Behind the left bronze support post of the Primordial Loom, the marble stone floor gave way to a raised stone temple steps of red veined stone, four arm-lengths square and three spans high.
Qiao Ming set his lantern upon the edge of the red stone. The animal fat flame cast long, wavering shadows across a massive bronze tablet set flush into the stonework. The surface of the metal was dark, engraved with two parallel columns of ancient seal-characters, each character cut two inches deep and inlaid with beaten silver wire that caught the lantern’s amber gleam.
Yan Zhiqiu knelt beside the tablet, laying her Broken Slate flat upon the red veined stone. She traced the left column of silver characters with the tip of her forefinger, her lips moving silently as she reconstructed the ancient grammatical registers.
“It is the Testament of the Final Council,” she said, her voice dropping into a solemn, respectful tone. “Inscribed on the third day before the closing of the outer portals, by the hand of Grand Preceptor Shen Tu and Empress Yan Huaisu. It is addressed to whichever custodian should reach the thousandth hall with the unbroken sounding line.”
Qiao Ming adjusted his harness, his bare feet gripping the cold edge of the veined stone temple steps. He looked down at the twin columns of inlaid silver. “Read the left column first, Zhiqiu. What did the Grand Teacher decree?”
