Chapter Four

The Charr war band never saw it coming.

Well, at least one of them didn't… the top of its skull caved in with a near sadistic chop of Devona's hammer. The beast's head then exploded like a ripe melon, splattering pieces of bone and brain matter like gruesome shrapnel.

Of course, that got the rest of the patrol's attention… not that it mattered.

The Overseer in charge of the group was felled before it could even cast its first healing spell, partially by Cynn's Meteor spell, and a precise shot from Aidan's bow that pierced the monster right in the left side of the temple like its skull was made of softened butter.

By then, Devona had turned her attention to another Charr Warrior charging towards her with an axe caked with dried blood and pockmarked from hundreds of blows without repair. With a devious smile, she actually let the blow strike her in the shoulder, bouncing harmlessly off her hardened mail, reinforced by the hands of many skilled dwarven craftsmen. The force of the blow stung momentarily through her arm, but her point was made.

The Axe Warrior staggered backward two steps, its normally glowering eyes uncertain and fearful. Devona supposed she shouldn't take as much pleasure in this as she was… but the satisfying crunch of bone as her hammer head met with the Charr's chest and its lifeless flight of roughly fifteen feet before it met limply with the ground really felt good.

She then turned her attention to the remaining Charr Stalker, but by the time she had focused in on the creature, it was already a charred, arrow filled mess. Her three companions seemed to have the same detached disbelief as her. Had it really been that easy?

Mhenlo shrugged, and said, "Next time we see a Charr patrol, let me know so I can get a few moments of rest. It doesn't seem like you'd need me anyway."

Cynn crowed, "I could wander about here alone. Guess after fighting the Mursaat and the Titans, a few Charr is like child's play."

"It is to be expected, I suppose. Our trials and travels would have made us far more prepared and used to conflicts than simply remaining in Ascalon." Aidan agreed.

Devona however, seemed less excited by the ease in which their foes were overcome. "Mhenlo… you said Tranquility Temple is close, correct?"

The monk's cheer dampened instantly, understanding what bothered the warrior. "Yes… the top of this rise is actually a cliff face… with a small path winding down into the ravine… right to the front gates of the Temple."

"So, there's no way the Charr haven't found it." Devona commented glumly.

"It would be clearly visible from the top of the cliff. If the Charr are patrolling here… I can't imagine how they would have missed it."

"So… that's that?" Cynn asked glumly. She had rather been enjoying the time away from rebuilding Rin.

"No… Barradin's orders to me were clear." Devona answered, her voice solemn. "To bring back a living prince, or proof of his death." Her piece said; she took the first slow steps to the top of the cliff face.

The eastern entry of Tranquility Temple actually didn't look quite as bad up close as it did from the top of the ravine. The primary wall was largely intact up to the second story, even though from their angle, they couldn't see the largely burned down roof and charred interior.

The double oak doors had been blown away, likely from the initial assault, picked at and burned skeletons flanking both sides. It had been some time since the desecration of the temple, as the stench of decay had faded away with time and the open air.

Rooms further inside the temple yielded similar images, bodies and items broken and worn from the test of time. It was unlikely anyone had survived long enough for a second assault.

"So, how are we supposed to find evidence of anyone in this mess?" Cynn complained. Returing to the capital of Ascalon had become much more appealing.

At this point, Mhenlo had taken over. "There will be evidence linking Coran to this site. Devona and I will head to the sublevel, where the monks quarters were. Aidan, Cynn, examine what remains of the second story. The priory and the work area of the High Priest would be there. See if the Temple Log still remains. Depending on how long the Temple held, there might be information as to the fate of Prince Coran."

Cynn blinked twice. "You want me…"

"To go with Aidan to the second floor." Mhenlo repeated. "Now don't dally. We have much work yet to do."

Cynn huffed, and turned about indignantly before following the bemused Ranger towards the heavily damaged spiral staircase leading up to their destination. Mhenlo pointed towards the south side of the temple, and said to Devona, "If I understand the layout of the temple correctly, we need to go this way."

They found the stairwell to the sublevel, fortunately somewhat lit by a humongous hole in the ceiling about twenty feet down.

