The Search For Tython Part 4 The Keep

~\*{ THE SEARCH FOR TYTHON }\*~

"A one shot series about founding the New Je'daii Order

Part four: the Keep

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Music: "the Curse" by, Agnes Obel

https://youtu.be/6h9XUYj96ho

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For months the Iktotchi studied the book she had stolen from the archives, only to learn that the clue she needed to find was back on Prakith. Bathori and her lifemate Terrogate returned to the fortress world in the Deep Core and discovered a tomb under the mural chamber. Somehow the person it belonged to had a connection to the Iktotchi witch that helped her discover this hidden room and the clue she needed to find: Andeddu's Keep. The immortal God-King had a vast collection of knowledge, a library he entombed himself with. Mab knew that she had to find Andeddu's last resting place, she was certain that the final clue to find Tython was there. The Holocron she had found on Korriban contained maps of Prakith, even ones that dated back to Andeddu's Reign. They knew where to go.

~\*~

Prakith: 159 ABY

The two stood underneath the massive arched entrance of the tunnel. Pieces of the ancient gate scattered around, smouldering from the laser blast. Mab looked to her partner, "are you ready?" she said with a slightly nervous tone. The tunnel was dark and eerie, she sensed the darkness that lay on the other end. "I am if you are my love" the Cathar said and switched on the torch he held in his hand. It's light was bright, and its reach was quite far but the tunnel was much bigger. The Iktotchi followed his lead and switched on her own torch and started walking.

As soon as they stepped into the tunnel the acoustics changed, suddenly every little sound was amplified as they bounced off the curved walls deeper into the darkness. They walked past the debris of the old gate. Shivers went down their spines as they ventured deeper into the dark tunnel. Mab shone her torch on the walls, it was clearly man made as they were perfectly smooth. As she aimed her torch at the high arched ceiling she noticed old iron lanterns. "Look" she whispered but her voice carried on. The Cathar looked up "you think they would still burn?" The witch stopped "one way to find out" and she stretched out her arm, aiming pyrokinesis at the lantern but nothing happened. She chuckled "I guess these will have to do'' she held her torch up and continued walking. Terrogate followed her and caught up with her, "this place creeps me out." "Well, we are at the doorstep to the home of the 'Immortal God-King'." She responded with a chuckle.

For a while they walked without speaking, the echoes were unsettling, everything about that tunnel was. "It's awfully warm here" the Catharian mumbled. "Prakith is volcanic my dear" she responded as she glanced at him. "It might not seem that way from the surface with snow and icy winds, but inside the mountains you'll feel the heat of this very active and unstable world… it would seem logical for someone who didn't want to be found to build their fortress near an epicenter of volcanic activity." She could sense his surprise and let out a chuckle. He looked at her with wide open eyes, "You mean we are heading into an active volcano?" "Maybe" she lets out an evil laugh and winked at her lover. Her laughter bounced against the ancient walls making sound more sinister than she had intended it to be, giving even herself the chills. "Don't worry, this place has been here for centuries." They walked for what seemed like an hour before they saw the end of the tunnel. "Almost there" Mab said and started to pick up the pace, not only was she eager to get to the Keep she was also anxious to get out of that tunnel.

A few minutes later they emerged from the tunnel, behind them the exit of the arched tunnel they just came from, and steep walls of the mountain, in front of them Andeddu's Keep. Both of them stopped in their tracks and gazed up to the towering structure and impenetrable fortress with high walls and no windows within reach. A path to the left that led up along a ledge to a massive gatehouse. They were unable to see the gate from where they stood, they would have to get closer. The Iktotchi took a deep breath and started walking. But Terrogate grabbed her by the shoulder "are you sure it is abandoned?" Slightly worried herself she glanced over her shoulder "well, supposed that Wyyrlok put an end to the Malevolence. It should be abandoned." Truthfully the Iktotchi witch wasn't sure, the governmental records didn't say much about the Keep after Andeddu disappeared, all her information came from Sith lore. She started walking, going left up the slope that led to a terrace. Mab leaned over the wall along the ledge, hot steam drifted up from a bottomless chasm blocking most of the sun. From the terrace she could see more of the fortress that was built along the ridge.

