The Search For Tython Part 3 The Mystery Of Mab

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

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

Part three: the Mystery of Mab.

IC: Mab Bathori & Terrogate, Artifex of Tollere

~\*~

Music: "the River" by Aurora

https://youtu.be/P7lE-G1oC34

~\*~

After Bathori had returned to Batorine with the books and Holocron she stole from the archives, her studies began. For days on end she spent reading, trying to learn more about the Je'daii but most importantly where to find Tython. The Deep Core, a planet with two moons, that's all she knew, one would think that it would be easy for her to find as Prakith is a Deep Core world as well. But Deep Core is bigger than just two systems, and with chaos of the civil war it was too much of a risk to just go and navigate each system, hoping to find that forgotten world.

The Iktotchian witch continued to study the book and cross reference is with other knowledge she had found over the past year but all without much success. When she was about to give up,  she heard the voices again, calling her back to Prakith.

~\*~

Late 158 ABY Batorine

Late at night, Mab sat behind her desk once more, reading the book she had read so many times already. Reading about the nine temples on the surface or Tython, the two moons Ashla and Bogan, the pyramid shaped ships the Tho-Yor that traveled across the galaxy in search for force sensitive intellectuals that would form the Je'daii Order. Frustrated the Iktotchi slammed the book shut and aggressively pushed her chair back. Burying her face in the palms of her hands she let out a growl "Arrgg, I don't understand!"

"Mama?" A soft voice at the door startled the Iktotchi. At once Mab looked up and saw Khara, her youngest daughter standing in the doorway. In her pyjamas, holding one of her toys in her arm and rubbing her eyes. "Did I wake you sweetie?" Mab askd the teal skinned girl, she had just turned 5 a few days prior but had the size of a twelve year old. Khara nodded and slowly approached her, "Shall I tuck you in again?" Mab asked as the S'kytri girl climbed into her lap. "Yes please" she replied softly. Holding her daughter she rose from the chair and carried her out of the study. Khara's room was down the hall, opposite of Kas'sparr's room. "Why are you angry mama?" Khara asked as Mab pushed the door open. When she walked over to the bed she replied with a calm voice "Mommy is not angry sweetheart" lowered her to the bed "Mommy just can't find what she is looking for". The witch sat down on the bed and tucked the girl in with a smile. "the clues?" Khara asked as she turned to her side, holding her toy closely. With a chuckle Mab replied "yeah, the clues.. for Tython. You remember when I told you about the Je'daii right?" The girl nodded, her eyes were heavy and she was dozing off but before she did Khara said "maybe the clue is not what you think it is." "What?" Confused the Iktotchi frowned "what do you mean sweetie?" But the girl had already fallen asleep. For a moment Mab just sat there, looking at her daughter, thinking about what she meant.

Down the hall she could hear the heavy footsteps of her mate, who walked to their room. It was late, time to turn in. Mab stood up and quietly snuck out of the room. The light in her study was off, Terrogate had done that already as a hint she should come to bed. Still pondering of her daughters words she went to their bedroom where her mate was just getting ready to turn in. As she closed their door he turned and looked at her, noticing her frown. "Are you ok my love?" He asked as he stepped into the bed. Mab nodded and walked over to the closet "yes.. just something Khara said" she grabbed a nightdress "I'm not sure what it means." Terrogate watched her as she started to undress "well, what did she say?" "She asked me why I was angry and told her I wasn't, just that I still didn't find what I was looking for" Mab slipped her fresh nightdress on and continued "then she said 'maybe the clue isn't what you think it is', it's probably nothing but somehow it felt like she was trying tell me something." With a sigh she walked over to the bathroom to brush her teeth, she could Terrogate speak "it could. I mean, maybe she's right." "How?" The Iktotchi paused and stared at her own reflection waiting for her mate to explain. "Well, you've been looking to find Tython, maybe that's not what you are supposed to look for." The Cathar says. Mab frowns "that's kind of the whole point of this quest…" and starts to brush her teeth. "I know, but maybe you are missing something." Whilst brushing her teeth she turned around and looked into the bedroom at Terrogate "are you saying my trip to Korriban has been for nothing?" He shook his head "no, that's not what I mean but you've read that book over and over again, you learned everything about the Je'daii and yet you have no clue on where to find Tython. Maybe you should be looking for something else." "Like what? I can't find anything in the book that could help." The Iktotchi responded frustrated and turned back to the sink again to rinse her mouth. "Well maybe the clue is not in the book." He replies.

