Casser and Wen looked at each other, thinking of how they should answer Retta’s question.“You can say that.” It was Casser who answered. “We had barely left the gates of Alnoc when imperial forces marched into Alnoc. We know now that Dalik, one of the Emperor’s top officers had entered the city and installed himself as governor.”Retta looked disturbed. “Maybe I was too young to remember, but I don’t recall seeing any of the imperial officers in Alnoc. I was just a little girl when I was brought here to learn the healing arts. Perhaps it’s best that I don’t remember Alnoc much.”“How old were you when you came here?” asked Eldion. All that time, he was just listening to what his companions were telling Retta.“I was about five years old. I remember glimpses of Alnoc. I remember the t

When the travelers were ready, they followed Retta as she walked silently around trees and bushes along a gravel path. Unlike the straight and level paths of Alnoc, Eldion saw that the gravel path led them around existing plants and trees rather than having them cut down. Many times, they had to duck or push low lying branches to get through.The sun had traveled close to the western horizon and Eldion wondered how far they were from the temple. He did not know how vast Rokuhari was, but after walking on the twisting path and on upward slopes, he realized that it was far bigger than he thought.They came to a small spring and Retta stopped at one side to wait for the others. The spring was surrounded by flowering shrubs that filled the air with a

The travelers climbed the steps that encircled the pyramid and reached the middle level. The sun was closer to the horizon and its rays shone on the pyramid such that the stone gleamed. Casser was able to catch up with Wen and led the group towards the opening midway up the pyramid. Casser peered inside the short passageway that was lit by the setting sun and found no one. Instead of entering the passageway, he looked at the exterior of the pyramid as if finding of any other access points.“What are you looking for?” asked Eldion who had arrived ahead of Mira.“Stairs. Maybe we can just skip this level and go ahead to the top,” explained Casser.The stone was golden under the weakening light of the sun. From Casser’s vantage point, he could not see any steps that would let them skip the middle level.“What are you doing?” asked Wen after seeing his two companions looking up at the pyramid. “Aren’t we s

The temple was bathed in the golden light of the setting sun and Eldion was amazed at how the light had changed the color of the stones and the small plants that had managed to grow in the crevices. He looked at his own hands and the faces of his companions and noticed the slightly pinkish glow because of the fading sunlight. Even the surrounding forests had changed color from bright green to a darker shade that seemed to anticipate the darkening of the sky.The three travelers made it to the entrance of the third level. It was more beautiful up close, thought Eldion, and he observed the tiny carvings on the stone pillars that were not visible from the base of the pyramid. There were flowering vines and other small plants that crawled around the pillars, softening the contours of the stones and adding color to the brownish gold of the surface.Between the pillars, Eldion noticed a wooden door with carvings of plants, not unlike the vines that were growing around the te

Every step that Wen took gave her a bigger view of the chamber that lay beyond. She looked at the high pyramidal ceiling that was adorned by gold and gemstones that sparkled in the light. There was an oculus through which the last rays of the sun entered and provided the light reflected by the precious stones and gold adornments of the chamber. Upon reaching the last step, Wen was astonished at the sloping walls that eventually joined to become the ceiling. Viewed from outside, it was the pyramidal structure that formed the topmost portion of the temple. Wen was amazed at the enormous amount of wealth that covered the walls from the carvings that were inlaid with gold to the gemstones that were set on the stone surface. As she looked up, she realized that the gemstones were meant to mimic the stars on a clear night sky.Wen dropped her sight and saw the carved stone flooring. It was of colored green marble that also tried to capture the colors and texture of a gr