Marriage proposal

Tardos was slightly worried as he arranged a meeting with Hadrian about forming a stronger alliance.

Hadrian saw Dejah was flustered ,while Nuala was slightly happy with this arrangement.

Hadrian questioned"I already have a wife and you are okay with this?"

Dejah was the one to answer"Polygamy is acceptable in Barsoom."

Hadrian knew in his previous world their was polygamy,but the Lords of the house stopped multiple marriages mainly because of the issues of successors and lot of bloody internal fights occurred.

While Dejah was worried seeing now answers as Hadrian once again looked at Nuala,who gave a nod.As he sighed and said"I accept."

Tardos sighed in relief,since this would make sure their alliance is strong and he was sharp enough know Dejah liked the boy.

Hadrian spoke up"We will talk about the marriage after getting rid of the Keeper and Sab Than?"

Tardos agreed with that,since Sab Than and Keepers needed to go for Barsoom to be peaceful.

After this Hadrian told Dejah and Nuala about an information regarding the Keepers'"I went to to ruined temples and I found Keepers have been manipulating people for a long time.The marking in the temple wall is slightly tricky for me completely understand."

Hadrian held his back out as both Dejah and Naula grabbed and they Disapparted is seen as they are being twisted and swirled into nothing within a swirling clear haze, accompanied with a loud rustling or rushing sound, while usually ending in a crack, as if being sucked into a vortex.

They soon appeared in Thark City and got Tarkas first,who approved their entry,but told them to keep it quiet.

They went into the ruined temple,Hadrian created a variant of Lumos charms and to illuminate toppled pillars and walls made of jumbled stone.

Dejah Nuala and Tarkas followed him into a huge, echoing chamber. An ancient statue of a goddess loomed above them, several stories high.

Tarkas whispered"That is goddess iss,we belive Keepers are using her name to manipulate us"

Hadrian nodded, grimacing and slight waves his hand as the white ball of light floated forward lighting up a window made of dusty, rose-colored glass. In its intricate stone mullions shone a nine-legged pattern identical to the one on the medallion.

Tarkas nodded and said"When I saw that,I knew it looked similar to the medallion"

Hadrian smiled and replied"Good work Tarkas."

Hadrian knew their had temples,but locations the two Watchers told were all of over the place.Also last to Keepers made sure to change base from time to time and the main base was not known to lower ranks.

Hadrian soon saw up at a basrelief, intertwined with an unknown, ancient script, running around the base of the temple ceiling. A geometric pattern wove in and out of it.It was the seen that pattern

Hadrian looked at Dejah and asked"What does that say?"

Hadrian held Dejah and Nuala's hand as they started float over the wall and Dejah yelped in suprise, almost dropping her torch.

Dejah mock glared and smacked his arms and muttered"Tell me before you do something like that."

While Nuala just pinched him.While he smirked and held up the ball of light to the wall.

Dejah studied the carving and pointed at the first in a row of images: human or near-human figures wearing medallions, standing above a vast mountain range.

She got a idea and started reading the inscriptions"In the time of oceans, all Barsoom was lawlessness and chaos.'" She paused, struggling to read. "'There came…the Therns. Holy messengers of the Goddess Issus…they took the firstborn and divided the red men from the green. To each they gave the gifts of knowledge…'" Her finger passed over a series of blurred, overlapping images of godlike Keepers. "The doubled faces,"

Hadrian was now curious as "So they made sure to keep the two races from ever uniting?"

Dejah nodded and replied"It seems so,they used the messenger of God's to make sure everyone believed them ."

Nuala added her thoughts"And their technology helped their cause."

Dejah and nodded and said"'The Therns' final gift of knowledge,'" she read, "'was the Way of the Goddess that those who seek the solace of eternity may journey down the River…to pass through the sacred Gates of Iss and find everlasting peace in the bosom of Issus.'"

As she stabbed out a finger to touch the far end of the river's image. Another medallion was depicted there within an upsidedown pyramid. "There's the medallion again.That means something is there."

Nuala knew that from Sola and said"That is the River Iss,it is said to be the gateway to the Barsoomian afterlife. When Barsoomians choose to die, they head up the river."

Hadrian nodded we will head their after this.