A moment later the witch emerges from the bathroom and gets into bed. She knew he was right, the clue wasn't in the book but she had no idea how to continue. The Catharian moved closer, and put his arm around her, "you will solve the mystery my love, I know it. You will find Tython" and kissed her forehead. Mab smiled faintly, she had little faith in herself. With a sigh she closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

~\*~

~ "come home, find me" a whisper carried on an icy wind said. Mab opened her eyes, she stood on the snow covered roof of Tower Bathori. The wind howled around the old watchtower on Prakith, the snow danced around her. Mab lifted her arm, shielding her face from weather, in the distance she could see something, the shape of a person. "Come back, find me…" the whisper said as she squinted her eyes, trying to see who it was that floated towards the tower. "Who are you!!" The Iktotchi screamed into the storm, "what do you want from me!!" There was no reply, but the being moved closer and the wind turned into a blizzard. "Who are you?!" She screamed as she moved closer to the edge, the being hoovered only a few meters away from her. The snow made it impossible for her to see its face "who are you?" In a split second she heard "I AM YOU!!!" being hissed into her ear, she could feel the breath brushing over her skin. She turned her head but nothing was there, when she looked back over the edge the being was gone and the winds calmed down.~

Gasping for air the Iktotchi sat up in bed, her heart was racing in her chest. In the back of her mind she could still hear that whisper "come back, find me" and next to her Terrogate rose up and placed his arm around her. "are you alright?" He asked her, Mab slowly nodded, "I am." Of  course the Cathar knew it was a lie he could see she was shaken and pulled her closely "You can tell me" he said as he lay down again, pulling her down with him. She turned and rested her head on his chest "I dreamed about Prakith again.. I…. I have to go back." She softly said. He kissed her on the top of her horned head and said "then we shall." Mab heard him but her mind was pondering, she had so many questions, 'what did it mean, how was she supposed to find herself?' The only way to find out was to return to the Deep Core world….

~\*~

Early 159 ABY: Prakith

"This way" the Iktotchian witch said as she stepped through the crack in the wall. Holding a light she lit the opening for the big Cathar warrior. A few weeks had passed since Mab had her dream, until now she didn't understand what it meant. The galaxy was still in chaos, battles fought over territory made it difficult to travel, they had to plan their visit to Prakith carefully.

Terrogate squeezed himself through the narrow opening and followed the Witch down the long tunnel that led deep into the mountain. Warm damp air blew into their faces as they got closer to the hidden chamber. "All this time you didn't know this existed?" He asked her, touching the wall as he walked. The Cathar felt a soft but sticky layer on the walls, it felt like a kind of moss. "I knew there were tunnel systems in the mountains. I just didn't know any of them were under the tower" Mab replied to his question, her voice echoed against the walls. "I'm still not sure when this chamber and the other tunnels were created, the tower itself dates back to the time of Andeddu's reign." She explained as they continued their way. "What period are we talking about?" Terrogate asked when they entered the chamber. It was dark but this time Mab was prepared and started to lit the torches around the room.

"Oddly there are no exact dates known, but it is said he lived some period after the Hundred-Year Darkness, which ended around 6900 BBY. Same with whis death, no exact date but approximately before 4000 BBY because it is written that Freedon Nadd came across Andeddu's Holocron which had been hidden in Andeddu's tomb for centuries." Mab explained as she walked from one torch to another, lighting them with Pyrokineses. "I believe this tower was part of the Keep, there are several more of these scattered across the mountains like a line of defenses. But I think after Andeddu disappeared there towers were no longer used and someone else took residence here and... " The Iktotchi held her arms up and turned, showing the now lighted room "create this". Her mate walked to the first mural, "But why? The Je'daii Order collapsed thousands of years before Andeddu even was born" he said as he stared at the pyramid shaped starships. "I don't know, maybe someone like me? Who tried to found a new Je'daii order?" Bathori approached him and took his hand.

Holding his hand she started to explain, "this is Tho yor, one or eight pyramidal ships. They traveled across the galaxy collecting force sensitive intellectuals, scientists and warriors. The first generation of the Je'daii order." With a bright smile she pulled him to the other mural, "look" the witch pointed at the many races that were depicted "Mirakula, Sullustans, Iktotchi, humans and see here… Cathar" her face turned to Terrogate and continued "even the Cathar joined the Je'daii." His eyes lit up, "wow, I never knew that." "During the first Migration they were all taken to Tython, that's over 37.000 years ago. The ships scattered across the planet and dropped the passengers off. On those drop zones they build these temples" again she pulled him to the mural with the map.

