Solbert

Having decided to take the risk of angering the spirits of the place in order to help Astra, Fred and Checkers discussed tactics.

Fred observed, "I think that it would make more sense for me to remove the valuable article. I am bigger, stronger, and have much experience with hand-to-hand combat. You can keep a safe distance, within spear range of the statue, in case things go badly. I will only fight back if I am cornered or it looks like the mage is going to try magic. I would prefer to run away, and give our mage time to think. I also plan on praying beforehand, asking for understanding from those who keep the place, and protection from Him above, as well as a solution for Astra's problem. Those prayers may not be granted, but I have some hope, as I believe that the cause is worthy."

Checkers replied, "Your plan makes sense to me. It would make better use of my skills if I were in the background. I am sure that we can find Gardener [the Glider] if his statue is indeed here, but it is not obvious to me where it is. But I would recommend against it. If the first thing he sees is a strange man holding something of his, he is likely to think the worst."

Fred was sure that he had seen a statue of a male Glider in the ampitheater during the previous day. [22883] Fred chose not to share Paul's assessment of the Gliders that he knew with Checkers. Even if it was correct, he still thought that Checkers made a good point, and that Gardener would regard him as an outsider, and might be reluctant to help. The other two statues seemed better choices.

Sartoma's statue was easy to find. It was the same white marble statue that he saw when he first entered the ampitheater after leaving to hunt for a medicine to heal Astra. [22883] He walked up to the statue, and could not figure out the valuable item. The statue was adorned with neither jewelry nor a valuable artifact. All he could see was the beautiful silk dress.

The blood rushed to Fred's face as he understood what would be required to trigger Sartoma's awakening, according to Paul's logic. Removing the silk gown and awakening Sartoma would place him in an extremely awkward position.

"Let us try the gnome," declared Fred. "He is short, and looks to be somewhat older than Sartoma, and perhaps has accumulated more experience. I think that we could use the knowledge of someone who has been in the ancient city for many years as much as magical power. And he would be easier to handle if he starts to fight, which I hope will not happen."

"Your plan is as good as any that I can think of. You do know where he is, then?"

"Yes."

Checkers followed Fred. They passed five statues, and then came to a bearded man on a pedestal, made of a rust-coloured stone, about half of Fred's height. Checkers smiled a tense smile. She was excited, and her nerves tingled as she prepared against danger. However, it was amusing to her to find someone with the build of a child, and with the careworn and grave face of an older human. It was difficult to convincingly carve wrinkles, sagging jowls, and a beard into stone and make it look real, but the sculptor had accomplished it. Checkers secretly wished that, if she survived, that she could talk to the original sculptor, and see if she could pick up any tips, as she herself had some skill in that discipline.

Fred knelt, and Checkers bowed her head, as each prayed in their own way. After Fred had finished, he stood up, and approached the statue. Checkers, well off to Fred's side, raised her spear, and was ready to thrust it into gnome if he cornered Fred. The cane with the horse's head was obviously valuable. It was made of some extremely hard and deep reddish-black wood, with large rubies embedded in white marble supplying the place of the horse's eyes. He at first thought that removing the cane would be impossible, as it was part of his fist, but when he grasped just below the horse's head, he could spin the head easily. The only thing keeping the cane from slipping through the gnome's fist was the knob with the horse's head.

Fred lifted the cane from the gnome's fist, and stepped back ready for a reaction.

Nothing happened.

Fred slowly exhaled a stream of air. He felt disappointed that his dream did not yield an answer, but also relieved that a possible confrontation due to a misunderstanding was not going to happen. After staring at the statue for a couple of minutes, looking for signs of life, he turned and started to walk towards Checkers.

"It was worth a try," he said. He noticed that Checkers still had her spear cocked back. Her eyes had widened a bit, her mouth was slightly opened. She had stepped back, trying to get a better aim but also getting in a position to flee, which Fred had told her earlier was the preferred choice. Instinctively Fred knew that something had happened to the statue.

The rusty brownish-red stone had come alive! Checkers could see that the face of the gnome

1. had assumed a scowl.
2. had broken into a smile.

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