"Okay… clearly you want to talk to me about something." Devona noted as Mhenlo examined every room from the hall.

"Am I that transparent?" The monk wondered out loud. "But yes… I became somewhat curious about something when you started asking me about the Prince before you were ordered to find him, but we haven't had the privacy to really discuss it."

"What?" Devona asked simply.

Mhenlo picked up a nameplate from where it had fallen off the wall, and said, "You wouldn't have happened to know the fair Prince Coran, would you?"

Devona jerked with a start, and asked as nonchalantly as she could, "Why… would you think that?"

"For two years before the Prince was sent here, I had the pleasure of being his chamber mate in Ashford Abbey. He was my elder guide during my first years of adolescent training." The monk explained. "Well, as is normal for two people who share chambers, we came to learn a lot about the other."

"Oh… you did?"

"Quite." At this point, Mhenlo's voice became almost teasing. "He spoke rather frequently of a young lady that he knew well in Rin, often boasting she was the strongest woman in Ascalon. Never mentioned her name, but the more I came to think about it… he wouldn't happen to have been referring to you?"

Devona sighed. There was no sense lying, especially since Mhenlo likely already knew the answer. "He probably was." She admitted.

"So that would make you…"

Devona held up a warning hand. "Don't even start. That was a long time ago. And don't discuss it with anyone else… understand?"

"Of course." The monk answered, moving to the end of the hall. "I meant not to accuse you of anything…" He then stopped, his brow furrowed in confusion as he noted there were no more rooms. "Now that's curious."

"What?"

"I have examined all of the rooms… but the Prince's seems to be unaccounted for. Had he held chambers here… he would have had a nameplate corresponding to the room."

"Maybe he had special housing elsewhere." Devona offered with a shrug.

"Perhaps so… but he rejected such special accommodation at Ashford. I can't imagine he would have suddenly changed his mind on that principle."

"Devona! Mhenlo!" Cynn's voice shouted from the staircase, and the elementalist bounded down with a thick hide bound book in her hand. "I found the Temple Log. It was hidden underneath some floorboards in a metal box."

"To keep it from being burned." Devona noted.

Cynn didn't even register that Devona had spoken. "Well, I took the liberty of looking through it…"

Mhenlo recoiled in horror. "The Temple Log carries confidential information pertaining to the faith of Dwayna! None not of her order is even permitted to see it, and even I need special permission to read what is inside!"

Cynn waved him off with a dismissive flip of her wrist. "Whatever. Anyway, I found something that you might find interesting. Turns out, our highness spent all of two days here in Tranquility Temple."

"Two days?" Devona queried. "That's impossible. Where would he have gone for nearly 5 years?"

"According to the High Priest's entry, he was then sent to a place called The Forgotten Academy."

Devona turned, and asked of the monk, "Mhenlo?"

On his end, he looked baffled, with wide eyes, and said. "I… have never heard of such a place. Does the Log mention where this Academy is?"

Cynn shook her head. "I was hoping you knew."

For a moment, Devona feared they had struck a dead end, when Aidan made his presence known. "Friends… I wish to show you something."

That "something" turned out to be outside the temple, along the north side of the ravine. The top of the cliff had collapsed, forming a small rockslide onto the bottom. Aiden ran his hand along the crumbled and weather-beaten stones, and said, "From my position on the second floor, I noticed what I thought to be cleaves in the cliff face, and judging from the even collapse of the cliff, I feel safe to assume this rockslide was intentional."

"Intentional?" Devona queried. "You mean someone made this collapse happen?"

"It appears so." Aidan replied. "The way the rocks fell was too even. Whoever did this indented the cliff face so that the slide would follow right to this spot. While I can't say accurately, I would guess judging from the relative lack of erosion that this rockslide occurred rather recently, anywhere within the last few years."

"You think the monks of Tranquility Temple caused this?" Mhenlo asked.

"My suspicion is that there was something on the other side that Dwayna's faithful did not want the Charr to find."

Devona cracked her knuckles, a grim determination setting in. "Well then, let's see what our fellow Ascalonians desired to keep so secret."