Conflict by Pedro Urvi Read Free Book Online

threateningly. “My head hurts too much for arguments. If you know anything about this attempt on our lives you’d better start talking.”
    “I’ve already told Hartz, I’m not hiding anything and I had nothing to do with this attack. If you want to believe me, that’s fine! Otherwise I’ll go on my way alone, in peace!”
    “Let me remind you, when we met they were already trying to kill you and your brothers in arms. It stands to reason that this attack might be related to that one. And come to think of it, you never explained why you were attacked in the first place,” said Komir, holding his head. The pain was killing him.
    “For the umpteenth time, I don’t know why they attacked us, and I had nothing to do with this last attempt!”
    A tense silence fell in the room. None of them moved or said a word, afraid that all the accumulated anger and tension might explode violently in the small cell, burning them all to ashes.
    Komir took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
    “These arguments aren’t helping us. We need answers, and we need them soon. I don’t want to stay in this city any longer than necessary. All these complications are doing nothing but delay my own quest. I don’t know why we’re tangled up in all this, but we must find out and I must go on. Lindaro, did your Brothers manage to decipher the meaning of the writing we found on the tomb of the King of the Lost Civilization?”
    “I’m sorry, Komir… all our attempts at deciphering their language are leading us nowhere. I’m afraid that it’s going to take an enormous effort on the part of our specialists in linguistics. It will take a while to see results…”
    Komir frowned. “How long are we talking about, priest?”
    “To be honest, I don’t think they’ll be able to interpret much during the next few months. Maybe even years… It all depends on the complexity of the language, the symbols and the material we find in the temple itself.”
    “Damnation! I don’t want to spend years sitting here doing nothing!”
    “Why such a hurry to understand the language of the Ancients?” Lindaro asked. He sounded rather taken aback.
    “Because it’s the only clue I have. The murderers who came for me did it for a reason, and that has something to do with my mother’s medallion. I’m so sure of that I’d put my hand in the fire. It’s the only out-of-the-ordinary object my parents possessed. What does Kayti call them? Ah yes, Objects of Power. Why would my mother have a medallion from any lost civilization? It doesn’t make sense for a humble Norriel couple in the highlands to have a thing like that in their possession. If we add that to my mysterious origin… Think about it: my parents never told me where I came from or how I came to be in their care, but I do know I was entrusted to them as a baby. There has to be some link between these odd facts, don’t you think?”
    “Then you believe that’s the reason why you were attacked in your homeland?” said Lindaro.
    “I’m certain. They wanted to kill me and it has something to do with this medallion my family kept. Coincidences like that don’t happen very often. I must have come to my parents’ home as a baby, with the medallion. That would explain why my mother had it and why those strangers attacked us. It has to be connected, it’s the only explanation. I’ve thought about it a thousand times, looking for motives and reasons and clues. There’s a connection, I’m sure of it!”
    “I see,” said Lindaro. “Then do you think it’s you they’re looking for, or the medallion? Remember, the medallion was the key to finding the temple and opening the doors to the crypt.”
    “I don’t know, perhaps both. How can I tell? I feel we’re not getting anywhere, and I still have no idea where the culprits might be. We have to take action.”
    “Why don’t we simply wait until they appear again, then capture one and interrogate him?” said Hartz, finishing his glass of