The Catharian could see her eyes twinkling with excitement, she loved talking about history, it was her passion. "They built nine major cities, each with a temple.. See" she pointed at the biggest city "Akar Kesh, The Temple of Balance" she moved to the next "Anil Kesh The Temple of Science. Bodhi The Temple of the Arts. Mahara Kesh The Temple of Healing." She paused and looked at him for a moment, squeezing his hand in hers. Her eyes shimmered in the light of the torches "I really hope to find these when we locate Tython." She turned to the map again "Kaleth The Temple of Knowledge… just imagine the knowledge hidden in the temple vaults. And here Padawan Kesh The Je'daii Academy, Stav Kesh The Temple of Martial Arts.. Qigong Kesh The Temple of Force Skills and lastly Vur Tepe The Forge, we might discover ancient Je'daii weapons there."

Gazing at the map Terrogate listened to each word she said. "Where did the Tho Yor came from?" He suddenly asked. "No one really knows. Monks of the Order of Dai Bendu found the first Tho Yor on Ando Prime. Several of those monks were taken to Tython" Mab responded as she pulled him back to the first mural. "Other Tho Yor had been discovered on Kashyyyk, Manaan, Ryloth, and Dathomir. The book didn't say where the rest came from" with a grin she looked at Terrogate "Maybe Cathar?" "Maybe Iktotch?" He suggested but she shook her head "no, it is recorded in Iktotchi history that the Tho Yor visited the moon, it wasn't discovered on the moon itself… but look'' she pointed at the mural "Tython has two moons, Ashla and Bogan. One bathed in light and one shrouded in darkness. It is written that if one was put off balance they were sent to meditate on the opposite moon until they found balance again. If you look closely" she stepped closer to the wall "you can see they build a cities on the moons."

The Iktotchian witch continued to tell the Catharian everything she had learned from the book. It made Terrogate happy to see her being so passionate about something, it was during those moments he'd recognised Ammit. "And what is this?" He walked over to the last wall. "This the Je'daii Code'' Mab replied and let go of his hand "There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. There is no fear; there is power. I am the heart of the Force. I am the revealing fire of light. I am the mystery of darkness In balance with chaos and harmony, Immortal in the Force." A smile appeared on his face "I recognize some similarities with the Code of Bathor. A coincidence?" "Ehmm.. I..  I don't know." With a confused frown she looked at the floor, she never thought about it but it was strange that there were lines of the code that were exactly the same although she didn't know about the Je'daii when she created the Code of Bathor. "There is no ignorance, there is knowledge? And.. there is no fear there is power?" The Cathar repeated. "I don't know.. it just came to me" her golden eyes shifted back to his. "Well, I think it means something." He said and took both her hands, pulling her into his arms. He pressed his lips against hers, a loving kiss. "I'm proud of you" he said when he pulled away "you've learned a lot." "But not that what I have been looking for." She held him tightly, her head resting against his chest. As she heard his heart she looked at the mural with the code. "You will, my love. I can feel it."

~\*~

That night they stayed at the old watchtower. When they entered her private quarters Mab at once noticed something odd. The bed was covered with the same mosslike layer they had found in the tunnel to the Mural chamber. More odd was that on one side of the bed, almost in the shape a person the layer was more dense and even tiny mushrooms bad sprouted from it. "Well that is odd" Mab said as she stepped closer, she never noticed any fungi growing in the tower before and certainly not in the bedroom. Confused she bent forward to take a closer look, examining the Fungi. She chuckled and scratched behind her horns.

Suddenly the Witch felt Terrogate's strong emotions, when she looked up she saw him still standing at the door, hesitating to get inside. The last time he had been at the tower was after Ammit's punishment, when she came to Prakith to die. She had said awful things to him, trying to make him leave but he didn't. His love for her made him stubborn and he had taken her back to Batorine. With a sad expression on his face he approached the bed.

