The Ruined City

The Ruined City — page 3 — of them can push a mind to the edges of sanity As the great master of the macabre H P Lovecraft once said We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity and it was not meant that we should voyage far Is all that follows true I cannot help you there You must decide But one thing is certain it all began long ago in a place called Sanxingdui 2 john wilson

The Ruined City — page 4 — sanxingdui The Emperor’s Tea Kun Zhuang emperor of Sanxingdui the City of Masks and all the surrounding lands that can be reached on a galloping horse in fi ve days lord of all creatures from the largest elephant in the royal menagerie to the tiniest mite in the straw bed of the poorest peasant and keeper of the Golden Mask sniffed A young servant boy dressed in a gold-trimmed green uniform with a twisting imperial dragon on the front scuttled forward from his position behind the emperor and offered him a silk handkerchief Kun wiped his nose on the richly embroidered sleeve of his dressing gown and waved his arm dismissively Thank you Chen he said but I would prefer if you brought Jingshen and me some tea The boy bowed and turned away but he skidded to a halt when he realized the emperor was still talking And make certain that foul-smelling dog is nowhere near the royal tea urn Last time you served tea it smelled as if you had drawn the water straight from the drinking trough in the imperial kennels 3

The Ruined City — page 5 — The boy bowed even more deeply and fled He’s a good boy Kun said to the tall elegant woman seated cross-legged on the other side of the low table But his mind is always on either that kitchen girl Ting and her pet dog or on his crazy dream of becoming a wushu master He smiled at his guest One day he will do great things the woman predicted Her snow-white hair hung straight over her shoulders framing a gentle high-cheekboned face She returned Kun’s smile with gray eyes that hinted she could read his most intimate thoughts I would like that day to be while he still makes and serves my tea The emperor’s smile faded and his brow furrowed He pulled at his beard thoughtfully But we have more important things to talk of than tea Are the auguries true Jingshen nodded slowly The signs are all there The time of danger threatens to unleash the power of the Golden Mask Sanxingdui is facing doom But how can that be How can the City of Masks be in danger It is the center of the world It has endured for a thousand thousand years And are we not protected by the Golden Mask A thousand years is but a blink of the eye and the Golden Mask does not simply protect us It is not good or evil it is naked power and power can destroy as easily as create We are safe from the mask’s power only so long as it resides within the Chamber of the Deep I know The ancient prophecy clearly states the emperor closed his eyes to aid remembrance The horrors of darkness may not endure the light while the Golden Mask resides in the Chamber of the Deep 4 john wilson

The Ruined City — page 6 — This is true Jingshen agreed And you know as well as I Kun went on that the Chamber of the Deep may be entered and the Golden Mask approached only by one of the three you me or Shenxian Jingshen sat silent for a long time but she had a look of such worry on her face that Kun was scared to ask what troubled troubled her When she finally spoke her voice was so quiet that the emperor had to lean forward to catch her words Last night I dreamed that the Min Mountains fell and that from their ruins arose a terrible demon of unimaginable power she said The land vanished in great floods and fires and the world was reduced to dust ashes and rocks The time of danger is coming Yes and it is very close Does Shenxian know this Kun forced himself to whisper If I dreamed it then so did Shenxian The emperor rubbed his temples as if to erase the terri fying thoughts running through his brain But still he said at last Shenxian cannot act alone Two of the three of us must recite the sacred incantation at the same instant to release the Golden Mask from its jade pillar True but you don’t know all of the ancient prophecy Jingshen clutched her hands together to prevent them from trembling The horrors of darkness may not endure the light while the Golden Mask resides in the Chamber of the Deep Yet at the time of danger when the mountains fall in the reign of Skyfire the courage of life-in-death may unlock the Arch until the return of the Ivory Ark 5 the ruined city

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