Realm Raiders – Chapter 5

Lute stood at the top of the hill, his chest heaving and his calves burning from the climb. He’d reached the supposedly unreachable tower – and now he understood that it wasn’t going to do him any good. In the end, it hadn’t been hard to track down the building: a vast stone tower looming above a steep hill wasn’t exactly subtly concealed. Once a few travellers on the road had indicated the general direction he needed to travel in – west – he’d spotted it on the horizon within five days.

But it didn’t matter. There was no way he could get inside, because the tower didn’t touch the ground. It floated in the air, a full tree’s height off the top of the hill, as solid and unmoving as any normal tower. How was such a wonder possible?

The wind gusted hard at him, as if trying to push him back down the slope. He stepped forwards, hand outstretched, to touch the place where the wall would be if the tower followed the normal rules for buildings. Perhaps the gap was an illusion, some spell worked to deter the inquisitive. But no, his fingers found only air. Warily, he stepped beneath, peering up at the vast stone bulk of the tower hanging over his head. If it fell, if the magic failed, he’d be crushed.

He stepped back and tried calling, feeling ridiculous as he did so, thinking to summon the miraculous tower to the ground. It ignored him. The plaintive cries of distant mountain birds were his only response.

He couldn’t even see a doorway. How was he supposed to get inside to find the answers he needed? On the other hand, this did seem like an excellent place to lodge the Righteous Blade, keep it out of the hands of the unworthy.

If the mythical sword existed.

 His gaze fell to the hummocky ground beneath the tower – and there, overgrown by grass, he spotted a smooth boulder that looked to lie beneath the very centre of the flying tower. Was it important? Some way of calling down the building? Or was he ensuring his own death by walking to it?

He hadn’t come this far to turn back. Eyeing the tower warily for any sign it was starting to fall, he stepped to the centre of the circle. It was suddenly colder in the shadow beneath the building. The boulder definitely looked crafted, finely carved into regular facets. Nine of them. Lute tried leaning on the boulder with his foot, but it didn’t budge.

He touched one of the smooth surfaces with his fingers – and pulled back as a sharp spike of pain shot through his hand. He studied his fingers, expecting to see another burn to join the tapestry of scars the forge had given him. There was nothing. What was this, a warning? Steeling himself, he reached out again, placing his palm against one of the sides of the boulder. The pain burned through him once more, searing through his bones, up his arm and into his chest. He heard himself gasping from the shock of it, but he kept his hand in place. The pain was intense, yet bearable.

More than that, the burning was more than simple agony. It felt oddly … alive. He had the impression of it snuffling through his veins, his thoughts. Studying him. Tasting him. At the same time, he felt, it wasn’t trying to harm him. It was simply … inquisitive. He let it come. After a moment he found he could master the pain, accept it. The heat moderated to warmth, as if the stone had accepted him.

Recognized him.

He peered up at the tower. It hadn’t moved, but above him, clearer and clearer, he saw that a ring of light glowed in the stone base. It burned blue, flared – and then disappeared to leave a round hole.

Lute withdrew his hand from the stone and stood. Something moved up there. Now he did step back, out of the circle of shadow, fearful that a weight was about to fall on him.

It wasn’t a weight. Instead, a delicate curl of iron began to wind downwards. A staircase, descending slowly to bridge the gap to the ground. It touched down without a sound directly over the boulder. A spiralling iron staircase – finely wrought if he was any judge – the metal steps shaped into fabulous beasts, the wings of dragons, the backs of hippogriffs.

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Realm Raiders Chapter Six lands on Spotlight Indie on 12^th June

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