Graced by Sophia Sharp

way these towers could have withstood the power of the elements for al these years and stil look as if they were only erected yesterday.”
    “That is a sacred material,” Madison said slowly. “And to destroy it – wel , I have not heard of such a thing!”
    “Precisely why we need to be careful moving forward,” Alexander said. “The elders undoubtedly hold bits of ancient knowledge that has long been forgotten – or perhaps expunged from the col ective conscious of our race. And it wil make them formidable enemies. That they knew of a way to destroy allurvai … wel , it is only one such example.
    “And as for why, Laura – perhaps the markings spoke of a time without their rule, or made some mention of the past. Perhaps it was simply because of what the tower represented: a relic of a time gone by, dressed in a language that has long since faded from memory. The elders have a firm grip on power, and have held it since the very first memories of any currently living Vassiz . Their only desire is to ensure their rule continues, and they hold reign over our race.”
    “Things have been destroyed for less,” Madison offered.
    “That’s right,” Alexander nodded. “Their rule is absolute, and they move fast to crush any threat to their power. Although… there is one more reason why they could have done it.”
    “Which is?” Laura asked.
    “A warning,” Alexander said ominously. “A warning for us, and any others, to keep out of the sanctuary. For if something so precious could have been reduced to dust…” he kicked at the pile of rubble, sending a piece of black allurvai tumbling down, “what is to stop anything else from facing the same fate?”

Chapter Eight
    ~A Deliberate Entrance~
    The sun had started to fal by the time Laura and the rest came upon the entrance to the sanctuary. It was just as she had remembered from before: the forest stopping in a straight edge, then, about twenty feet away, a large ivy-covered rock cliff. Shrubs and vines grew out from there, but they did not reach the forest. And along the face of the cliff was a single dark opening. The vines that had covered it once had been ripped away.
    “There it is,” Logan said, pointing to it. “The entrance to the sanctuary.”
    “Through there?” Alexander asked.
    “Yes,” Logan confirmed. “It’s a long path that leads down, and final y opens up to a large cavern.”
    “A single path?” Madison asked. “A narrow, single path? That means that there wil be no avoiding anyone else should the sanctuary be guarded.”
    “We can keep watch tonight,” Laura offered. “See if anybody goes in, or comes out.”
    Logan coughed. “Although,” he interrupted, “we do not even know if the entrance is open or not.”
    “What do you mean?” Laura asked. “The Vassiz chasing us broke through after we came in, remember?”
    “Right,” Logan said, “but that does not mean that they didn’t bar the way after.”
    “You think they would have?”
    “If the elders went through the trouble of ordering the tower destroyed, I do not see why they would stop at that. Maybe they wanted al signs of the sanctuary hidden. Making it inaccessible would be a good way of doing so. You remember those other markings right below the entrance to the cavern?” Laura nodded.
    “For al we know, the elders may have taken just as harsh an opinion of them. And it would be easier to simply block access to the sanctuary than destroy the entire wal .
    “Plus, we don’t even know if the Vassiz chasing after us ever got out of the maze,” Logan continued.
    “Rafael made it sound as if the twisting corridors went on forever – as if it were possible to wander the stone hal s for generations and stil not come close to getting out.”
    “So you think some of them are stil there?” Laura said, and shuddered – but not because of fear. Despite herself, and despite knowing who her pursuers were, she could not wish that fate on anybody. “Al fifty of