“Is that where we’re going?” Ferus asked.
“Creepy, huh? Don’t let it bother you,” Auben said. “Nobody lives there. Everyone’s afraid to go inside, except for me. We won’t be followed, that’s for sure.”
“What was it?” Ferus asked, even though Anakin knew he was perfectly aware of its history. Ferus was too good a student. He had read the same briefing material that Anakin had.
“Just an old monastery. They blasted out the side of the mountain to build it. Will you two hurry up?” Auben started down the steep path toward the monastery. It wound through the boulders and crags.
Something in Anakin suddenly revolted. He rarely felt fear, but he felt it now. A deep voice within him was warning him not to enter.
And yet another voice, deeper than fear, told him to go inside.
CHAPTER-NINE
Obi-Wan lowered his electrobinoculars. “The Sith monastery,” he said. “Why is she going there?”
“She doesn’t want to be found,” Soara answered. “I’d guess very few go in there if they don’t have to.”
They stood on the lip of the plateau, looking down. Thousands of standard years ago, the original inhabitants of Korriban had all been killed after toiling for years to build the monastery. Nothing living thrived there now. Not a bush, not a blade of grass. If the ancient stones could speak, they would talk of blood and terror.
“It could be a trap,” Siri said.
“Every step we take on this planet could be leading us to a trap,” Obi-Wan said.
Siri gave a half-smile. “So let’s go.”
They climbed down the steep, rocky path.
Through
the electrobinoculars, Obi-Wan had seen Auben lead Anakin and Ferus into the monastery through a crevice in the stones. He led the team there. The rocks that made up the giant walls had shifted over the years. Some large slabs leaned against each other, while others had toppled and crumbled into boulders.
Darra and Tru slipped through the crevice easily. Siri, Soara, and Obi-Wan followed - Obi-Wan with a bit more difficulty. Ry-Gaul had the worst time. He was tall and solidly built, and even the Force couldn’t get him through the crack. “I’ll find another way in,” he said when it was clear he couldn’t make it.
“I’ll come with you, Master,” Tru said, starting to slither out again.
“No. I’ll catch up.” Ry-Gaul disappeared.
Obi-Wan went a few steps ahead into the darkness. He felt the dread of the place. They were in a vast chamber, as big as the Great Hall of the Temple. Massive blocks of stone formed the floor. The last of the light came through the crevices in the walls like bony fingers.
They heard footsteps echoing as Auben led Anakin and Ferus farther into the ruins. The Jedi followed silently. The oppressiveness of the place where Sith had lived and trained was a burden they had to fight against. Obi-Wan heard voices, but he knew they were ancient ones. He thought he saw shadows move. When he turned a corner quickly, he saw a vision - a Sith student on his knees, begging..
He averted his eyes.
Siri’s face was pale. Darra and Tru looked shaken. Soara moved closer to her apprentice, to give her support.
In the distance, Auben climbed through a ruined doorway. The Jedi moved to follow, keeping out of sight.
They stopped outside a small chamber. They could see through the half-ruined wall that this had once been a small enclosure, perhaps a reception room. Auben had turned it into a combination hideout and storage space. Along the walls were bins filled with what Obi-Wan had no doubt were stolen goods. There was a bedroll in the corner and a couple of durasteel boxes stacked to form a table. On it rested a glow lamp. Auben leaned over and switched it onto a low setting. Shadows sprang up, dark and ominous, as if the Sith hopefuls who had trained here had returned.
Auben turned to face Anakin and Ferus, her hands on her hips. “So. Who are you really?” Her voice echoed against the walls.
“We told you,” Anakin said. “We’re stranded.”
“I think you are Jedi,” Auben said. “I’ve never seen a Jedi, but I’ve heard of them.” She waited, but Ferus and Anakin did not speak. She shrugged. “Fine. Jedi credits are as good as anyone else’s, I guess. If you wait a little while, the army will stop tracking and you can leave. They won’t come inside the monastery.”
“Do you live here alone?” Ferus asked.
Auben leaned toward the light as though it would give heat as well as illumination. “I live many places. But yes, I’m alone here. Sometimes I get spooked. I hear things… but it’s just this old place.”
“Maybe we should look around for you,” Ferus said. “Make sure you’re safe.”