could easily fall in on him. Or hot lava could come gushing up from the depths and flood these corridors, burning him alive. If the ancient philosophers were right though, he told himself, that would not happen. The poison breath of the volcano would kill him first. It was not a reassuring thought.
He was aware of the enormous flows of magical energy around him. This entire site was a nexus of enormous power, of a very specific, sacred kind. This temple was not just located on a fault line in the earth’s crust but on a fault line on the surface of the universe. The god or extra-dimensional entity or whatever Asuryan was could reach into the world of mortals here.
Aenarion had made his ascension here for a reason. This was the only place in the world where he could be invested with Asuryan’s blessing. There must be other places in the world like this, he thought, where other Powers could reach in.
Vaul’s Anvil would be one, which would explain why so many artefacts had been made there. It was a certainty that the Chaos Wastes must be like this for the daemon gods. There must be other shrines where elf, human and dwarf gods could touch the world. There must also be ways in which that magical energy could be tapped, if only a wizard could find a way.
The sudden insight lifted Teclis out of himself for a moment, and took away his fear and uncertainty. If he could only find a way to do that... It was a blasphemous thought but one that came naturally to him.
The fear returned, redoubled as the priest led him into a dimly lit cave where three masked and shadowy figures waited. He knew he had reached the shrine itself. Titanic statues of all the old elf gods were suddenly visible as flames leapt from the great central pit. They vanished back into shadow as the fire died down.
A glance told him that the three were all wizards of great power but the most potent presence by far dwelled within that pit flanked by twin altars. He walked towards the priests. Their hands moved in what might have been a blessing but which instinct told him was the beginning of a divinatory spell.
‘Disrobe,’ the first told him. He did so slowly and uncomfortably, aware of how weak and unfit his body must look to them. He coughed, in spite of all his efforts not to. He did not want to show weakness here of all places. He felt sure that they would hold it against him. They were elves and elves were like that.
The three circled around him, inspecting him minutely. He thought he sensed their contempt and their mockery. It took all his strength of will to avoid covering his private parts with his hands.
‘No blemishes,’ said one. ‘But he is very infirm. His muscles are wasted.’
Teclis felt ashamed of himself. He knew he had been judged and found wanting.
‘No stigmata of Chaos,’ said another. ‘He may not live. His lungs are weak.’
That comment made him angry. He was well aware of how precarious his grasp on life was. He did not need these three to rub his face in it. Who were they to pass judgement on him?
Presumably very well qualified indeed, the calmer and more sardonic part of his mind observed. Otherwise they would not be here.
‘No visible taint,’ said the third. ‘It is not Chaos that has made him this way. If he is cursed it is with ill-health.’
The three stopped and looked at each other and began to commune as if he were not present. ‘It is too early to pass judgment on that,’ said the first.
‘I concur. With such a one as this the taint will not be visible. It will be spiritual and connected with power,’ said the second.
‘I stand corrected,’ said the third. ‘Let us proceed.’
The three of them began to work a ritual magic of great power and sophistication. Teclis watched fascinated as they wove the spell. It was divinatory magic of awesome complexity. He followed every part of the weave even if he did not understand all of its functions.
If he had possessed any doubts about the skill of these wizards, their ability to work this spell would have removed them. It was part ward, to contain any inimical magic that might be unleashed, and part revelatory spell designed to inspect his body and soul for the effects of the curse and the