Chapter 53

Ray blinked at the man standing in the center of the room alongside a sarcophagus bigger than the one the temple on their world housed. But of more intrigue was the fact that he recognized the figure that beat them to it.

"You!" He jabbed a finger. "What are you doing here?" The Tinqqer who'd started them on a quest for the God Gear stood within the room, wearing a robe and sporting the same annoying smile.

"You know this male?" Nema asked.

Ray nodded. "That's Marius Snype. The creator of the drones we've been tracking. A maker of cogs."

"But that's not my true name," Snypes announced. "In another life, I was known as Artuur of Avhallonn."

The announcement brought a scowl to Nema's face. "The Lake remembers you. Thief." She spat the word, but the robed figure didn't flinch, only bowed his head in reply.

"Hold on a tic. You know him?" Ray asked.