The blade came down the statue hard and the statue fell out of the flat rock where Lankko had placed it. Enzir’s jaw dropped and his eyes widened, looking at Lankko in disbelief.Lankko bent down to pick up the statue from where it fell on the ground and examined it closely. “Interesting," he said as he looked at the place where his blade hit the statue. He blew on the spot and rubbed it in circular motions using the base of his palm. Lankko spat on his palm and was about to apply his spit on the statue when Enzir snatched the statue away from Lankko."I told you to take care of it, Lankko!" shouted Enzir, bringing the statue as far away from Lankko as possible."It's alright, Jad Enzir. Look at it. You'll find that there’s no scratch." Lankko said confidently.Enzir held the statue closer and let the light reflect from its glossy surface. Lankko was right. The statue sustained no damage, not even a scratch."That's one special statue, Jad Enzir. Only the really powerful artifacts coul

The branches of the nearby plants shook vigorously as if a huge creature was passing through. Leaves rustled and twigs snapped before the thick leaves in front of Lankko parted to reveal Enzir who had just come after his walk in the surrounding jungle.Lankko breathed easier and his shoulders dropped slightly as he relaxed upon seeing Enzir."Still at it?" asked Enzir, seeing Lankko with his blade drawn. “I hope you didn’t hack the statue into pieces.” Then, Enzir looked behind Lankko to find the statue still intact and apparently undamaged. Enzir nodded after seeing the magical artifact unharmed. “What have you done with it? I heard you shouting ever so loudly that even the birds got disturbed and flew away.”Lankko was surprised that Enzir seemed to be interested in the experiments that he was conducting unlike before when his master would just tell him to get things done without caring how difficult it was or whether Lankko had the resources. Lankko enthusiastically recounted what h

Earlier that day, Casser left Eldion and Wen at the temple and soon reached the bridge that crossed the moat. From there, he ran as fast as he could until he reached the tall reeds that grew over the swamp. Then, he waded through the water and mud and easily retraced his steps that morning by following the trail of broken reeds that he intentionally made as the crossed the swamp to find Alanca and Noha. Soon, he reached the place where they left the cart.Casser heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the cart just as they left it. He quickly lifted the cover and went inside. The pigeons were still inside their cage but looked agitated for not having anything to eat or drink the whole morning. Casser took a few scoops of grain and fed the pigeons. He also poured them water to drink. The pigeons ate the grains voraciously and soon finished their food. Then, Casser opened the cage and carefully took out one of the pigeons. He examined it and whispered to it and then got off the cart. He went

The sun was already setting when Eldion and Wen were able to return to the temples. The sky was splashed with brilliant colors of red and orange, providing a colorful backdrop to the crumbling walls and towers of the temples. The statues in the inner courtyard glowed in the fading light. Eldion wondered what the statues were for and why they were all gathered in the courtyard. Up close, he was able to see that the statues were of men and women in different poses, engaged in different activities. There were soldiers and swordsmen as well as servants all in the middle of doing something. In the middle of the courtyard were statues of couples dancing merrily. Eldion observed how the statues themselves were very detailed and could only have been carved by talented sculptors. Eldion wondered where the stones the statues were carved came from and how long the statues had been standing there. Unlike most of the temple and the surrounding areas, the statues and the courtyard were relatively cl

They all went quiet and stared at the fire. The fire crackled and quickly consumed the wood that Casser had just placed. The embers started to glow dimmer as its surface turned into ash. Eldion asked for permission to place more firewood from Casser who nodded his approval."So, did you carve all these sculptures?" Eldion asked Shaan after placing wood into the fire. Eldion was looking at the wall carvings and was admiring the intricate details."Some of them," replied Shaan. "They were all created by my Guild. The carvings on these walls, however, and the gallery across from us where Verna found you, were by my own hand.""They're very beautiful," said Wen, admiring the carvings on the walls."Thank you," said Shaan, bowing his head. "I carved these so that if time comes that we finally left this jungle, people who see them would know what really happened.""The stories told about you had already taken different versions," said Casser."And mostly to suit the storyteller," added Wen.