Desolation of Erimos
Copyright© 2026 by Rycliff
Chapter 7: The Guardian
The passage was narrow.
Lanterns lined both walls.
That alone made Alliyanna slow down.
After the hidden lighting, black stone and invisible machinery of the previous chambers, the lanterns seemed almost primitive.
They hung at regular intervals, enclosed in dark metal and glass. There was no visible flame, but they gave off a warm amber light unlike anything else inside the temple.
Talak took point.
Alliyanna followed.
Kahlan walked beside her.
None of them had said much since leaving the reflection chamber.
The silence was not hostile.
It was simply full.
The hallway opened into a larger space.
Alliyanna stopped at the threshold.
The chamber beyond was octagonal.
Each wall was cut from the same dark stone as the rest of the temple. Shallow antechambers opened along several sides, each empty except for lanterns and carved geometric lines.
In the exact center stood a raised circular dais.
And above the pedestal at the center of the dais, something floated.
Alliyanna narrowed her eyes.
At this distance she could not see every detail, but there was no question something narrow and elongated hovered above the pedestal.
It glowed bright green.
A jade-colored light surrounded it, strong enough to reflect across the dais and onto the floor.
It was perhaps a foot long.
Maybe three inches thick.
From where she stood it looked like a narrow piece of carved jade, though the surface appeared faceted and uneven.
Alliyanna tightened her grip on the ancient book.
“That has to be it,” Kahlan said.
“Yes,” Talak answered.
None of them moved.
Because the fragment was not the only thing in the chamber.
Near the dais stood an old suit of armor.
Upright.
Not displayed.
Not collapsed.
Standing.
The armor was full plate from head to foot.
It was not polished.
It was not rusted.
It had simply dulled with age.
The metal looked dark and matte, with no crest or visible insignia.
Its gauntlets rested at its sides.
Its helmet faced forward.
Alliyanna slowly pointed toward it.
“Talak. Are you seeing this, or are my eyes playing tricks on me again?”
“No,” he said. “I’m seeing the same thing you’re seeing.”
Kahlan looked between the armor and the fragment.
“Good. Because I wasn’t sure either.”
Alliyanna almost smiled.
It disappeared quickly.
They waited.
Nothing moved.
The fragment continued floating.
The lanterns remained steady.
Talak studied the room.
“No obvious threat.”
Kahlan snorted.
“We should probably stop saying that inside ancient temples.”
Talak ignored him.
“Scan?”
Kahlan checked his handheld unit.
“Minimal background energy across the room. Strong concentration around the fragment.”
He adjusted the scanner.
“The armor is strange.”
Talak looked at him.
“What does strange mean?”
“I’m getting a reading.”
All three looked at the armor.
“Power?” Alliyanna asked.
“Something.”
Talak’s hand settled on his sidearm.
Alliyanna looked at the fragment.
That was what they had crossed Erimos to find.
The First Fragment.
Everything in the ancient book had led to this room.
She took one step forward.
The armor moved.
All three froze.
It did not lunge.
The helmet simply tilted.
Then one gauntleted hand lifted.
Metal scraped softly against metal.
Talak drew his sidearm.
Kahlan followed.
Alliyanna stepped back half a pace.
The armor took one measured step toward the dais.
Then another.
It turned fully toward them.
No face was visible behind the visor.
Only darkness.
The armor raised one hand.
Palm outward.
Not attack.
Command.
Warning.
Perhaps greeting.
When it spoke, the voice came from the armor itself.
Old.
Deep.
Dry.
“You have passed the Echoes.”
The words rolled through the chamber.
No one answered.
“You have passed Reflection.”
Alliyanna looked at Talak.
Then back at the armor.
“So this is the Guardian.”
The helmet turned toward her.
“I am the last warden set to this place.”
Talak did not lower his weapon.
“Are you going to stop us from taking that?”
The Guardian looked toward the fragment.
“That depends upon whether you understand what you seek.”
Kahlan exhaled.
“Of course it does.”
The Guardian ignored him.
“You crossed the wastes.”
Its gaze moved across them.
“You opened the sealed gate. You entered the Maze and did not lose yourselves to falsehood. You entered Reflection and did not flee the truth within yourselves.”
The Guardian paused.
“Yet none of these grants possession.”
The Guardian’s dark visor shifted toward the fragment.
“The third trial remains. The Void’s Touch.”
“It does not test whether you can reach the Key. It tests why you would take it.”
Alliyanna shifted the book beneath her arm.
“What does?”
The Guardian lowered its hand.
“Purpose.”
The word hung in the room.
Talak spoke.
“We came for the fragment.”
“Many could say the same.”
“We didn’t come for profit.”
“That is not the question.”
Kahlan looked toward the fragment.
“Then I suspect you should ask the question.”
The Guardian turned toward him.
After a moment it seemed to accept that.
“You stand before the First Fragment of the Key.”
All three became still.
“It is not treasure.”
The voice deepened.
“It is not inheritance. It is not reward for endurance. It is not a weapon for ambition. It is not a curiosity to be studied and abandoned.”
The Guardian faced Alliyanna.
“You carry the record that brought you here.”
She tightened her grip on the book.
“Yes.”
“Then answer.”
Alliyanna breathed.
“Answer what?”
“Why do you seek it?”
The chamber became quiet.
Alliyanna looked at the fragment.
At the beginning the quest had almost been theoretical.
An ancient book.
A strange story.
A warning.
Now it was very real.
“To stop the Void.”
The Guardian did not move.
“That is why.”
“You speak the desired end. Not the chosen purpose.”
Alliyanna frowned.
“I don’t see the difference.”
“Then you are not yet ready to bear it.”
Talak shifted.
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