"Mab… dear?" the Cathar called from behind her. She turned back and saw that he had turned right at the terrace, following the path up to the giant gatehouse. Only now she saw the gate and it was closed. Quickly she joined the Cathar and as she stood closely next to him he nudged her shoulder "kriff… did you bring the key?" he chuckled. Looking at the lowered portcullis in front of them "how are we going to get in there?" he added. Briefly she stood there silent, she had no answer to that question, she was just as surprised to see the fortress sealed up, as he was.

"Don't you think it's odd?" She suddenly asked and turned to the Cathar. He frowned thoughtfully "what do you mean?" "Suppose that Wyyrlok came here in 137 ABY, searching for a way to save his master, Darth Krayt. He already had the Holocron of Heresies in his possession but believed he needed Andeddu himself to unlock its secrets." She paused and walked towards the heavy metal drop gate "He fought off the Malevolence, killing them all." Suddenly stopping in her tracks she looked at Terrogate and added "So who locked the doors?" His eyes widened in surprise. "that's a good question." "137, that's only 22 years." Mab let out a nervous chuckle and scratched herself behind her horn. Turning back towards the gate house she continued to walk. Placing her hands on the gate she continued to speak "It doesn't make sense, no one survived" the witch said as she moved her hands over the metal lattice grille. "Maybe the people of Prakith sealed it off" the Cathar suggested as he stood next to her. Mab let go of the drop gate and stepped back "What do you mean?" "Well, maybe when they found out that the Malevolence was really gone they sealed the place up, to avoid anyone from entering this.. ehm.. this dark place" the Catharian explained. Silently she nodded, it was a plausible explanation, "that would also explain why nothing had been mentioned about the Keep in governmental records. To make people forget about it" For a moment she thought about it but then kicked against the portcullis "that still doesn't get us inside without having to break an entry." With those words she reached for 'queen of the fairies', her lightsaber. "Guess this is the only way".

With a crackling hum the minty green blade ignited. "Are you sure that is wise?" The Cathar asked. "If you have a better idea?" The pale skin of the Iktotchi looked almost luminous in the minty green glow of the saber, her golden eyes sparkled a vibrant green as she waited for his response. But Terrogate had no idea what else they could try and shook his head. With a smile she turned to the portcullis, and moved towards where the pedestrian door was located behind the metal gate. "If we do it together it will go faster" she suggested as she placed the blade on the metal bars of the gate, guiding downward to meld through the old metal. Terrogate ignited his red lightsaber and did the same on the opposite side of the wicket. Their blades crackled loudly as they burned through the thick metal. Drops of sweat formed on the pale Iktotchi's forehead, but after a few minutes they had created an opening for them to go through.

She switched off her saber and this time placed both hands on the wicket, hoping for a force echo or even better that it would just open. Unfortunately neither happened, the door was shut and she felt nothing through the force. Again she reached for her saber but the Cathar pushed her aside and reignited his own saber. Horizontally he pushed the blade through the lock of the wicket. The lock started to sizzle as the metal melted away and after a minute or so, the door was open as well. Protectively he stepped in front of the Iktotchi witch and with his right foot he pushed the pedestrian door open and peeked inside. Without a word he stepped over the threshold. Mab reignited her lightsaber and followed her mate into the arched gatehouse. Luckily for them the inner portcullis was still open so they could enter the lower ward, a large open triangular area surrounded by high fortified curtain walls. "Guess there's no welcome wagon" the Iktotchi chuckled as she gazed around the abandoned fortress and switched her lightsaber off.

