Read Online The Vitalis Chronicles: Tomb of the Relequim by Jay Swanson - Free Book Online

near the water's edge.
    He shook his head in wonder and got out of the water, the chill air above the creek tingling sharply along his wet skin. He dried quickly as he put on his clothes, loose fitting off-white trousers and a tight gray jacket with furled shoulders. A big brown leather belt held it all together, and the gray woolen cloak was a nice fit as well. He grit his teeth for a moment as the cloth rubbed against his shoulder. A harsh reminder of the pain he had caused.
    He pulled the hood over his head and looked upstream to where a light blue glint along the shore caught his eye. Tristram hadn't reappeared yet. Perhaps he was the source of that light. Ardin made his way towards it, the fresh boots like a massage on the soles of his feet after his long walk barefoot.
    The creek snaked slowly through the trees that gathered at its bank. After a few gentle twists he found himself staring at a tall rock face. It looked to be the very root of the mountain protruding from the bank of the creek. Out of a smooth crack came the dim, blue light. It wavered, growing gently in intensity before dying back down the same way. It was beautiful.
    Ardin walked up and inspected it more closely. He placed his fingers on the edge of the crack. As he ran them gently down the rock, he found little rivulets of energy coursing invisibly along the surface. He recognized them, pulsing under his touch like veins of blood in the stone. He had never felt them before and yet he knew what they were.
    He closed his eyes and let the old magic rise up within him and do as it would. It ran through his fingers and intertwined with the enchantments in the rock. It didn't take much, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a delicate design of flowers and ivy lit up along the stone where his fingers had run. The silvery light faded, and as it did the crack opened more widely and revealed a stairwell down under the mountain.
    On either wall were small floating balls of light that looked like glowing smoke. They twisted in on themselves as if compelled by some internal source of gravity. Eternally seeking to escape, ever only to return. They emanated the blue light he had seen. It reminded him of Tertian's home in the mountains. The thought made him hesitate. What if there was another Mage here, one who knew what he had done to Tertian?
    He shook the thought free. A cold resolution set in. He could handle himself. And he doubted he would have been led here, healed and clothed, only to be betrayed in a dimly lit cave.
    Ardin stepped onto the platform that led to the stairs. The crack in the door closed and sealed behind him. Well, that's that, he thought.
    He walked cautiously down the stairs. The lights floated in large square recesses which lined either side of the stairs like low windows into the mountain. The decorative carvings around and behind the lights were ornate, made up of subtle flowers and ivy. The whole place seemed to be touched by an engraver's grace. The place was beautiful, glistening with raw power and tender care. Awe filled him as he set foot in the hall. Its unmarred surface ran on from the bottom of the long stairwell until disappearing down what appeared to be another set of stairs farther on.
    The hall broadened significantly, possibly twice the width of the entrance. Statues lined either side so that the space through which he walked felt no wider than the stairwell behind. Each cast multiple shadows out onto the floor as the little lights behind them strove to stave off the darkness. He took his time wandering along, inspecting the statues that caught his attention.
    Each was of a different person, life-sized and posed as if caught in their most glorious or inspiring moment. There were men and women. Each was dressed in long flowing robes with an amazing amount of detail to their clothing. They were ornately layered, beautiful, and they all looked serenely peaceful and wise.
    He started reading their names. Each was carved in long