Awakening (Telindell Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

must be really important if they have been protecting it for that long…” he thought.
    Finally, Marrow smiled and let out an excited chuckle. “Here we are!” he announced.
    Lian looked around, but all he saw was the cliff’s edge to his left and the mountain to his right. “Where Elder?”
    “Through here,” said Marrow as he stepped to the mountain face and began to squeeze through a small opening. “This will be much easier for you, boy.  I’m a bit bigger than I was last time,” he said, struggling to squeeze through.
    Lian started easing through the opening behind the elder.  They emerged into a pitch dark cavern.  Lian couldn’t see a thing as he called to Marrow. “Elder… Elder where are you?”
    Marrow’s voice echoed through the darkness. “Over here, boy.  Stay put for just a moment.”
    Lian stood still. Then, the sound of a striking flint rock could be heard along with the brief flash of sparks bouncing along the ground.  The cavern filled with light as the Elder lit a torch.
    “Come, boy. The chamber is deeper inside, and mind your step,” said Marrow.
    They began walking deeper into the cavern until they reached a great chasm.
    Marrow looked down to Lian.  “Now, don’t look down. It’s a long way to the bottom,” he said as he stepped onto a narrow bridge, seemingly formed naturally across the chasm.
    Lian followed Marrow, peering over the edge only to see a dark void with an eerie white mist masking any sign of a bottom.  After crossing the bridge, they came to a halt with nothing in front of them but the cavern wall.  Lian watched the elder as he ran his hand along the wall, looking for something. 
    Marrow groaned as his hand ran along the wall. “Now, it should be… here it is,” he said with enthusiasm.
    Marrow pushed on the wall, revealing a pressure plate.  The plate slid back into the cavern wall, and the cavern began to shake as rocks began to fall from the ceiling.  Lian looked around at the falling rocks, some smashing into the cavern floor, others falling endlessly into the chasm.  He looked to the elder and saw that the wall was beginning to slide away, revealing a doorway.  Soon after, the cave quit shaking, allowing Marrow to enter the newly revealed doorway.  Lian followed closely, the light of the torch unable to pierce the darkness of the chamber.  Marrow stepped to the side of the doorway and touched the torch to the wall.  Light sprang from the wall as flames ignited.  Lian’s eyes grew wide as he watched the flame travel around the wall, igniting torches and revealing the chamber’s circular shape. 
    Marrow looked down at Lian’s astonished face. “That is a pretty neat trick, isn’t it?” he asked playfully.  “I had the same expression when I first saw.”
    Lian looked to Marrow. “Trick?”
    Marrow smiled at Lian. “Yes, you see there is a path along the wall filled with oil.” Marrow pointed towards the pathway as he spoke.  “You light the oil, and the flame travels around the room igniting the torches.  When we close the chamber the fire quickly consumes the oxygen in the room and extinguishes itself.  Understand?”
    Lian nodded. “That is a pretty neat trick.” 
    He looked around the edges of the room, then to the center.  On the left, he saw a towering stone statue of a beautiful woman wearing a cloak that draped from her back and tied at the neck. Her upper body was covered only by a piece of cloth covering her breasts. She wore only a short skirt on her bottom half. The statue held a long staff at her side, with her hair hanging well below her waist.  To the right was another statue.  This one was a man with no facial hair wearing a plain robe.  He was holding a staff as well, except his was curved at the top.  He had long flowing hair similar to the female’s.  Lian noticed that the male statue had pointed ears.  In the center, farther back in the room was yet another statue depicting a man kneeling.  This