you. "Keeah snapped. "Taasha, please continue. "

"Yes of course. "Taasha continued. "Well, here's the interesting part. When I entered the pool, I was surprised to see that the walls were very smooth. Even though the walls are a little slippery, it does not have the ... earthy quality that a pond or a small pool has. Besides the painting was really intricate and it was on the floor of the pool and it was the crest of Bastet. "

"And your point is ?"

"This is not a natural pool. I believe its man made. First the painting was made and the water was used to fill the place. "

The was a moment of tense silence and then Suraco let out a low chuckle which rapidly turned into a full blown course of laughter. For a while the three of them stared at him and then Sotisku proceeded to check his pulse.

"He doesn't look sick. "Sotisku concluded.

"I am not sick you moron. "Suraco jerked his hand away. "This is brilliant. "

"He has officially lost it. "

"Oh shut up Sotisku. Here's a question for you princess. What does this place remind you of ?"

Keeah looked around. She frowned. "It has the appearance of a forest, but, I don't know, it looks more like that garden my father built for my mother because she liked trees so much. "

"And why is that ? "

"This place is tame. "

"Right !" Suraco pointed around. "This place is too damn tame. "

"Are you trying to say that this entire scenario is somehow man-made ?" Taasha began doubtfully.

"Ah ! Finally ! Somebody who can match my intelligence !"

"So why don't you don't you make it clear to us less intelligent people ?" Sotisku said dryly.

"Okay. This is going to take a while. "Suraco began. "We have just found out that Tur was ruled by a queen named Bastet. Also you say that you found a painting at the bottom of the pool that is similar to the crest of Bastet. "

"He already said he did. "

"Shut up Sotisku. Now, here's what I think. That crest which is now known as the crest of Bastet was actually the crest of the kingdom of Tur. We have automatically assumed that Fa Sang was an autonomy. But, I think that Fa Sang actually owed suzerainty to Tur. It had a governor, this Wadjet fellow and perhaps a small independent army. But, it depended largely on Tur for its defense. "

"Yes, that is definitely a possibility. "Keeah frowned, remembering her vision and the inscription on the stone. "That is why Lady Bastet was heading with all her force to Fa Sang to reinforce its defense. Besides, Fa Sang surrounded as it is, with tricky waters, currents and treacherous rocks, would be the perfect place from where to plan a counter-attack. "

"Unless of course, it had already fallen. "Taasha said quietly. "Lord Mehen seemed to be pretty sure that they were being lured into a trap. "

"Of course, the very thing that could work as Fa Sang's advantage could also work as its disadvantage." Keeah's lips curved into a small smile. "Once this He had succeeded in taking Fa Sang, he could have transformed it into a virtual prison, letting no news reach Lady Bastet other than the ones He wanted. "She paused frowning . "It would be easy to lay a trap especially if the news came from someone trustworthy ... "

"Yes. "Suraco smiled. "Someone like Wadjet. Which makes me wonder if he was so trustworthy after all ? Anyway, that isn't the point here. "He paused for breath and then continued. "First of all, the temperature of this place is not at all in accordance with the temperature outside. It is warm, so much so that we don't need our fur cloaks at all. How is that possible ?"

He looked up pointing at the sky. "Look up. You see a foggy sky that is slowly turning dark. But fog always hangs over the ground, so when I and Princess went up to investigate that, we found that what we had assumed to be the sky is actually the ceiling of this place. This is an enclosed area !"

Sotisku looked up and then pointed around. "Are you trying to say that all this ... is an illusion ?"

"No. "Suraco said somberly. "Well at least I don't think so. "He ran a hand through his hair. "But enchanted or not, this island is artificially modified. I think that this was a secret path to Fa Sang known only to the King or Queen of Tur or somebody they trusted a lot. "

"Mehen. "Taasha said quietly.

