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glad that his enemies did not.
The Temu routed the defenders, and those who could not run away soon died.
Taischek glowed in his possession of Dursalene. The Sabuto King would learn of
this outrage by nightfall, and Taischek happily pictured the man s livid
expression. Having border villages looted annoyed the Sabuto, but the rape of
Dursalene would really set the Sabuto Tribe behind.
Come Dreibrand, let us go inform the local rysmavda that they have not
collected their tribute for Jingten this year, Taischek suggested cheerfully,
dismissing his recent flirtation with mortality.
At the temple, Temu warriors were already trying to break down the barricaded
entrance. A team of four battered the doors with a marble bust of the Sabuto
Prime Rysmavda, who dwelled in the capital city of Chanda.
The local rysmavda had retreated into the sanctuary of their temple and they
hurled threats from behind the high shuttered windows.
The barred door of the temple reluctantly began to split and the marble bust
crushed the beautiful designs carved into the surface. The stern face
of the marble Prime Rysmavda suffered the indignity of battering his own
temple. The sturdy door resisted as long as it could, but it had never been
meant to resist such bold behavior from humans. The wood shattered and the
warriors hurled the bust through the gaping entrance. The marble sculpture
crashed on the floor, and the nose and an ear chipped off.
Taischek whacked the broken door out of his way with his spiked mace and
strode into the temple with his gang of warriors. The senior rysmavda of the
temple faced them in the antechamber.
Begone blasphemer! he cried. Onja shall torment your soul forever for your
crime.
Onja s power is gone and she can t help you, Taischek shouted triumphantly.
The rysmavda cowered as the Temu King raised his terrible weapon and the
bloody spikes ripped across his chest. Blood spurted across the shredded blue
robe, and the rysmavda crumpled, screaming in pain.
Another blow ended his life.
The Temu swarmed into the inner sanctum of the round temple and two rysmavda
kneeled before a pedestal with a crystal orb on it. The orb was about half the
size of the great orbs in Onja s throne room, but it pulsed with the blue glow
of rys magic.
Faith could not keep one of the rysmavda on his knees, and he sprang away from
the pedestal as the Temu stormed toward him. The rysmavda who stayed on his
knees died first, and the one who fled died second.
Pointing to Xander, Taischek told him to clear out the upper levels, and the
General bounded up the wide staircase at the opposite side of the inner
sanctum, followed by half the warriors.
Kill them all! Taischek ordered.
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Dreibrand had rushed inside the temple with his sword ready, but there was
nothing for him to do. The King had killed two of the three dead priests, and
the intruders met no more resistance on the ground level. A
few brief screams came from the upper level, but Xander and his crew were soon
finished with the violence.
Dreibrand looked around the inner sanctum of the temple. White columns lined
the circular wall, and between the columns, rich frescoes of brilliant color
filled the spaces. Each fresco featured a portrait of Onja in
various settings. Sometimes she was the aloof Queen on her throne, in others
she walked in lush meadows and seemed to beckon the bloom from the plants or
she brushed her blue hands across the golden tops of ripening grain. In one
pose, Onja stood over a mother and new infant, which immediately disturbed
Dreibrand although he realized it was supposed to be appealing. In another
portrait, only the starry night surrounded Onja, but no matter what the
setting, she always bore the same beautifully indifferent face.
He counted twelve portraits and in the last space stood a statue instead of a
painting. Carved from the blue stone of the Rysamand, her polished form was
larger than life, and the glow from the orb on the pedestal reflected on the
jewels set in her eyes.
What do you think? Are you a believer yet? Taischek said.
Dreibrand smiled. No, King Taischek. But the art is quite good.
Taischek laughed, seeming to find the comment particularly funny for his own
reasons.
The crashing of furniture being tipped over came from the upper level and
Xander soon came downstairs to report that the temple was completely clear.
We have already found much in their quarters. These priests were squirreling
away more than their share, Xander said wryly.
Typical, grunted Taischek. But we know where they keep the good stuff.
A warrior extracted a set of keys from the corpse of the senior rysmavda near
the entrance and gave them to Taischek. The King unlocked the door under the
staircase, which led down to the temple vault. Many chests of treasure were
stowed below the inner sanctum, and the Temu hurried to loot the vault.
Take as much as you can carry. We ll have no time for wagons. We have to be
riding out of here before late day, Taischek announced while breaking the
lock on a chest with his heavy mace.
Dreibrand selected two bags of gold. One had coins and the other held raw
nuggets, carefully pried from the bones of the mountains. He left the broken
temple and deposited the gold in his saddlebags. He watered his horse, and
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