Mab looked at Terrogate when stood on the other side of the bed, where he had found her on the brink of death three years prior. He placed his hand on the pillow and took a deep breath, it was clear to the Iktotchi that this room brought back to many memories. "I could clean it" she said pointing at the fungi "but I think you would rather stay in one of the other rooms" Mab softly suggested. He looked up at her with a faint smile trying to hide his feelings "it's ok." But it wasn't, too many memories filled this room. The Iktotchi approached him, and took his hand "come.." she pulled him out of her quarters. "It's fine, really" the Cathar said as he followed her down the stairs but she didn't respond, instead Mab took him to the guest room. "We'll stay here" she finally said as she pushed the door open. The room was a lot smaller but it was free of any bad memories as well as the odd fungi. Terrogate remained in the doorway as the Witch put wood in the fireplace, lighting it with Pyrokinesis. Eventually she turned back to her mate who still looked a little lost. "I'm sorry.. it's just…" he paused, Mab smiled "I understand. I shouldn't have taken you to that room." The Catharian warrior stepped into the room and sat down on the mattress. As he lay down he filled the entire bed leaving little space for Mab and smiled at her. Without any words she joined him, laying down in his embrace, warm and loving. It didn't take long for her to drift off into sleep.

~ the creaking sound of the guest room door woke Bathori, her eyes flung open and she rose up. Next to her Terrogate was still sleeping peacefully. The fire was dying, the room felt a lot colder but that that wasn't the only thing she could feel. Her glistening golden eyes slowly gazed around the room, there was a presence nearby, she could feel it. "Hello?" She softly asked, but there was no reply. With her heart pounding in her chest she lay down again and closed her eyes. But then.. footsteps. At once she sat up again, there was no one to see. "Terrogate.. Terrogate" she pushed against the Catharian but he didn't wake. The footsteps walked across the room, the door opened wide. "Terrogate!!" She yelled, but again the Catharian didn't wake and then she realized it was a dream.

Mab heard the footsteps down the hall and quickly got out of bed. Barefoot she left the room and followed the sound. As she looked to the stairs her heart skipped a beat, the witch saw a tall translucent being moving down the stone steps. Quietly she followed it, wondering what it was, more important 'who' it was. The translucent being led her to the dungeon. Things looked different, the crack in the wall was no longer there, instead it was a beautiful arched door. It entered the tunnel which was lit with torches. "What the… how?" Mab mumbled as she  continued to follow the translucent being.

Moments later the mysterious being stopped in front of the chamber with the murals but instead of going inside the being went straight ahead through the wall. Mab approached the wall with her arms stretched out. Like the translucent being she stepped through and found narrow steps leading further down into the mountain. Again there were torches that lit the way as she started her descent. The tall being was gone, it was just her walking down the steps..at the bottom she turned left into a small chamber that was located underneath the mural chamber.

At the centre of the chamber stood a large open sarcophagus. Curious she stepped closer, anxious to see who was resting inside. Breathing shallow she peeked over the side and a slender being laying inside, not a race she had seen before. As she moved closer she noticed it missed one arm and the other was golden. "What the…" Mab said and reached for the arm, it felt ice cold, she moved the sleeve up and it revealed the same engraving that is etched in her own 'this arm and the person it belongs to are property of the Eternal Sith Empire'. Shocked she looked up at the beings face, their eyes were open staring at her "you!" It hissed at her, Mab screamed in shock and instantly everything went black and she felt she was being pulled way.~

The door stood ajar when Mab opened her eyes, her heart skipped a beat but then she realized Terrogate was gone. For a moment she worried and rushed out of the room, but then she smelled breakfast and her heart calmed down. Still she didn't slow down, she was eager to tell him about her dream and ran downstairs to tell him.

~\*~

Hours later Terrogate stood in the tunnel touching the wall outside of the mural chamber. "Are you sure? It looks solid to me" he said as his hand moved over the stone, it felt warm and had the same odd green velvet layer covering it. The Iktotchi stood behind him, still excited about what she had seen in her dream "It must be" she said and stepped closer to the wall, examining to see if there were any cracks or seams. She touched the wall, and instantly, like a flash she saw an image of two individuals bricking up the opening to the stairs. Mab staggered backwards gasping for air. Terrogate caught her before she fell, and worried he asked "what happened?" "I saw something, the stairs are really there." The Iktotchi quickly got up and looked at the wall, "I saw two people, a zabrak female and a human male, they were closing the stairs." The Catharian looked worried, "have you had these kinds of versions before?" He asked. The witch shook her head, "not like this. Only if I focus on the object that I touch. But.." she paused and turned to her lifemate "I think whoever's it is that is buried down there wants me to find them… the voices, the dreams and now this. It is a powerful being even in death." "Well, better not let him.. or her.. waiting" Terrogate said with a smile as she stepped away from the wall.