In front of them, along the walls they saw a building that looked different from the rest of the fortress. It looked like a temple of sorts, more new then the Keep itself. "I think the cultists build that to worship their God-King" Mab said as she pointed at the building. Across the outer bailey they saw a simple building that seemed to be the stables, semi-attached to a large tower. Other than some rubble the bailey was empty and large enough to fit a ship. "If we clear this area we can land the Busted Plugga here" Terrogate suggested as he switched his lightsaber off. "Kriff" the Iktotchi exclaimed out of nowhere "that's it" she laughed. The Cathar had no idea what she was laughing about and when she saw his confusion she explained "the doors are closed because Wyyrlok came from above." With a nod he agreed to her and was visually relieved that the fortress was really abandoned.

"Come, let's get inside," the Iktotchi said as she walked across the bailey to a second gatehouse that separated the Keep from the rest of the fortress. Suddenly Mab felt something in the force, she grabbed her head in agony as she felt a sharp pain. A surge going through her body for only a second but powerful enough to make her drop to her knees. "what's wrong?" The Cathar yelled as he rushed to his lifemate and grabbed her. As quick as it had started it suddenly was gone leaving Mab trembling. "What happened?" Terrogate asked her with worry. For a moment she said nothing, her heart was racing in her chest but then with a trembling voice she replied "He's dead." "What do you mean? Who is dead" Terrogate asked confused. "The Nightfather" confused herself, she looked at the Cathar. "How do you know?" He calmly asked. "I felt it" "but how is that possible?"

As her nerves calmed down she rose back onto her feet "you remember.. all those years ago, the lessons in Blood magic? He made me mark him with a blood trail. I never undone that spell" she paused and looked away "like a pull in the force I felt that connection being broken.. I can't sense him any more." Her golden eyes looked at him in disbelief, she had no idea what had just happened but somehow she was sure the Zabrak Lord was no more. "Are you ok?" Terrogate asked concerned and held out his hand. With a nod she took his hand "Yeah. I'm fine." but her mind was still wondering. She wanted to know what happened, who took his life. Turning away from Terrogate she looked up at the second gatehouse and remembered why they were there. "Let's continue." She said confident. "Are you sure?" "Yes, come lets go."

Holding his hand she pulled the Cathar up the motte to the second gatehouse. The portcullis was open but the gate was closed. When they arrived at the top of the slope Mab let go of Terrogate and placed her hand against the heavy door. Looking at him with a smile she pushed and luckily this door was unlocked. She smiled relieved as she swung the door open and peeked inside. Again the coast was clear and without hesitation she stepped through the door. Terrogate followed holding his hand on his lightsaber as he still was worried that they might not be as alone as it would seem. The couple entered the inner bailey, a paved courtyard surrounded with a covered walkway with on one side a colonnade with eerie but beautifully carved pillars. At the centre of the courtyard stood a covered well. Mab looked up, gazing in awe at the buildings, from here it looked very different than from the outer walls, many beautiful carvings. "Mab, this way" she suddenly heard the Cathar say. He stood at a beautiful door and motioned her to come. "The throne room" he said as he pushed the door open. Quickly she walked over and Terrogate let her in "after you my dear" he said with a courteous bow. With a giggle she stepped into the main hall.

It was a dark and grim space with a black and white checkered marble floor, covered with a thick layer of dust and corpses. Mab's jaw dropped at the sight of the dead. "I guess these were the cultists she softly said as she stepped over a skull. Terrogate remained at the entrance, it was obvious the place gave him the creeps. Along the walls hung stained curtains and shredded banners. The Iktotchi gazed up in awe at the detailed pillars that carried the weight of the beautifully decorated arched ceiling. Everything seemed to have withered away in the past decades except the ceiling, the colours were still vibrant as if they just had been painted. As she looked up she accidentally kicked against a cultist's dagger, the metal clattered over the marble floor. At the end of great hall stood a heavily decorated black throne.

