Temple of the Traveler: Book 01 - Doors to Eternity

By Scott Rhine

Amazon Edition

Copyright 2012 Scott Rhine

Thanks to Tammy, my faithful first reader.

To my line-editor Katy Sozaeva, who thought it was worthwhile despite its length.

To Weston Kincade for high-level and structural edits.

This all started from a photo of Mount Girnar and the song “While the Earth Sleeps” by Peter Gabriel and Deep Forest.

Bablios
– a small, fertile kingdom in the southeast known for its wine and the Great Library.

Intaglios
– country to the northwest, known for its swamp-gas lights and intrigue.

Kiateros
– the fallen, mountainous kingdom of the far north, known for its mines and metal forging.

Mandibos
– country to the east known for its cattle and grain.

Semenos
– country to the northeast, known for its trees.

Zanzibos
– the large country to the southwest, bordered by desert to the west and plague lands to the south.

Brent
– a twelve-year-old newly apprenticed to Jotham.

Calligrose the Traveler
– the writer of the six holy books, the messenger of the gods, silent for the last 49 years.

Jotham the Tenor
– historian from the Great Library of Eskelon, half Imperial.

Nigel the Actor
– a wandering rogue who recites plays and trades news for his room and board.

Tashi the Sheriff
– the head of the military arm of the Temple of the Traveler. Missing large chunks of his memory. Student of Jotham.

Bunji
– a southern mercenary who betrays the Kragen family to save his own life and get rich.

Dvardoc the Artificer
– a dwarf from the north skilled at repairing artifacts from the Dawn people.

Humi
– the half-Imperial concubine of the wizard Kragen, a diver known as the Lady of the Deep.

Morlan
– Kragen’s chief Imperial bodyguard, made mute.

Navara the Ferret
– chief inquisitor and whip of Kragen.

Kragen
– Imperial Lord, underworld kingpin, and head wizard at the Temple of the Unseen.

Necrota the younger
– a ki mage, cousin of Vlekmar.

Tumberlin
– Imperial wizard apprenticed to Lord Kragen, and overweight son of an ambassador.

Vlekmar
– senior ki mage, cousin of Necrota.

Wrathrok
– the mad fire mage.

Babu
– backup swordsman. A comedian.

Baran Togg
– a smith whose name means ‘the Last Messenger’.

Dhagmurna
– the guildmaster, Nerissa’s husband.

Gallatin
– an archer who dreams of retiring to a vineyard.

Hon Li
– the well-dressed, fop lieutenant of Sulandhurka, a swordsman.

Nerissa
– noblewoman, wife, and guiding force behind the guildmaster, Tashi’s adopted sister.

Sulandhurka
– an ex-slaver, head of the fourteen-executioner team sent after Tashi.

Borchart
– King of Bablios in name, but fonder of wine than ruling.

Darius
– a steward at the Great Library.

Khalid
– the Prefect of Bablios, head intelligence officer, de facto ruler.

Onira
– captain of an ill-fated company of the King of Zanzibos’ Scouts, sent to deliver an insulting message to Kragen.

Pinetto
– an Imperial astronomy student turned wizard, friend of the smith.

Sajika
– a female spy, member of the Bablios secret police.

Shima
– corporal in Captain Onira’s Zanzibosian Scouts. Born near Barnham.

Strellikan
– the superintendent of the Royal Mint of Zanzibos in Innisport, an old, Imperial, precious-metal worker.

Zandar
– King of Zanzibos, whose clan owns the silver mines.

Beryl the Wise
– the priest of Semenos on Sandarac’s council.

Garad
– the General of Semenos’ army on Sandarac’s council.

Ginza the Keeper
– the sergeant at arms in Sandarac’s council.

Harkan
– an old priest of Semenos who starts a heresy.

High Gardener
– the head of the church of Semenos.

Hisbet the Viper
– the head of the Intaglios Intelligence Service, on Sandarac’s council.

Lavender
– elder sister of King Renald.

Lugwort the Jeweler
– the next official king of Kiateros, in exile.

Renald
– boy king of Semenos, puppet of the High Gardener.

Sandarac the Pretender
– self-proclaimed emperor of the north, an Imperial unable to walk.

Urgot
– the Intagliosian High Priest of the Sacred Flame.

Vinspar
– an Imperial scholar from the Inner Islands on Sandarac’s council.

Zariah the Seeress
– the green-eyed high priestess of the Temple of Sleep.

Akashua
– the last warlord of Myron, a marqui retired in protest.

Archanon
– the archfiend who guards the Spirit Temple.

Gamael the Wise
– a former abbot of the Spirit Temple who sometimes advises Tashi.

Myron
– the last Emperor of his dynasty, whose mistakes precipitated the Scattering.

Nieral
– the chief bodyguard of Myron who carried the Defender of the Realm.

“Why are we doing this, teacher?” Tashi hissed. Gripping his crossbow tightly, he studied the dwindling candles near the entrance to the sanctuary. They’d been trying to find the altar’s relic for too long.

“Patience,” Jotham the Tenor responded in a high voice. The tall man reached deep into a hole in the floor. He pressed his ear against the polished wood, and his white hair fanned out beside him wildly like the rays from the sun. A hammer, chisel, and fencepost lay within reach of his right hand. The priest had disassembled the stone bench of the altar and pried up several flooring sections. “The guards don’t make rounds often. We have at least ten bits longer.”

Tashi wanted to say, “Patrols are infrequent because only an
insane
person would try to rob the Brotherhood of Executioners in their own headquarters.” But that would be disrespectful. Instead, he counted the heartbeats they had left.

The priest saw his lips moving. “Your disguise is flawless. You’re dressed in one of their uniforms with a set of their chainmail. You have the same olive skin tone as most of the locals.” Finding nothing of interest, Jotham placed the fencepost under the next section. Another floorboard cracked loudly as the priest pushed on the lever.

Tashi didn’t argue. They’d see through his disguise. The last time he’d dealt with the Brotherhood, they’d left him for dead in a ditch. “It helps me to know why, teacher.”

“For the last forty-nine years, since the Great Silence began, what question have people been asking?” inquired the priest as he wrecked more of the finely crafted wood.