In a quarter of an hour the fomoires and Alexander were all wide awake and crawling further down another hallway of Paititi.
Endless corridors and halls merged into shady bleakness were turning every last feeling and thought to despair, making Leir—and the others, apparently—feel like a tiny ant in the world of giants.
They were walking side by side in the same grave silence, only their steps disturbed the perfect stillness. They thought and rethought about each step and move. Maybe the city was built by the Incas hundreds of years ago, maybe it was buried in oblivion according to history books, but that couldn't be applied to the traps the citizens of Paititi had left.
Yesterday, escaping from one of the stratagems, unlucky travelers almost got entombed in ruins of a collapsed passage. It was barely possible to pass the tunnels even with the map—or with the person who claimed to memorize the map flawlessly.
Anya's father was guiding the fomoires through the Paititi temple for two days now, thoroughly choosing the route among the twisting tunnels. The great door leading to the main hall appeared to be locked tight, impossible to break in even for Tane. Therefore, they were forced to look for another way in.
Dangerous and deadly surprises waited for them around every corner. Metal spikes flying out of the walls tried to pierce through Leir's flesh, greenish fire tried to burn him alive. All the mechanisms worked as good as new, how was that possible to accomplish for half-wild Peruvian tribes?
And the lightening crystal was dying out—a few more hours, and the fomoires with their guide would be left in absolute darkness with not a single chance to survive.
"Who built all this?" Tane asked Alexander, nervously inspecting a doorway covered with soot for some unknown reasons.
"I was hoping you would tell me," Alexander chuckled and his voice echoed in the halls menacingly. "My guess is that the Incas were the inventors. Once, their civilization was the richest and the cleverest in the world. And I won't be shocked if your ancestors who hid the book in here had taught them all of it."
As a demonstration of his words, Alexander threw his half eaten apple over Tane's shoulder and through an arch. Bluish flames instantly blazed, turning the apple to ashes before it could reach the floor.
Tane swallowed hard. "Got it. That's the wrong path to go." He hurried after the others, his hair blown about his face. "But still, why fire? They could spread some kind of poisonous gas, for example. I'm pretty sure that would be a more tormenting way of dying."
"The Incas worshipped sun gods," Alexander explained briefly, peering into a dim passage with his eyes. "That's why there's so much gold and fire in here. Let's be optimistic and think that your book isn't concealed in an infernal fire trap of some sort, too."
They walked to the end of the tunnel just to see one more, exactly the same.
"The myths of the daitias say," Leir started, clearing his throat, hoping that the conversation would somehow push depressing thoughts from his friends' minds. "Since ancient times, there was a secret order called 'Universe', their job was to keep The Book of Fates safe. The same myths say all the people of Da'Ariya once were the descendants of the only one race that came from a planet of the Orion constellation."
"Another childish story to go," Charna snorted in annoyance, and marched past them.
Leir watched the red-haired fomorian strode ahead, her black cardigan blending with the darkness, and went on. "The members of the Universe could predict the future and they saw that a blood-shedding war was coming. In order to conceal precious knowledge, the members disappeared along with the artifact. Legend says that only when the time comes, they will reveal themselves once again and allow bringing the book back to light." Leir let out suppressed laughter. "I'm not really into the last part of this prophesy. So let's say time has come."
"I'm not the only one who's interested in history of other nations." Alexander glanced at Leir with respect.
"Don't seek a friend in me. I'm not that kind of person."
"And what kind of person are you, Leir?"
"The kind that trusts no one, but yet keeps his word."
They went in silence through two more hallways, identical to the previous ones. Charna continued strolling a few steps ahead, with her chin up and her back tense, like a warrior ready to strike. Tane and Nagal were leisurely walking a few steps behind, quietly squabbling about something as usual.
"May I ask you a question?" Alexander flicked his eyes sideway at Leir again. The man looked enormously tired, but his gait was still firm and confident. "Just out of professional curiosity."
"Spit it out."
"You said the fomoires aren't welcome in Sutāla, you can't even approach Sutālian borders without fear of being killed if I understood you right last time we spoke."
"So?"
"Where did you learn their history so thoroughly then?"
"I have my sources," Leir cut the man off. Also, my sources say that your daughter is with the daitias right now, Leir thought, but that's something you don't need to know just yet. He changed the subject. "Regardless, I'm not trying to boast of my education here. I'm simply trying to point out that we can be one hundred percent sure all the traps we came across aren't sophisticated enough for the daitias or their ancestors. If they were the ones building them, there would be an unbreakable magnetic field that wouldn't let us even approach Paititi. Or there'd be laser cannons that would dissolve us into molecules. Or—"
Leir's voice unwillingly trailed off as they reached another dead end. A massive stone door with golden cravings rose before them, locked tight as all the others and literally grown into the walls.
"Is this a joke?!" Charna barked and cocked her head to glare at Alexander, her eyes glowing with pure rage. "This is the third dead end you brought us to during the last two hours! Are you doing this on purpose?"
"I'm looking for the shortest way in," Alexander answered matter-of-factly. "If you know better..."
"Oh, I know better! I know that it was Leir who promised to keep you alive, but not me! If you're—"
"Charna," Leir gave the fomorian a meaningful look. She pressed her lips together in an offended line and silenced.
"Why can't we just smash the wall open?" Nagal suggested, approaching, Tane trotting along with him.
Tane chuckled in amusement, brushed his sweaty hair from his forehead and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants, making some kind of a show out of it. "Smash it if you want to. But I'm not going to watch while some prehistoric viper strikes you, hopping from the crack."
Nagal grinned. "Are you going to save me?"
"Maybe." Tane shrugged, and grinned too. "Maybe not. Or maybe I'm going to charm the snake away with my compliments."
They both whinnied, jostling and nudging each other in a playful fight like two naughty children. No one bothered to glance in their direction.
"And what if we will never get out of here, Leir?" Charna would not relent. "Are you going to be so friendly to this human still? Or will you remember that you're Leir Hellhaith, Kraine's son, the heir to the Pateal's throne, the protector of your people?" She looked into his eyes. "My protector."
Leir didn't answer. He watched Anya's father study symbols on the walls, perplexed. Alexander didn't care about his companion's arguing at all. The man was doing his job of discovering mysteries. Probably, Alexander is the only one who's still sane here, Leir thought.
"I do remember very well, thank you, Charna." Leir finally said and met her coffee brown eyes. "And since I am your prince as you just pointed out, I wish to hear no more of your complaints regarding me or my behavior."
Charna's face stiffened, revealing her battered pride. "As you wish, Your Highness," she replied, her voice devoid of emotion, and averted her eyes.
Leir almost felt sorry for treating her that way. He considered her to be his friend, they'd been through a lot together. And he also knew she considered him a friend, too. Even more than a friend apparently, though Leir had never promised her anything. Or had he?.. Anyway, now Charna was crossing the line with those words.
Kraine's son ran his hand through his tousled hair, collecting his thoughts, and then spoke in a more serious, business-like tone, "There's always a way out of the impasse. I can make some upgrade on the lightning crystal. And we can use the remaining energy of it to break the wall as Nag suggested."
"Save your grandiose plants," Alexander groaned, his finger traveling along the marks on the wall, face scheming. "As I mentioned before, Paititi citizens were also humans, so they led mundane lives. There are lots of different chambers and building in here. We've tried to go through the part of the temple where official ceremonies were held, we failed. Yet, we can try another wing the commoners lived in. It would take some time, but we don't have many options."
"Lead the way," Leir nodded.