Protector of Verron

Chapter 3: Temple

We walked further into the mountain. As we ventured more into the cave the light that dressed the cave tunnel walls got brighter. There were no lamps or torches or anything that I could see that would cause this.

As we turned this corner and that corner the cave walls got smoother and smoother with each turn to the right. Then they got fancy as if they were made by an artist. The smooth wall of the cave went to swirls and curves in a memorizing fashion. Each time we turned right a new pattern of swirls and curves emerged. They started to take color. It was like looking into outer space.

We turned right once more and again I was amazed. The swirls and curves were gone. the multitude of colors were gone. The walls looked like a sunny day with a crisp blue sky and a few white clouds. The left side of the cave had a golden hand rail. In front of me I could see a large opening and the left handrail wrapping around to the right. We reached the end of the tunnel and had started walking down an elaborate metal stair case with marble steps. I noticed that the hand rail was now marbled metal as well. It must have been made of different colors of gold and maybe some silver as well. It was smooth and cold to the touch.

I could see people walking down to the center of the cave. Some people were walking down stair cases from other openings in the mountain. Some were walking down steps that were carved into the mountain. They all had the same red robe on but they had their hoods over their head. They had their hands tucked away in the opposite cuff of the robe.

All of it looked pristine and well taken care of. The light was low but as more people started to gather in the center, the light in the cave got brighter and brighter as if someone was turning up the dim switch. Still there was no visible light source that I could see. The light was just there.

We had reached the bottom of the stair case. My guide mentioned over to stand to the left of him. I was able to grasp what this place really looked like for the first time. It looked like I was in the Roman Colosseum. There were a couple of rows of benches but above them instead of the open archers like the Colosseum that everyone knows there were columns and a small opening In front of the arches. They looked like they were built during the time of the Greeks and Roman Empire with columns in the front of the arches.I looked up to view the stair case that I just walked down and the opening at the top. There were no columns but the arches were there. My eye caught the ceiling and I could see that it was black and there were stars. I looked over the stars and saw the moon on the other end. It was the same full moon that I could see out side. It was like I was out side looking at it but I knew that I was deep inside the mountain somewhere unless all of those turns had forced me to be in some part of the mountain where I could see out but others couldn't see in.

There were about two hundred people in the center of the Colosseum. One of them started to walk over. As he did he but both hands up to his hood and removed it so it fell to his back.

As he approached, "You are not Taggel", he told me in a voice meant for a much older man.

He even looked a little different than my guide.

"My name is Kyle. Taggel gave me these powers before he died".

"If Taggel is dead we have much work to do. You must be taught how to use your powers now".

I explained to him, "Taggel said I should find a person called Gina Mants. He said she would be able to teach me".

The man slapped me on my right cheek.It wasn't hard but enough to get my attention. I rubbed my cheek for a second or two while he continued to talk.

"No time to talk. We must start training now. You so new you put your shield away around strange people while others are looking to kill you."

The man put his hands behind his back and got extremely close to me. He must have been an inch away from me.