Sekali, "The Sister City"
Chapter 34
Shaken, the three stood at the beginning of the passageway leading to the right, but neither Finyat nor Uther would proceed into the tunnel. Sekali led them, deep in reflective thought about what he had just beheld. In fact, so entranced was he that Uther could have waved his axe in front of him without a reaction. The tunnel began to angle downwards so that they had to be careful of their footing. On the floor of the tunnel there appeared broken stairs here and there, protruding through the buildup of fallen dust and debris of many centuries.
She must be Mehentaon (Herald), he thought to himself, Stithis (spirit) of great power. But why here? There must be something great about this city.
Sekali led them all downward, slipping on loose rocks now and then. He did not attempt to conceal how she had affected him. He noticed that Uther had been stone-quiet since her appearance. Good. Finyat was silent as well. He had a fevered look in his eyes, as if he was looking for something important, yet did not know where to find it.
They traversed the tortuous path she had directed them to, but the feeling of her presence did not subside. Looking at the other two, it seemed as if each had some inner thoughts relating to his own. They had been quiet for nearly an hour; a remarkable thing in itself. After wandering down the tunnel, Uther pointed his axe ahead.
"Something is there, see?"
Sekali nodded as Finyat squinted in the dim light of the torches. There was a figure of a person against the wall of the tunnel, unmoving. They moved closer to it, investigating every nook and cranny. As they neared the person, Sekali felt his heart pound painfully in his chest. At first he could not tell if it was a person, or if some unlucky creature had stumbled in from the wilds, unlucky enough to meet The Lady in her wrath.
Long auburn hair hung loosely down the back and sides of the corpse. Mabuhi came to his mind as he neared the corpse. Sekali knelt by the dead, investigating this dark mystery deeper, and found it to be the Druid. His blood chilled, and his mind reeled at the sight of her. He put out a hand and touched her. She was still warm.
Finyat readied his weapons, looking around hastily for the killer. Uther grunted something about not meaning what he had said before, about wanting to kill her. He knelt at Sekali's side and lowered his head in respect. Finyat kept watch, always peering up and down the tunnel expecting to be waylaid by some monstrous fiend.
Sekali’s thoughts were about Mabuhi. He had left her but three days ago. How could she have gotten here before them? They traveled steadily to this city. How? Something was not right here.
"This cannot be real. We left her safe not three days past. There are forces at work here . . . powerful influences.” He looked at Finyat and Uther, eyes glinting with such malice and hatred that both stepped back a pace.
“Dark forces, or I am a fool. Let us avenge her, or die, for she was a pure maiden, unlike any other."
Sekali turned to Mabuhi and looked down upon her, eyes glinting darkly. Shaking his head, he bitterly turned and began bitterly stalking down the tunnel without waiting for his companions. As he marched, he readied his shield and positioned his blade, determined to commit vengeance.
They followed the tunnel downward for quite some time; it seemed never to end.