Carefully stepping over the dead Bathori makes her way to the seat of power. Behind her Terrogate watched as she climbed the steps. Gracefully she turned around and looked at the Cather, who was now also making his way over to her, and she lowered herself onto the Throne. Her eyes shimmered as she looked at her lifemate. "And? How does it feel?" He asked with a grin. "Pretty good" she moved her hands over the dusty velvet armrests. The Catharian's eyes fell on a door between two slender pillars. He frowned and wondered why there were doors on the outer wall of the fortress. "What's that for?" he asked as he walked over to it. The witch looked up as she remained seated on Andeddu's throne, "I believe that's for executions" she responded as she looked at the dark wooden doors. Terrogate lifted the latch and pulled the doors open, instantly they could feel the heat from steam plumes that came from the abyss. The Cathar dared to peek over the edge but only briefly before he stepped back again. "Yeah, that's an awful way to go." He said as he closed the doors once more. He looked at Mab and smiled "my queen, where do we go next?" A faint blush appeared on her pale cheeks and her lips curled up "we still have an entire fortress to explore my love." With those words she rose up from the throne and the two of them went through a different door that led them to a long and dark corridor deeper into the fortress.

~\*~

Neither of them felt comfortable staying the night at the abandoned fortress, so the first thing they did was clearing the outer ward to land the Busted Plugga within the fortified walls of the Keep. That way they didn't have to walk the long tunnel each day.

For nearly two weeks Bathori and Terrogate searched the castle, trying their best to locate the Immortal God-King's final resting place. They combed through each room, each corridor, from the very top of the highest tower all the way down in to Keep's dungeon, but all without the result they hoped for. It felt like each day they discovered a new chamber but not the one they were looking for.

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"Mab.. dear?" The Cathar softly said as he knelt down next to the bed. It was still early, another day had just begun but Terrogate had received an urgent transmission from his homeworld. "Mab.." he repeated as he gently touched her arm. Her golden eyes flung open and stared into his. "What? What's wrong?" She yawned at him. "I'm afraid we have to leave" he responded and before he could explain she was wide awake and sat up straight "Leave??" "Only for a few days, maybe a week." Terrogate rose to his feet and looked at her with concerne in his eyes "there has been a flood on Cathar. People have gone missing in the storm." Mab gave a nod and swung her legs out of the bed "I understand" she said knowing how important it was for him to help his people, but she wasn't planning on leaving "take the ship, I'll stay here until you are back." His eyes widened "you will do what?" he asked her in shock. "I will stay" she repeated and got out of bed "I'll be fine". Shaking his head he watched her get ready "I'm not going to leave you here all by yourself Mab." But the Iktotchi didn't listen, she was determined to stay and continue her search. "I only have the dead to keep me company, what could happen? You go to Cathar, help your people, I will be fine."

There was no way for the Cathar to convince his lifemate to come with him. Only an hour later she walked down the ramp of the Busted Plugga carrying a bag with essentials. The idea of her staying alone at this dark place made him feel worried. But Terrogate knew she could take care of herself, still he had preferred if she'd come with him to Cathar. "I won't be long," he said as he stepped up to her and pulled her into his embrace. The Iktotchi dropped the bag and wrapped her arms around him "I'll miss you." She softly said as she held him tight. She could feel he was smiling, "I'll miss you more" he replied and kissed her on the top of her head. For a minute or two they silently stood there, on the outer bailey of Andeddu's keep, in each other's embrace. These moments were rare, the past couple of years Bathori had been struggling showing her affection, she wasn't herself and that was eating away at Terrogate. He missed her, he longed for her. They had been trying to connect again but then the civil war started and their priorities changed. Mab listened to the soothing rhythm of his heart, she inhaled deeply taking in his scent. For this brief moment nothing else mattered. She had a feeling that soon things would turn back to normal, that they could have the life together that they had dreamed about all those years ago.

Finally they let go and Terrogate returned to the ship as Mab took her bag off the ground and stepped away to a safe distance. Terrogate sat down on the pilot's chair and waved at his lifemate standing at the gatehouse. With a smile she waved back as he switched the engines of the Busted Plugga on. Slowly the ship lifted off the ground and moved higher into the air. Seconds later the ship disappeared between the steam clouds, leaving the Iktotchi witch all by herself.

