"Two."
Evrin wondered if he was going to make it before the extraction system blew. His ears were pricked, listening intently for the rumbling sound of another explosion. The pain of his ankle was a constant distraction, occupying his mind when what he needed most was to plan what he would do when he reached the Pinnacle.
It was just ahead.
As the stone wall fell away, Evrin now approached the summit of the mountain. The howling wind blew with strength here, gusting at his body, causing the pilgrim's robe to whip against his legs. With no handholds and a sheer drop to either side of the stairs, Evrin resisted the urge to look down. He'd never had a head for heights.
The summit of Stonewater, the very peak of the mountain, was a circular space a hundred paces in diameter. Located in the centre of that space, the Pinnacle was the holiest, most renowned place in the Tingaran Empire. The Pinnacle shone on the world, and from here, the light of the Evermen could be felt from anywhere; or so the priests said.
The Pinnacle was undeniably a work of great power. It was a hemisphere of light, as tall as a tree and wide as a palace, shining with golden radiance day and night. The glowing nimbus of the Pinnacle wasn't too bright to look at, yet its sparkle could be seen for leagues in all directions.
Stepping into the light was an experience the pilgrims said must be felt to be appreciated. First came a feeling of warmth and a soft buzzing sounded in the ears. Closer still and nothing but light could be seen in all directions — said to provide a feeling of the utmost peace. A few more steps and the buzzing became a crackle. Every pilgrim tried to approach still further, before he or she was pushed away.
The light simply repelled the visitor, and then the pilgrim was back where they had started. People from all nations of the Tingaran Empire speculated about whether anyone would one day penetrate deeper inside, and whether what was inside was simply more of the light, or whether a grand secret of the Evermen was hidden within its confines.
Evrin knew the truth. He gazed steadily at the Pinnacle as he crested the steps, limping towards it. The light shone back at him, impassive and unchanging. Evrin knew the truth, and he also knew he would have this one opportunity, and that what he was doing was perhaps the most important task of his life.
Five pilgrims clustered around the light, staring at it in awe.
Evrin raised his voice as he approached. "There is danger here. Be gone, all of you."
A voice came from close behind him. "You don't give the orders here, pilgrim. I do."
Turning, Evrin saw a man with the sword and uniform of a templar. Evrin noted the yellow eyes. The templar had the taint.
"The danger," Evrin said, "is from me."
He spoke three words, and opened the palm of his right hand. A bronze bracelet appeared at Evrin's wrist and a matching ring at his index finger. Silver symbols decorated the edge of the bracelet, and as Evrin spoke two more sequences, the bracelet and ring flared red.
As Evrin raised his arm the templar stepped back. A circle of pure light came from Evrin's bracelet, travelling along his wrist. The circle grew tighter and smaller as it approached the ring, finally condensing to a tiny disc of energy too bright to look at.
It left the ring with incredible speed, too fast for the eye to see.
The templar looked down at the hole in his chest, an expression of surprise and disbelief on his face. His breath rattled, and he crumpled to the stone.
The fleeing pilgrims fled, and Evrin turned back to the Pinnacle, thinking about what it actually was.
A barrier.
The Evermen once met here at the summit of Stonewater to discuss the issues and plans that affected them all. Their greatest works of lore were conceived at the structure now hidden by the light, from mighty weapons to complex machines.
In days long gone, the chamber at the summit of the mountain was open to the sky. Only later was the barrier conceived, activated to repel any unwelcome visitors and keep the chamber concealed.
Evrin was here now because the barrier was about to vanish. Before today, he'd always been confident that the secrets preserved within its confines could never be discovered, especially by someone such as Primate Melovar Aspen. Evrin himself could not break through to the chamber hidden within the light.
But the barrier had a weakness: it was powered by the refinery, deep in the bowels of the mountain.
The refinery Evrin had just asked Killian to destroy.