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Bearer of the dragonfly? Karigan wondered

"However," the professor continued, "the Second Age historian, Havoness, relates the legend of Anschilde, who banished the sea kings by using his ‘dragonfly device,’ perhaps a weapon with arcane qualities Anschilde was considered a great leader and was sos The few historical references I can access disagree about whether or not armies and battles were involved or if it was just Anschilde and his dragonfly device I was lucky to find that unpurged volued books

"What does this have to do with the tombs?" she asked

The professor slapped his journal shut, and Karigan juetting there Now, there are other elusive references to this incident with Anschilde, butis what’s handed down orally in the east about him and his weapon Stories are passed down, despite suppression by the eonfly device became a revered heirloom of Anschilde’s line, later known as Clan Sealender No one after Anschilde kne to use it or even what it was capable of--if anything--besides sending away the sea kings

"Oral tradition holds that the heirloo War so it would not be destroyed, and then brought to Sacor City when the Sealenders ascended the throne Then it vanished altogether about the ti died One concludes it was interred with him in the royal tombs"

"Ah," she said, "so this is what Silk is after This heirlooonfly device" It seemed more than plausible to her such an object would be hidden in the tombs, if it really existed in the first place

"Yes," the professor replied "You see, he too, didthe coast Back then ere still on friendly ter in our discoveries, so he, too, knew of Anschilde’s device In fact, I suspect he lowered "Little did I realize he was just using me back then, on top of his access to a library of forbidden books hidden away in the emperor’s palace Naturally, as the scion of one of the emperor’s inner circle, Silk would seek ways to further the empire for his own benefit, to be rewarded with ionfly device would be a coup because by handing it over to the emperor, Silk would insure that the emperor could not be threatened by it We, the opposition, of course, desire it in case the old stories are true We would like to banish the Sea King Reborn You wereus to find another way into the toet there before Silk"

She sat and stared at the stea her hands The vapor twisted and drifted in a ghostly dance, dissipating long before it reached the high ceiling Was there a way to help the professor without giving away the secrets of the tole to excavate his way into the toh all the rubble and solid granite bedrock--wouldn’t she rather the professor reach them first? But if the tombs remained intact and contained powerful relics of the past, she preferred that no one enter the how forcefully the taboo concerning the tombs kept her silence Feere peruarded the dead, and the caretakers who tended the toan to enter and then leave again Interlopers were not usually perain, and were doo the caretakers

If the tombs had survived the devastation of Sacor City, they were the last bastion of old Sacoridia re in this time, and she was reluctant to see them overrun and defeated as the rest of the realm had been

"How does Dr Silk plan to reach the toh all the rock?"

Cade and the professor exchanged glances

"A drill," the professor replied

"A drill?" Karigan was incredulous, trying to i on iron hand drills Even with a multitude of drills and workers, it would take decades to reach the toht eased her et this is the e of machines Silk’s drill is not the siantic instruine Once the site is made ready and all is set in place, it will take no tih the castle ruins and bedrock Weeks A couple of months at the most"

His words shook her, the idea of such inhuman power

"Which is another reason why," the professor said, "it is time to step up the opposition"

"You an said

"Even if it can be destroyed," Cade said, "it can be remade"

"Machines can be taether in anticipation, "and work sites compromised Even if Silk can remake the drill, it would slow him down, buy us tiuarded"

"The work site will be, too," Cade said

"Perhaps, but Silk’s men can’t possibly secure the entire mount We shall see, we shall seeI will have to consult with our brethren to find out what they know of such things, so we can prepare"