Staring at the sky she wiped the tears away that had rolled down her cheeks when the ship took off. Only gone for a minute and she already missed the Cathar as she had enjoyed sharing this quest with him. With a sigh she turned around and entered the upper ward. Mab entered the main building with the living quarters, she needed a room where she could stay while Terrogate was away.

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The first couple of nights the Iktotchi barely slept. Neither she nor Terrogate had stayed after dark, they always made sure they got to the ship before sundown. Somehow this abandoned fortress didn't feel empty at night, a mere feeling as she hadn't seen anything that would prove something was alive within these fortified walls. Her body was tired from the long days of searching, mentally she felt drained and yet she was unable to sleep. The third night was different...

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After another day of wandering the endless corridors of the Keep, Mab returned to the room she had picked for herself. Anxious she stepped into her quarters and locked the door behind her. It was one of the smaller guest quarters, and only one of few that was still in a good state. Using pyrokinesis the witch lit the fireplace, not for its warmth as the heat from the mountain kept the fortress warm. She lit it for the light as the darkness of the night made the Keep even more unsettling. With the fire going Bathori walked up to the bed and sat down on the edge. The flickering light of the fire reflected into her golden eyes, making them glisten as she gazed around the room. Her mind wandered, some of the rooms and corridors started to feel more familiar to the Iktotchi witch. It felt like she had been there before when the castle wasn't abandoned.

Finally Mab lay down on the old bed, her eyes still open, her ears pitched. In the darkness even the smallest sound seemed to be audible. Bathori could hear the wooden floorboards creaking as if they were breathing, outside the harsh wind blew dust against the ancient walls like claws scraping over the stone. Shivers went down her spine as she looked up at the ceiling, at the dancing shadows. 'Could this place be here home? Could she live within these ancient walls?' She thought to herself as her eyes became heavy and she drifted off to sleep.

~ the sound of battle woke Mab, but when she opened her eyes she was no longer in her bed, not even in her quarters. She was outside, surrounded by robed figures fighting each other on the inner bailey of the Keep. Her heart was racing in her chest and she was holding an orange lightsaber with a wooden hilt. A man with a red saber ran towards her and before he knew it their blades clashed. Bathori wasn't in control of what was happening, she was merely a spectator through someone else's eyes. Whomever it was, they were much taller than the rest of the battling individuals and they were skilled with the lightsaber. With a graceful twist their opponent was slashed in half. "Master ol Idun, they are with too many!" A voice behind them said. "We are so close, we have to try," they answered as they ran towards the entrance of the throne room. "This way!" They yelled but when they stepped inside more hooded figures were waiting for them. "A Je'daii?" A man said as he lowered his hood "you stand no chance against the Malevolence! We have been trained by a God! by King Andeddu himself!!" The man yelled as he ignited his lightsaber. "Step aside! Your King is dead! Your God is gone!" They responded holding their saber ready. "Blasphemy!! Die Je'daii!" The man yelled and charged them. The other hooded figures ignited their blades in unison and attacked the other Je'daii.

The main hall was filled with noise, battle cries, lightsabers clashing. The Malevolence leader aggressively swung their crimson blade at the Je'daii master who blocked them. Their blades sparked with each slash. Suddenly the image shifted, Bathori felt a burning pain, as her eyes looked down she saw how a crimson blade was thrusted through her abdomen. "Noo!! Master ol Idun!!!" A female voice screamed followed by a laugh "kill them all!!!."~

With sweat on her forehead Mab woke up. She reached for her abdomen as she still felt a burning sensation as if a lightsaber had touched her skin. 'Was it just a dream? Or was it a memory?' She thought to herself as she let out a deep sigh of relief. The dream had been so vivid it felt real, but there was only one way of finding out, she had to examine the throne room again.

