King Minos and his trusted architect, Jato, descended the steep steps to the hidden royal tomb. The horses of the marauding army were dangerously near, their thundering hooves rupturing the stillness of the summer darkness. A full moon shone above but the men carried torches, for the path inside was as black as the deepest night. A strong breeze rustled the folds of their long dark robes. They stood for a brief moment outside the stone entrance that had been cleverly concealed to resemble a wall of rocks. The king sighed, for his heart had never been heavier in all his years of imperial rule.
"It's time to face the gods of destiny," he said sadly, as the two men squeezed inside the narrow opening one at a time. The door cracked back into place. "We can wait no longer, Jato. The Empire is lost."
The older man nodded dutifully, for there was too much at stake to disagree with the king and arouse his suspicions.
"I must reward you before the armored soldiers find my treasure. Come."
Jato followed cautiously behind.
They walked in silence, the torches' wavering light casting grotesque shadows upon the dank walls lining the narrow corridor. They stopped when the flames from a thousand torches came into view. Soon, they too would flicker and die with the kingdom of Moria.
"You have made this great mausoleum, Jato. Your hands and your skill and your brains alone. You should always be proud."
Jato smiled for it was true. He had been paid handsomely from the king's own coffers for designing the royal burial chamber and treasury. It had come, however, at a tremendous cost. His workers had been sacrificed on its golden altar to insure their silence after Queen Nefra's death a few years before. The populace had never known where she lay in eternal rest, for the king feared desecration of her grave. Theirs had not been a popular reign, but it was to be the last for the once mighty empire. Jato had been the only one besides the king entrusted with the tomb's location and he had kept the secret well.
Everywhere was the glint of gold. So often Jato had seen and touched, but never in the presence of his king. It was he alone who maintained the tomb and the sacred torch fires that symbolized life's renewal. He had also stolen a few precious gems from the jewel-encrusted shrine of the queen and the two ladies in waiting buried with her. But that had been a pittance compared to the wealth and generosity of a grateful king. He was sure that much more would be bestowed upon him now with the enemy so close at hand.