"Right. "

"Hmm. "Keeah's mouth was pursed into a thin line. "If this is what the knowledge of Fa Sang achieved, then I have no doubt that this He would try to acquire it. I know I would. After all, knowledge is power. "

There was a moment of silence and for a while they contemplated on that. At last Sotisku broke the silence with a nervous chuckle. "My sensei used to say that knowledge is like fertilizer. A little of it makes a plant bloom but too much of it makes it wither away because it does not know what to do with it. "

"An interesting analogy. "Suraco grinned. "But come on ... fertilizer ?"

"Well ... Hui- san did become a little senile towards the end. "

Keeah chuckled. "Anyway, let's give that a rest now. Taasha, you say that this pool might hide the path to Fa Sang. "

Taasha nodded. "Perhaps it is better that I show you. "

Keeah nodded shrugging out of her cloak. Taasha gave a graceful dive into the still waters swimming down to its bottom. Keeah followed, the waters parted to receive her in its fluid embrace.

The water was cold and refreshing, and the pool quite deep. Keeah looked up once. It would seem that Suraco and Sotisku were peering down at its depths, their faces appearing distorted through the water. She turned her attention towards the painting at the bottom.

Suraco was beginning to feel more than a little impatient. Sotisku was sitting on a flat rock at the side of the pool, carefully sorting his medicines into small ampoules. The light was beginning to fade casting their surroundings into twilight.

' What is taking them so long ?' Suraco paced at the edge of the pool.

The surface of the pool was disturbed and Keeah broke through the water gasping a little. Her eyes were shining as she pulled herself up on the bank.

"This is it Suraco. "She rubbed the water out of her face. "I think that that painting is lock. I think we have stumbled across a secret entrance into Fa Sang. Somebody up there really likes us. "

"They do ?" Suraco was not convinced. "If that is the lock, then pray how do you intend to open it ?"

"Hmm. "Keeah frowned. "Taasha, could you please hand me your amulet once more ?"

She turned the amulet over in her hands. Then she turned at Sotisku and Suraco. "The painting at the bottom is indeed similar to this. However, there is one big circle in the middle and four smaller circles surround the bigger circle, one each in the directions north, south, east and west respectively. The painting on the each of the circles is similar to this one. Now here's the interesting part. "

She paused a while before continuing. "Each of the smaller circles is a little elevated from the floor level. It is not very discernable from up here where it would appear like an ordinary decoration. Even down there they would appear like an artists whim at the first glance. But, each of those circles can be moved. There are like wheels and can be turned in the left and right direction !"

"And your point is ?" Suraco was intrigued.

"It is a lock. "It was Taasha who spoke. "Such locks are used in my la ... Ubasti ... to guard forbidden places. The wheels when moved in a definite left-right combination each will unlock the main door. "

"So even if this is an lock, then where do we get the combination pattern ?" Sotisku probed.

"It is usually drawn on the lock itself. "Taasha said quietly. "Unfortunately, only the priests can interpret it. I am no priest, so I will be of little use in determining the combination. I ... am sorry. "

"Whatever for ?" Suraco gaped. "Your priests are not super intelligent. They just know where to look. I am going to see if I can find something useful. "

Shrugging out of the thin cloak that he had carelessly thrown over his shoulder he dived into the water. Keeah laid a hand on Taasha's shoulders.

"Do not look so doubtful my freind. "She smiled. "Suraco is very observant. Besides he has a keen eye for detail, which is what makes him such a great illusion master. "

"Just don't tell him that " Sotisku said dryly. "His ego might get too big to handle. "

"I won't ." Taasha chuckled.

The sky was nearly dark now and the Keeah saw that the rocks that was carelessly arranged around the pool was beginning to glow with a soft blue light creating the illusion that the clearing was bathed in moonlight.

