The Clan of Sky Blue Water
Into the Cistern The last of the temple gongs had just finished ringing in the hour of the Dawn when the explorers gathered under the cistern pavilion. The group was led by Wachánu hiVayéshtu, scholar and antiquarian. He was accompanied by Ikané hiShúkla, a recently declared Aridáni , yet still a sworn servant of the hiVayéshtus. With her was her younger brother, Rachan. They had been “assigned” as guards and issued short spears, though neither had any formal training. Just behind Wachánu came Kéttukal hiBaláshi, from one of the merchant lineages, assigned to act as cataloger/appraiser. He was accompanied by clan cousins Údey and Kámat hiDangól. Like Ikané and Rachan, they had been issued spears. Truth was, Kámat and Údey were just in it for a chance to break their daily routine. They were met by the two laborers who first discovered the doorway, Tufiq and Tabriz hiIndukar. Together, they descended the stairs into the re...