La Penge was the oldest temple in all of Norbeg, it stood in a valley on the edge of the Forest of Enchantments.
With a circular plan, the construction was well maintained, no substantial changes had ever been made to it, they believed that by leaving the structure intact, virgin, it would fully retain its power. During its construction, human holocausts were used to ensure the protection of every type of deity, from the most benevolent to the most bloodthirsty. The only thing to undergo periodic work were the crypts, a maze of dark, damp and smelly tunnels. In the main stretch there were lit braziers in which incense was burning, in this way they tried not to let the stench of death rise to the upper floors. The handmaids of the light and the observers of the shadow were the members of that ancient cult linked to the primordials, the gods who created everything and living beings. Even they risked getting lost in that labyrinth, which is why there were suitable guides, who practically spent almost their entire lives underground, mostly convicts, who accepted that task in order not to be sentenced to death.Sakna hated going into those places, not out of fear, she was simply annoyed by the looks of all those dead people who still didn't want to leave in Tesì Zirtac. The souls who persisted in remaining, after a long time, ended up all looking a little alike, with their graying clothes, emaciated figure, purple lips and deep dark circles under their eyes that contrasted with the pallor of their skin. Some remained because they were tied to something or someone they didn't want to abandon, others they didn't realize, or they didn't want to give in to the idea of ​​being dead. Still others had not received a worthy burial, when their faith provided for a precise ceremonial, even a single lack could prevent their passage into the kingdom of the dead. These souls were among those who followed her the most, in fact they hoped that she could finish their ritual, so that they could finally find the way.Sakna silently moved the sword here and there, one might even have thought that it removed the cobwebs that came across the fireplace, but instead it absorbed souls. They had been walking down there for an hour now, going from large tunnels to narrower ones, where there was the risk of getting stuck, all those tunnels had in common that they had piles of bones and skulls piled up on the walls, arranged to form a macabre mosaic. Her guide walked briskly, every now and then he turned to check if he was still behind her by raising his oil lamp towards her. "Who you are looking for is very old, he is in the new area now, his tunnel had suffered damage and the bodies had been moved.""Why didn't you arrange it like the others?" He asked, pointing to the stack of femurs at his side.«Oh, for some dead people there is special treatment, they are more important than the others, as they must have been in life» he turned right «We have arrived, whoever you are looking for is in that stone tomb, we moved it entire, there it took enormous effort" he rubbed his hands together, grinning "Luckily we have vestrir as slaves for this kind of work" the guide, since almost no one ever went down there, seemed to want to tell everything about that place and perhaps it was a good thing."Tell me, has anyone else come for this particular dead man?" He asked him while his lamp illuminated the engraving on the grey, rough and cold stone shelf. Cornelius XIII.«Not me, we should ask some of my colleagues».«Mind, I saw her and so did he» said a fat man behind them, he was an Observant, he could be recognized by the black tunic with the wide blue sash at the waist. «He had red hair, he was with two men, they opened the tomb and immediately started cursing." Sakna barely turned her gaze towards the man."Help me move it." Together with the guide they managed to slide the heavy slab a couple of palms, brought the lantern closer and found the empty tomb.«This, usually a small bone, always remains, even after all this time» was the observation of his guide."Cornelius XIII," he said in a loud voice. She looked around, searching in the darkness, but he hadn't introduced himself, so she called him again: «Cornelius XIII». He proved nothing with the other name: «Ekam Ekaraoni» he didn't introduce himself either, this could only mean one thing, neither of them had ever been buried in that place. She could only recall the dead when she was in the place where they were buried or where they had met their death."What do you mean, why isn't anyone coming?" The soul in the sword asked him worriedly."It was all for naught, damn it," he pounded the grave with his fists. They set out to return to the surface, when he passed by the observer, he whispered to him "Come." They went back through the tunnels and up the steep spiral stairs with worn steps towards the center.«Thanks for your help» he gave his guide some coins, which he quickly stuffed into his pocket as if he feared that some dead man might steal them."It was a pleasure, always at your disposal if you still need it."He had no doubt about it, the man was only too willing to collaborate.«I would like to see the vestrir».The guide looked at her strangely for that unusual request, Sakna threw him another silver coin.«Follow me». They went down again, this time, but entered the first corridor, about ten meters long, illuminated by a torch hanging halfway along its length. The guide grabbed an iron bar placed on the side and opened the door. He hit those inside several times, hearing those shots Sakna stopped him."Let me in.""It can be dangerous."Sakna impatiently pulled him away and went in, closing the door behind her. The curious man placed his ear against the rough wood, only indecipherable whispers could be heard, after a couple of minutes he went out and they went back outside. Everyone went their own way.The guide went to talk to a man as soon as she left.Once in the saddle Sakna said "Tell me everything" and set off. The observer was behind her «As I was saying, this woman came, finding the tomb empty she got angry, she told one of the men to wait for another person to arrive»«Was this man still at Penge?».He thought about it «Yes, he was at the entrance among the usual faithful». Edda had been smart to leave a stranger waiting for her, she would have sensed it immediately.«You will easily recognize him, he has one blue eye and the other brown».«Thank you, you can go back to your work» the soul vanished.«So Adrian, for generations your family has kept the secret of where Ekaraoni was buried, but that tomb never housed his body or even that Cornelius».«A lie, I let them kill my family for a lie» he said full of despair, his sense of guilt and thirst for revenge growing."It doesn't mean that if this secret has been kept so jealously, there must be a reason." The two ghosts who were following her suddenly appeared in the middle of the road, making the horse agitated and it neighed nervously and rolled its eyes. «Sccc, calm down beautiful, you don't have to be afraid» he caressed the animal's robust neck."What do you want now?" He asked as he continued his journey."We have a message.""Then, what's the matter with the boss inviting me to some party?". The thinner one just laughed."You already have everything you need," and they vanished. Sakna was starting to think that this story wouldn't end well, wondering if she could trust that unexpected help, or believe that the mysterious presence behind those two was trying to exploit her to his advantage.«Adrian, do you know what this power was that Ekaraoni had hidden?».«The fragments of Hurg's soul» So it wasn't just a story to tell when you were in company. Sakna had never met this Hurg, a minor god who began to rule that land using terror, he had heard about him over the centuries, but the story had turned into a tale and the tale into legend.So Edda was intent on taking possession of these fragments, most likely they were also of interest to whoever was following her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize she had gone deeper and deeper into the forest, when the sunlight began to barely peek through the tangled peaks Sakna looked up at the sky. She stopped, if she had continued straight in that direction, for a few more kilometers, she would have found herself among all the vestrir clans who lived in Norbeg. He remained staring at the bottom of the path, dismounted and set off, holding the horse by the reins. Just a minute he said to himself, I will just get closer to the last tents and I will only stay a minute.Adrian, since he was now only a spirit, was able to perceive the girl's emotions, not read her thoughts, the disturbance, the discomfort he felt left no room for doubt. They had been his people, his family for a time and for some strange reason he was afraid to go to them. After just ten meters he got back on the saddle, turned his horse and spurred it into a gallop heading towards Souldor.