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His voice was desperate to take his mind off of the present.
    “Patience, my young friend. The way will be shown to us.”
    Skuld stared at the old man’s back. He couldn’t begin to fathom the sarcasm his elders constantly displayed. He shook his head and continued on. The sooner they finished the better.
    “Please hurry,” he whispered. The walls closed in on him.
    Anienam offered a compassionate glance. “We are almost done. A few more moments and we can leave.”
    Casting another spell, Anienam focused his attention on the far end of the ruin. It took a moment for anything to happen. Then the air heated, grew damper. A steady thumping noise haunted the shadows. It reminded Skuld of a heartbeat. The farther the duo went the louder the sound became. Skuld struggled to maintain what little courage remained.
    “What is that?”
    The answer drained the warmth from him.
    “I don’t know.” Anienam gathered his power, just in case. “Keep a sharp eye. We are looking for a bright green light.”
    The thief did as he was told, hoping and praying to find the key to unlock the next stage of their journey. The ruins groaned. He felt tired eyes watching him, but no matter where he looked they remained just out of reach. Shadows transformed into eerie hands creeping forward to snatch him away to some distant catacomb, never to be heard from again. His heart weakened and only found strength when Anienam spied the faint trim of green light.
    “There, Skuld! Quickly, go and grab the book!”
    The thief climbed over a broken table and found a massive tome alone on a marble pedestal. He hesitated. The book looked new, as if waiting for his coming. Better judgment warned him not to proceed. Nothing good was going to come from this. Could it be a trap? He doubted the wizard’s ability to protect them. A strange new energy seeped into him; his muscles, his resolve. Skuld reached out and ran his fingertips over the ancient volume. He suddenly realized how wrong he had been.
     
     
    “Did you feel that?” Argis asked.
    Dorl swallowed hard and clenched his sword that much tighter. It wouldn’t mean much if they were attacked, but it helped soothe his frayed nerves. He shivered slightly. All of the warmth left him. His breath turned to vapors. That old sense of dread flowed through him, offering promises of violent demise.
    “What in the…”
    Dorl never got the chance to finish. The ground trembled and shook, throwing them violently down. Dust rained down so thick he could barely make out the others. The torches snapped and hissed. Dorl struggled back to his feet and immediately began searching for the source of danger. The far wall exploded outwards as dozens of skeletal hands shot up, clutching desperately at Maleela. Still on her knees, she barely rolled away in time.
    Dorl Theed swore to himself. The skeletons pulled and clawed their way free of their eternal tombs. Nothol dropped into a low guard and waited. His eyes hardened. Of the many foes he’d faced over the years, this was a first. The undead continued to break free around them. Dorl managed to overcome his fright and pull Maleela to the relative safety their group offered. Nothol grinned savagely. He didn’t know what it was going to take to kill a skeleton but he decided not to wait to find out. He attacked. Within the confined space only one man was able to wield a sword effectively. Dorl and Argis fell back to protect the princess.
    Nothol Coll’s first strike ripped a broken skull from the neck a moment before he kicked the remains to dust. The skeleton collapsed in a ragged heap, taking three more with it. This might not be so bad after all. He swung again, this time splitting one at the waist. More came. And more. The skeletons now numbered more than fifty. Even with Nothol Coll hacking and slashing, the dead soldiers continued to break free. Bones piled around them.
    Dorl Theed watched the situation worsen. He desperately wanted to help but there simply