บท 689: Top of the Tower
The group started in shock at the pristine mirror in the Keeper's hand. It looked exactly like Aurora's...because it was!
"How did you—?" The Empress tried to comprehend how the Fate had the exact item she needed.
"One of my scouts found it when the storm receded to its normal limits. It is a powerful tool, and should not be lost so easily." The Keeper chastised the woman
"I didn't try to lose it. My entire cart was ripped away from Isbora's back by your hurricane." Aurora narrowed her gaze. "Were you planning on keeping it?"
"You did not seem to value it." The Keeper shrugged.
'I am beginning to think the elves might not have been entirely wrong in calling him a thief.' The Empress took back the mirror before the Fate changed his mind.
She passed the looking glass to Zan. "If we restore the magic and find Mairwen, we will contact you on this. That should give us both peace of mind."
The Councilman accepted the gift. "I will protect it well. I suppose I will see you back at the Castle Valiant?"
Aurora nodded. "If you see Colvyr before me, give him a big hug on my behalf."
"Me too!" Devrim thought of his son. His heart suddenly ached to be home.
"I will. Safe Journey, Your Majesties." Zan bowed deeply.
"For all of you, as well," Aurora looked out at her soldiers.
Thanks to them she had survived crossing a chasm, sand wolf attacks, pirates, a hurricane, and much more that she didn't even know.
The Empress would reward them all when she got home.
The Keeper called forward his four most trusted leopards. The spotted creatures strode silently forward, sending an unconscious shiver down Aurora's spine. They were as beautiful as they were deadly.
With Devrim's help, Aurora climbed onto the cat's back. "Does my brace hurt you?" She asked in the ancient tongue.
"It is fine for now," the feline answered.
"When you get to the top of the Tower, find the smallest of the stones. It has twelve edges and looks like the stars at night. Make sure you touch it all at the same time. Any hesitation might leave one or more of you behind. The fairy can guide you on the rest. He has done this before. Farewell!" The Keeper waved his hand and all four leopards jumped into the air.
Working to hold on to the small amount of food in her stomach, Aurora wrapped her free arm around the feline's neck.
This was not like flying on the eagle's back. Their wingbeats and movements were rhythmic. This was much closer to gliding on ice.
'Or gliding over it,' Aurora decided when she had recovered her calm.
The tower was monumental. It did not rival Dew Mountain in height, but it was far taller than any other building Aurora had ever seen.
So Aurora settled in to enjoy the flight. The air whizzed past her, but thanks to the leopard's protection, it did not feel icy cold, just chilly.
Aurora thought about what was to come.
What if Alaron and Mairwen had not made it to the Spires?
The twins' journey was shorter distance-wise, but Aurora and her group had been sped along by a whale. Their whole plan was built on the belief that they would be there to help pry open the Storehouse.
'They made it. I am sure of it!' Aurora pushed aside the useless thoughts.
They would be waiting and hopefully, Hanna would know exactly where to plant the Seed. Everything would be well before the sun set.
The golden orb already hung low in the sky. She didn't want to think about trying to fix the waterfall at night, nor did she like the idea of spending the night holding up the flower while trying to remain awake.
The Empress checked on the flower. She had been holding it between herself and the leopard, shielding it from as much of the wind as she could.
The white silk petals wrapped tightly around the seed to form a tight bud. They appeared sealed shut from within. The Empress took this as a good sign. If the Seed had somehow lost its power, then the flower should be fluttering loosely in the breeze.
'Just a little farther.'
They moved at a fraction of what Aurora assumed the leopard could actually do. But the cargo he carried—both human and magical—was precious.
Higher and higher they rose until finally Aurora thought she could see the gems littering the top of the Forbidden Tower.
'Do they all lead to different places? Or are they mostly decoys to prevent someone from trying to get to the land of magic if they make it this far?'
Whatever their purpose, the effect was beautiful. Together they looked like stained glass with the ice to frame the kaleidoscope of color.
When they came even with the stones, Aurora waited for the other three to catch up. She didn't sit idly. The Empress began looking for the stone they needed.
"Do you see it?" Brinn asked when her leopard reached the peak. The female cat hovered next to the male so that the ladies could speak.
"Not yet. Knowing that it is small and has twelve sides helps, but what did the Keeper mean when he said it looks like the stars at night? That isn't exactly a color." Aurora wrinkled her nose. 'I should have asked for clarification.'
"Don't worry too much. I am sure we will know it when we see it." Brinn shrugged. "Let's get to work."
The two males joined them a short time later. Devrim had gone back to help Reyan, it seemed. The stubborn fairy had tried to make the height on his own, only to realize how much magic was needed to portal so long of a distance.
With only the weakened flower sustaining him, the fairy ended up needing the assistance of the leopard to make it to the top. He could have used his wings, but the height and the cold would have made the journey very difficult.
"Let's get that Seed planted as soon as possible," Reyan grumbled. "I don't like having to rely on other flying methods."
"Noted. Do you know the stone that the Keeper meant?" Aurora tried to direct the fairy's frustration.
"I don't usually spend time lollygagging around up here." Reyan flitted off of his leopard only to feel the cold and return to his mount. Instead, he guided the feline to hover over the top of the tower.
"A small stone is hard to find. Most of these are bigger than my head. I had no idea such gems existed," Devrim marveled at the sight. The royal treasury was full of valuable items, yet the roof of this Forbidden Tower easily put it to shame.
From the ground, it had looked just like one shimmering stone for the fairies to travel through. But up close they could see that hundreds of exquisite, large gems littered the icy roof.
The Emperor began to tackle the task. "We can split up and each take a section of the roof, then..."
"Found it!" Reyan beamed with pride. "Figured the Keeper would put it almost dead center."
The others flew to where the fairy had indicated. Next to the ventilation hole which went all the way down to the magical flower, a black stone stone with strange radiance.
'No, it isn't totally black, it has white specks in it. Like the sky!' Aurora smiled as she counted the sides. There were twelve. It was smaller than all the others by around half but was still big enough to hold all of their hands.
"Alright, Reyan. Tell us what to do." The Empress let the expert take the lead.
"Take off one glove. On my count, we will all place our palm on the stone, and then I will say the words." He waited for the others to nod. They hovered around the stone and leaned in. Aurora held the Seed to her chest with one hand as Reyan counted. "Three. Two. One. Now!"
All four hands sprang out to touch the stone. Thankfully none of them bumped heads or fingers.
'Oh! It's cold!' Aurora had expected it, but the sensation still shocked her.
It lasted barely a moment as Reyan spoke words she didn't understand.
Then, all at once, the tower was gone.
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