The Catharian used the force to push against the wall but nothing happened. Mab joined him, combining forces. The wall started to tremble, cracks formed and it crumbled. "Little more" she said and pushed even harder. It shook harder, cracks got bigger and finally with a loud noise the wall gave in. Big chunks of rock flew backwards and shattered against a wall. With a few more pushes they opened the doorway and the two of them approached. Looking down into the darkness "wow..  I still find it difficult to understand you knew." The Cathar nervously said as he turned to her. Mab chuckled "as do I…"

Holding a torch on one hand Mab stepped through the threshold, carefully climbing down the steps, they felt slippery because of the strange mosslike layer that covered the stairs and walls. The further down they went, the thicker the layer became. Behind her Terrogate followed, holding a torch himself, mumbling "I should be going first." The Iktotchi chuckled softly "this room has been closed for centuries, I doubt anyone will ambush us."

At the bottom of the stairs Mab turned left into the room, it is pitch black only their torches casted an orange glow on the walls. She gazed around, the room was filled with the same fungi and had seen in her quarters and at the centre she saw what seemed to be the source of this strange growth, the large stone sarcophagus. "That's it" she told her life mate and approached it. Unlike the dream it was closed with a thick stone slab and covered with mushrooms. Holding the torch above it, she notched engravings hidden under the velvet layer. With her ultrachrome hand tried to clear the stone to read it. "Can you read this?" She asked the Catharian who stood on the opposite side of the with fungi covered Sarcophagus. Looking at the odd hieroglyphs he shook his head "I'm afraid not, doesn't look like any language I've seen before." "Neither have I" Mab sighed, "guess we should have a look inside" she continued. Part of her didn't want to open the Sarcophagus, she didn't want to disturb someone's final resting place but she could feel there was something inside she was supposed to find.

Once more the couple combined forces, using telekinesis to lift the heavy lid up and placing it on the floor. At once Terrogate stepped to the opened Sarcophagus and peeked inside, his eyes grew bigger. Mab felt anxious, her heart was racing in her chest. She stepped closer and looked inside, it was the being from her dreams no arm missing but covered with the green velvet layer. "So who is it?" He asked her as her eyes moved over the tall being, it looked like the fungi preserved the body. "I don't know, I had hoped to find out now." She said as her eyes fell on the shape of an amulet around the corpse's neck. "Look" Mab said as she reached for it, "that's the Je'daii seal" she added and touched the amulet.

Mab froze on the spot, voices filled her mind, thousands of whispers. "We can't stay here, it's not safe. The Malevolence will find us before we even get close to the Keep." "We can't leave, not without Andeddu's library. If we can't protect it we have to destroy it!" "Master ol Idun, please they are with too many, even you wouldn't stand a chance." "I can't let his knowledge fall in the wrong hands.. I have to try." The voices were gone, the witch swayed and nearly fell but held on to the Sarcophagus. Terrogate reached for her hand, "Mab… what's wrong? Did you see something?" He asked worried about her.

Her eyes shifted up, "no, I heard something, voices.. didn't you?" Shaking his head the Cathar took her hand away from the amulet. "I didn't.. what did they say?" Letting go of him she stepped away from the Sarcophagus and tried to clear her mind. "Andeddu.. they were here for his collection" the Witch started to remember what she had learned during her Apprenticeship. A task her Master had given her was to study a Sith of each class, Andeddu was the Sorcerer she had chosen.

"How could I forget!" She yelled frustrated, her voice carried up the stairs, echoing down the tunnels. "Andeddu's Keep, his library." The Cathar didn't know much about the Immortal God-King of Prakith "what about it?" "It is written Andeddu had a fast collection of knowledge…. That he refused to share." Mab started to pace back and forth trying to remember what she had learned "he was so paranoid that others would come to steal it, that he entombed himself here on homeworld." Around them the fungi started to glow, beautiful shades of purple, magenta and orange, Terrogate was amazed but Mab didn't seem to noticed because of her excitement. The feline noticed the fungi responded to her, tehe more excited she got the brighter they glowed. She continued "Not just with his Holocron but with his entire library." "What happened to it?" The feline warrior asked as he gazed in awe around the tomb, the mushrooms glowed more bright. "Well, Freedon Nadd came for the Holocron, centuries later Bane came to Prakith for the same reason, and finally Darth Wyyrlok III, but they only took what they needed." She paused staring into Terrogate's eyes "the library is still there!" "Are you sure?" He asked. "Yes, Andeddu was a hoarder of knowledge." "But maybe Wyyrlok took it all." Shaking her head "I doubt it. The Sith were only after Andeddu's Holocron, the knowledge about essence transfer, eternal life. They wouldn't have bothered to take anything else." A bright smile had appeared on the Iktotchians face, her golden eyes shimmered in the glowing lights. "I'm certain we will find what we need when we locate Andeddu's tomb."

