A depression began to form in the area of the pool that they were excavating in this unique manner. Bits of treasure started sliding down into it, only to be thrown up again and hurled aside. The tinkling and chinking of metallic objects made a strange, ethereal sound as it continued, like some giant, many-stranded wind chime being blown about. And then Kara cried out, “There!”
One by one, the pieces of treasure filling the air fell to the surface of the pile until only one object remained, held up by the power of the Guardian’s psionic talent. And among the other objects making up the treasure horde, this one looked dull and ordinary except for one thing that set it apart from all the other pieces they had seen.
It was a breastplate made of small, intricate links of gleaming, silver chain mail, not really a proper breastplate at all, since no metal plate was used. It seemed a peculiar and impractical piece since it was designed in such a fashion that it covered only the chest, leaving the back, arms, and shoulders unprotected. It looked like ceremonial armor, the wearer’s back remaining comfortably bare beneath a light cape or cloak. The breastplate was constructed to be fastened around the neck and waist, covering only the front part of the upper torso from the waist to the collarbone. But there own.
“The Breastplate of Argentum,” Kara said softly. “I have heard of it in legends, but I had never truly thought to see it for myself.”
The talisman floated over to Sorak, guided by the Guardian, and she then slipped back as he came to the fore once again. The glowing talisman dropped into his waiting hands. It was heavier than it looked.
“What is its purpose?” Sorak asked, staring down at it. “What is the nature of its spell?”
“Put it on,” said Kara with a smile.
Sorak glanced up at her uncertainly, then did as she had told him. He fastened it around his neck, then again at the waist, feeling the weight of it... and something else, as well. As he put it on, his chest began to tingle strangely, as if with hundreds of tiny, minute pinpricks. It was not painful, but it felt similar to the sensation he’d experienced when he sat too long in one position and his legs would fall asleep.
The sensation spread quickly to his arms and legs, and the blue glow grew brighter for an instant, flaring briefly, then subsiding as it seemed to fade into him. And when blue glow of the talisman faded from sight ... so did he.
“Sorak!” Ryana cried out with alarm. It had happened quickly. Just a brief flaring of the blue glow, and then he faded away, completely disappearing from sight.
“What is it?” his disembodied voice asked, speaking from where he had stood a moment earlier, and apparently still stood, though Ryana could not see a thing. It was as if he wasn’t even there.
“Sorak?” asked Ryana, straining to catch some glimpse of him. She could tell from the sound of his voice that he stood right in front of her, but she saw absolutely nothing.
“What?” he asked again. “What’s wrong, Ryana? You seem alarmed. What is the matter?”
She stretched her hand out tentatively until she felt it come in contact with his face, and then she jerked it back again.
“What are you doing?” he asked irritably. And then, realizing that something was wrong from the expression on her face, he nervously added, “Has something happened to me?”
“You’re ... you’re not there!” she said with astonishment.
“What are you talking about? Of course, I am here. I am standing right in front of you! Can’t you see me?”
“No,” she said, in a small, frightened voice. “You have become invisible!”
For a moment, he was silent. He raised his hand up in front of his face. He could see it clearly, but apparently, Ryana could not see a thing. He stepped around quietly behind her. She continued staring at the spot where he had stood a moment earlier. He tapped her on the shoulder. She gasped and spun around, her gaze searching for him in vain.
“You really cannot see me?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Kara?” he asked. “Can you see me?”
“I can hear you,” she replied, her senses being sharper than any human’s. “I can hear the faint fall of your footsteps, and in the stillness, I can hear your breathing. But I cannot see you. No one can, Sorak, not so long as you wear the Breastplate of Argentum.”
“A talisman of invisibility!” said Sorak with wonder. He tiptoed around behind Ryana and once again tapped her on the shoulder. She jerked around, startled.
“Stop that!” she said. “Where are you?” He chuckled. “This is fun,” he said. “Well, I don’t think it’s very funny,” she replied, irritably. “Take it off!”
“Not yet,” he said, and Ryana heard the soft fall of his footsteps as he moved around her. “This is a strange and wondrous experience! I feel no different, save for a momentary, curious tingling sensation that I felt when I first put it on. I see everything clearly, just as before. I look down at my legs, and I can still see them. I hold my hand up before my face, and I can see it, too. But you and Kara see nothing? Not even the faintest disturbance in the air?”
Ryana shook her head. “No, not a thing,” she said. “And it is most unsettling. I wish that you would take it off.”
“What about the undead, Kara?” Sorak asked. “Would I be invisible to them, as well?”
“Most of the undead no longer have eyes,” said Kara, “yet still they ‘see,’ in a manner of speaking. They would sense your presence. Unfortunately, the Breastplate of Argentum would not safeguard you from them.”
“Pity,” Sorak said. “Does it do anything else?”
“Not to my knowledge,” Kara replied. “But it is imbued with an ancient, eldritch power that perhaps the Sage would use in some other way. I cannot tell. I am a pyreen and a druid, not a sorceress. Only the Sage could tell you what use he would make of its enchantment.”
“Where is the Sage?” Ryana asked her. “Do you know? Can’t you tell us? Is he near?”
“No,” said Kara. “He is very far away. But in another sense, he is nearer than you think.”
Ryana sighed with exasperation. “Do you never reply with anything but riddles, my lady?”
Kara smiled. “Sometimes,” she said. “And speaking of time, we had best be on our way if we do not wish Valsavis to find us.”
“He has already found you,” came a familiar voice, echoing through the chamber.
Kara and Ryana turned quickly to see Valsavis step into the room, his sword drawn.
“Did you really think you could leave me behind so easily?” he said. “And did you truly believe you could mislead me by leaving your flying platform in plain sight on the other side of the city? Or did you forget that a roc can spy its prey from a great distance, hundreds of feet above the-” and then his words caught in his throat as he saw the treasure horde spread out before him in the pool. “Gith’s blood!” he swore.
Ryana gazed at him impassively from the other end of the chamber. “Yes, Valsavis,” she said. “You have found the fabled, lost treasure of Bodach. And you are more than welcome to it. It should make you rich beyond your wildest dreams. Richer than any aristocrat, wealthier even than any sorcerer-king, including Nibenay, your master. Though, of course, how you will transport it may prove something of a problem.”