She frowned. ' This is just like Tur. I wonder ... ' She strained her senses, but still she could not detect any hostile ki in the vicinity. It still troubled her that she had been unable to detect Sairi's presence in Tur. ' That's two times up till now that I have fallen short. Once was the time when that strange creature attacked Chulivey. I knew that something was there, but I was unable to pinpoint its location and the second time is Sairi ... Apparently, I am not as well honed as I assumed myself to be."

The was a small ripple at the surface and Suraco broke through. He pushed the wet hair out of his face and paddled to the shore. His eyes were shining. "Umm, Taasha, you said that the words We Will Survive is engraved on the edges of the amulet you have. Is it written on the painting as well ?"

"Yes. "Taasha said. "Exactly in the same way it is engraved on my amulet. "

"Could you show it to me ?"

"Certainly. "

Both of them dove under the water again.

"At this rate we are going to need cough and cold medicines. "Sotisku frowned. "By the way princess, did you know that there is no real medicine for common cold. "

"No. "Keeah sat beside him looking at the neat range of vials he had arranged on the stone. "What's all this ?"

"Well, I have prepared a set of elementary medicines for each one of us, incase we get separated. " Sotisku said gravely. "Mioko said that these vials were made of an enchanted glass that doesn't break. I thought it would be wise if each of us kept an small supply of medicine with us. "

Keeah smiled. "A good idea Sotisku. " She patted his hand. "Don't worry. We will try not get separated. "

Sotisku smiled. The water at the surface was disturbed again as Suraco and Taasha broke through the surface. Suraco was grinning triumphantly. "We found it. " He pulled himself onto the shore. "Its freaking brilliant. "

"Care to elaborate. "Keeah was curious.

"Certainly. "He wiped the water out of his face. "The amulet and the painting are similar in all aspects. In both the words we will survive are written as follows; we in the northwest quadrant, will in the northeast quadrant and survive in the south. The design between these words is also the same except for a small portion right under the three of the smaller wheels. The ones in the north, east and west respectively. It is a very small portion with a very minute color change. Then I noticed that the three designs were different and they had a pattern that occurred at a regular frequency, some curving a little towards the left and others towards the right. "

He took a deep breath and continued. "So, I began to think that those were the combination. Taasha care to take up the reins of the topic ?"

"Certainly. "Taasha smiled. "When Suraco pointed that out to me I took a closer look. To my surprise I realized that the pattern that Suraco had pointed out was actually a code used by the Bast Berserkers to denote left and right directions. Tao had once told me that a long time ago, at a time of grave crisis, the Berserkers were considered as the Elite fighting troops of Ubasti and they used a special code to communicate with each other. This code was derived from an ancient script known only to the ruling family of Ubasti. Now, most of that script is lost. However, I ... was fortunate enough to receive the patronage of one of the few who can still be considered as a true Bast Berserker. "

"So we found the code. "Suraco grinned happily. "But wait there is more. Which code belonged to which wheel ? How would we know that ?"

"I suppose you will tell us. "Sotisku said quietly.

"Yes. That I will ! The color. Each of the patterns was a slight variation of a single color, those colors match with the color of the paintings on the smaller wheel. The code on the east is for the wheel in the west, the one in the north is for the wheel in the east and the one in the west is for the wheels in the north and south directions. "Suraco shook his head. "Bloody brilliant. These people were so freaking brilliant. "

"Has it occurred to you that it means more difficult traps and puzzles ?"Sotisku chuckled darkly.

"Of course I do. "Suraco flicked his hair. "Nobody said that releasing Seiryuu was going to be easy."

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The semi dark room was heavy with the smell of incense. A lazy wind played wantonly in the pristine white lace curtains that hung from the curving stone columns. The meager yellow light from the few braziers that hung from the ornamental brackets on the walls danced on the polished surface of a mirror kept in the middle of the room.

A female sat in front of the mirror gazing into its depths. Her soft pink lips curved up into a small cynical smile.

"Ah, so the players gather once more. "Her voice was like heady wine, honeyed and sensuous. "Now all we can do is wait. "

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