As she stopped rattling on about Andeddu the Fungi lost their glow and everything returned to normal. Mab's eyes were still sparkling with excitement when she returned to Terrogate at the Sarcophagus. "But where is the tomb?" He asked her as she stood opposite of him. "The Holocron'' she said and for a split second the mushrooms glowed lightly, "the one I took from the archives. It contains maps of Prakith." Both of them looked into the Sarcophagus again, at the with fungi covered Je'daii. "What is that?" The Cathar asked and pointed at the hands of the being "it is holding something" he continued. Mab took a closer look, it was almost unnoticeable because of the Je'daii's clothes and all the mushrooms, but in the tall beings hands they saw a long tube. She reached inside but Terrogate stopped her "is that wise?" worried he took her hand. With a nod she replied "I think I am meant to find it" and smiled.

As he let go she reached for the tube and with one touch she heard whispers again "what are you writing Master ol Idun?" "My memoirs Apprentice, if I am to perish you have bury it with me, it is Phydolon tradition." "Perish master?" "We live in dangerous times..." The whispers faded and Mab grabbed the tube and slowly pulled it from the Je'daii's grasp. With her sleeve the witch wiped it clean, it was a scroll holder. "These are Master ol Idun's Memoirs" Mab said. "How do you know?" Terrogate asked curiously. "She told me…"

~\*~

Some time later, after having sealed the Sarcophagus again, the couple sat in the empty living area of the tower. Mab had just unlocked the Holocron using the force and an holo image of Prakith appeared. Focussing on the ancient device she pulled the oldest map out, one that dated from 4598 BBY. "this must be a map from during Andeddu's Reign.. the keep should be on it." The Iktotchi said as she turned the holo image of Prakith and zoomed in. The map showed a clear image of the original defence lines, every watchtower was marked. “Look, this is where we are now" Mab said as she pointed at one of the many towers scattered across the mountains. “And here..” she paused, all of a sudden she was overwhelmed with emotions as she recognised the tower that she and her Master had visited a few months before everything went sour. “What?” The Cathar asked curiously, but she shook her head “it's nothing” she lied thinking back to that day when they got high at the damaged watchtower. The witch scanned the map, moving it until she found what she was looking for: ‘the Keep'.  “There, that’s it.” She zoomed in, an outline of the large fortress was now clear, no roads or paths were near it, but a tunnel system was visible. Terrogate traced a tunnel with his finger “seems the only way in is under ground.” Nodding Mab followed the tunnel until it got to a deep canyon “here, this is the entrance, in this canyon.” satisfied she smile and looked at Terrogate, she felt excited, finding the keep had been one of Ammit’s dreams.

~\*~

The Busted Plugga glided over the mountains. Mab sat in the pilot seat navigating the ship over the deep canyon that would lead to the Keep. Terrogate sat next to her watching the map closely. “We are almost there," he told her. “Slowing down" the Iktotchi said gazing into the distance “that’s the end of the canyon, it should be there. I’ll fly over to see if it is possible to get closer to the Keep.” She took the ship higher to fly over the high peaks of the mountain, gazing down through the bridge window. “I think that’s it," she said and circled the Busted Plugga around. Hidden between the natural spirals stood the Keep, a dark eerie building.. ”We can't land there, it is too steep," the Cathar said with a slightly disappointed tone. “Guess we have to take the front door" Mab replied once more circling the ship around to take it back to the canyon.

With precision the Iktotchian witch lowered the ship into the deep narrow canyon. It was so deep it had become dark around them when it finally touched the bottom of the canyon. From the heads up display they saw the gate that led to the tunnel with on each side a large carved out statue. They were so eroded that it wasn't clear who they meant to depict. "We better knock" Mab chuckled and without further warning she fired the front facing double laser cannons. One blast and the large gates were gone. "Kriff!!" Terrogate yelled in shock and looked at his mate. The Iktotchi raised her shoulders "what??... did you bring the key?" chuckling she switched everything off and climbed out of the pilot's chair. "Are you coming or what?" She said as she left the bridge.

~\*~

To be continued….

Art: "age of death" by Michael J Sullivan