At first light the Iktotchi witch was already in the throne room. The corpses were no longer there as she and Terrogate had gotten rid of them. Mab tried to remember what happened, retracing the steps from the dream. As she did so she suddenly felt something, a change in temperature on one single spot in the room. Something she hadn't noticed before.

The witch knelt down, focussing on connecting with the force and placed her golden hand on the marble floor. Instantly she felt a coldness over her, she was unable to move as if something had taken hold of her hand. Before her eyes she saw faint translucent figures, the Malevolence, the Je'daii and on the spot where she held her hand the tall slender shape of the woman she had found under the mural chamber at Tower Bathori. Voices like distant echoes surrounded her. "Noo Master ol Idun!!!" "Kill them all!!!" "Take the Master and retreat!" "Noo we are so close.. the door….The… sky….door….." "take Mab to safety, retreat now!" "There is no escape"

As the voices and the translucent shapes faded her hand got loose and she fell backwards onto the black and white checkered floor. Her heart nearly exploded out of her chest, emotions rushed through her body; excitement and shock. "Mab… your name was Mab?" She asked softly, trying to understand what that meant. Slowly she got back onto her feet, her hands were shaking. "How? I don't understand.. a force spirit?" Her mind was buzzing, wondering why she was connected to the Je'daii Master. But then she shook her head "no..  not now." She said remembering herself why she was at the keep. "The door?.. which door?" Bathori gazed around the throne room there were only four doors; the main entrance, the door leading to the royal quarters, the gate leading to the dungeons and the execution door. 'A hidden door perhaps' the Iktotchi thought to herself and walked towards the throne but as she passed the execution door she froze. "Sky… the sky door, ofcourse" instantly she turned to the large door in the outer wall.

She lifted the heavy metal latch and pulled the doors open. Carefully she stepped to the threshold and peeked outside. The hot air brushed over her face. "What am I supposed to see Mab?" She said out loud trying to find any clue. Holding on to the door frame she leaned further out letting her eyes scan the walls. Beneath the throne room was the dungeon, she could see the sky cells as she looked down. "There is nothing there" she said frustrated but then she noticed something at the lowest level, between two of the open cells directly under the execution door, "what's that?" It looked like an indentation in the wall. The heat made it difficult to see so she pulled herself inside and closed the doors.

Quickly she ran through the old rusty gate, down the narrow steps that lead to the dungeon. She went to the lowest level of the dungeons and walked down the dark corridor to the cells that would be beneath the sky door. She pulled the heavy door open and stepped inside. It was a small room with only three walls as the outer wall was missing. Slowly she moved forward, the thick layer of steam that was spread over the chasm like a blanket creeped over the cell floor making it extremely difficult to see the edge. This time she couldn't grab anything to hold on to, so she moved along the wall and with her ultrachrome hand she tried to ancker herself.  At the edge she reached with her right arm around the corner. To her surprise she felt a perfectly straight ledge. With her heart pounding in her chest she dared to peek around the corner and saw it was in fact a ladder carved into the bedrock. "What the kriff!?" Mab exclaimed as she looked down trying to see where the ladder was going but the clouds of steam made it impossible for her to see. "This must be it" she said as she pulled herself into the cell again.

After a few minutes she finally had the courage to make the climb. Leaving her boots at the door she took a deep breath. The witch was an excellent climber and believed that on bare feet she would have more grip than with the heavy combat boots she wore. Once more she slowly stepped to the edge, Mab wasn't afraid of heights but she felt nervous about going down that ladder, down into the unknown through that thick layer of steam. Again using her golden claw to ancker herself she reached around the corner until she got a hold of the ladder. Then she reached with her leg until her bare foot stood on a warm smooth carved out step. Finally her claw let go and Bathori pulled herself around the corner to the ladder. Her heart raced as she tried to calm her nerves. "You better be down there" she softly said and started her descent, slow and steady.

