Chapter 13

The dawn found Setia in the marshes. She struggled with the oar, trying to swim gracefully between the huge swamp trees. She wasn't good at steering the boat, so she pushed off the trees again and again with the oar to avoid crashing into them. Her hands ached from rowing, and she tried to ward off the stubborn mosquitoes that attacked her almost constantly.

She hated this place, the stench of plants rotting in the water, the yellowish water, the bugs, and the lack of sun. She hated the fact that the water was covered with green duckweed, floating everywhere, hiding any obstacles from her eyes. A black viper swam past Setia. Some sleepy bird gave its morning cry to greet the sun, only the fucking sun was nowhere to be seen. The crowns of trees tightly blocked access to the light. Only in a few places did a bit of daylight seep in, painting brighter patches on the water. There was no dry land to be seen anywhere.

Setia, however, did not lose hope. She had been analyzing Nagor's maps for a week, first with his permission, and after the wild brawl he'd made her, she had been analyzing his maps secretly, wanting to get out to the northern edge of the swamps. Thanks to his crazy searches, the old man had quite accurate maps of the swamps.

Something sloshed off the port side, and Setia turned her head sharply to see what it was. The sudden movement caused pain in the left half of her face. She gritted her teeth and decided not to think about losing an eye, not now. Now he has to get out of here. She has left Nagor a precious bracelet in thanks for saving him. So she paid off the debt, at least she considered them to be even.

What will happen next, she will think later. She was no longer a mercenary commander. Her unit didn't exist, she had no illusions about that. She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sight of a bare sharp rock rising out of the green swamp water. The rock was almost black, and seemed to gleam in the dim sunlight. She pulled out a map, which she had honestly stolen as well as this boat, and then located the rock - Idir's Finger, Idir was the winged god of death and that was the rock's name. Now she should turn a little to the right and find a tall dead tree. That was the right way, she felt a surge of energy. She'll get out of here and then …. then she'll figure something out.

Soon a rotting and overgrown with mushrooms tree appeared in front of her. Now, looking at the map, she should be going straight, keeping that old decrepit tree right behind her back. She set off, the steady splash calming her nerves. She felt tired and wanted to eat something, but she had to do her business first. The need was starting to become urgent, it would be good to find some land, the previous attempt to take a piss straight from the boat had failed miserably and her boots were wet. There was no dry piece of goddamn ground anywhere around. Finally Setia noticed several trees growing close together in front of her, and it seemed that their roots could be stepped on. She swam closer, and found a rocky patch of earth on the other side of this cluster of trees. The boat reached the shore with a dull rumble and Setia stood on a solid piece of land with relief.

It wasn't until she got to the shore that she noticed that there was a small entrance to a cave through the trees. A place to stay, she thought. She walked to the entrance and stood for a moment stunned by the sight.

The entrance to the cave was decorated with a flaming ornament, partially destroyed by the action of moisture and vegetation growing on it, but still an intricate man-made decoration. It was dark inside, so she went back to the boat for a piece of dry wood, which she was carrying in hopes of starting a fire. After a while, she struck fire on the broken grass and then lit a piece of wood. She looked at the cave again, only now she saw that it was a man made structure cleverly placed between trees imitating rocks. It seemed too small for someone's house, and who would want to live in such a place anyway. Well, someone like Nagor.

A timid conviction began to sprout in Setia's head. Was it possible that she actually found the temple that the old man was so desperately looking for? Ironically, Nagor had probably passed this way many times without noticing anything. Perhaps he expected a spectacular structure and was deceived. She went inside again.

Only now did she notice that there were torches embedded in the walls, she approached the nearest one and lit it. The interior came to life, surrounded by four statues of dragons. The center of this temple was lowered and three steps led down to it. The vault was a stone structure of eight arches. Setia felt a tightness in her throat, she went lower, straight to the platform located in the center of the lowered part of the temple, which seemed to be much larger inside. There was a metal box on the landing.

As she approached the torch, the platform glowed with particles of light, it was made of a rock similar to Idir's Finger, Setia thought. With trembling fingers, she opened the lid, inside the box was a scroll of parchment and something silver glitter beneath it. She picked up a trinket, it was a silver dragon. The dragon had a gaping mouth, spread wings and its belly was a large ruby wrapped in a dragon's tail. The ruby glowed blood red in the torchlight. On the dragon's head was a pendant with a chain attached.

Her heart was beating like crazy, all those fairy tales and legends about Hadgard were true and she was holding a real proof of it. She felt her heart beating faster and the excitement manifesting itself in the nervous spasm of her stomach. There is still this scroll. She gently lifted the find. Inside the temple, despite the lighted torch, it was too dark to decipher anything, so she went outside. She hung the amulet around her neck and put the fading piece of wood aside. The roll of paper was very old and brittle, it's a wonder it didn't fall apart in that casket. Slowly, even with solemnity, she unfolded a valuable find. Within it were written a few sentences in neat, elegant squiggles.

"Whoever you are, you are holding the Korfid amulet in your hands, one of the three most valuable artifacts of Hadgard.

If you wish to enter the underground Hossard the entrance to the gates is at the intersection. Look for the map in Fenigrid's Capital to lead the way.

Knowledge is the light that will guide you and courage will help you gain eternity."

Azakhid.

Setia ran her eyes once more over the lines of the yellowed manuscript, she wanted to roll it up again, but it crumbled in her hands due to age. Too bad, she thought. She looked at the magic amulet again. The glow of the ruby was fascinating, and it took her a moment to realize that she was no longer alone.