At first it was straight down but then the steps moved more to the left until it reached a narrow ledge. The ladder didn't go any further so she stepped into the ledge. It had only been six meters down and already it had become more dark. For a moment she looked up but wasn't able to see the Keep through the thick cloud of steam. Pressed against the wall of stone she slowly moved left over the narrow ledge. "Oh Mab what were you thinking?" She mumbled nervously to herself, regretting she hadn't waited for Terrogate's return. After a couple of minutes, that felt like an eternity, she reached the entrance of a cave. Relieved that she had made it she wiped the sweat off her forehead and looked at the cave entrance. There was nothing special to see, it was an ordinary natural cave but she could sense a dark energy resonating from the shadows.

Before entering she grabbed 'Queen of the Fairies' and switched her on. With a loud crackle and buzz the minty green blade ignited and its bright glow lit her the entrance. Still on her bare feet she went down into the cave. The first few metres the tunnel didn't look any different from a natural cave, but then all of a sudden she noticed the floor became more flat, and the walls more smooth. Mab picked up on an odd smell, something that didn't belong. She paused and inhaled the scent deeply ,trying to place it. "Hmm It's.. it's familiar.." she whispered. Gazing around she tried to find the source of the smell, it didn't take long until she found a groove with a thick liquid inside. "Abafar..." she exclaimed remembering her trip to the remote desert world all those years ago. The same scent she had smelled when she discovered a hidden temple beneath 'the Void'. It was a type of oil that was used to light the underground temple. With that knowledge she lowered the tip of her lightsaber and ignited the oil. Instany, just as on Abafar, the flames followed the groove along the wall, lighting the way. "That's more like it" she chuckled and continued to follow the tunnel.

The walls were no longer smooth, with the fire burning she could see hieroglyphs etched into the dark stone walls. Mab knew she was in the right place and started to feel more excited. After a few metres she stepped into a large chamber with four black pillars, there were two smaller side chambers, both with an altar and incense burner. Taking a closer look she found remains of offers that had been left on these altars. In the main chamber stood a large statue of the Immortal God-King himself, it was an unsettling image, he looked more dead than alive. Hollow eyes set with black onyx, piercing at her. A shiver went down her spine as stepped closer to the statue. The details were magnificent, it almost looked real. On his head he wore a spiked crown and in his band he held a scepter with a red crystal. The statue of Andeddu faced the room centre of the room. Mab stepped towards it and as she looked closer she noticed a square indentation on the floor. Mab knelt down and placed her hand on it.

Instantly her hand was stuck to the floor and like in the throne room she saw a faint translucent shape of a tall man, a Chagrian, he walked to the centre of the room and placed a pyramid shaped object in the square indentation. All of a sudden a beam of light shot from the crystal at the summit of the sceptre the statue was holding and it hit the pyramid. The object glowed and the light was scattered around the room. Unfortunately there the force echo ended not telling her what the light showed. Mab stood up, she knew it was Wyyrlok who she saw and the object was the Holocron of Heresies. "Damn! I need that Holocron" she growled angry, frustrated that she hit another dead end. She walked to the wall, and placed her hands on the warm dark stone, hoping to feel anything, another force echo or maybe find the hidden entrance to the burial chamber of the Immortal God-King. Tracing the hieroglyphics as she walked along the wall triying her best to find a way to continue, but without success. "Kriff!!!!!" She yelled in anger, this was the place, this was Andeddu's tomb. She was so close but wouldn't be able to continue without that Holocron.

After several hours, examining the tomb, deciphering the ancient Sith symbols on the walls she found herself without any progress. One more hour and it would be dark, disappointed she made her way back up the tunnel to the cave entrance. Carefully climbing the wall and making her way up to the Keep. When she finally reached her room it was already dark outside.

Before she went to bed, the Iktotchi recorded a message for Terrogate.

《"My love, I wish you were here. I found it, I finally found Andeddu's tomb but I have been unable to enter the burial chamber. Tomorrow at first light I will try again. I hope to see you soon so that we can solve this puzzle together. ~ End transmission 》She hit send, went to bed and drifted off to sleep.

~\*~

To be continued…