Chương 685: A Seed
The four the Keeper indicated with his finger were Brinn, Reyan, Aurora, and Devrim. They looked at each other in confusion.
It was the second time the Keeper had taken something from Aurora without asking and dashed off.
'Is this a habit of his? At least he invited…ordered us to accompany him this time." The Empress was not sure how to feel about the development.
"Your Majesty?" Zan hurried up the stairs.
"It will be fine. We will be back." Aurora took her husband by the elbow.
Devrim nodded to the Guardian. Nothing would happen to the leader with him there.
Zan understood. "I'll keep watch here."
"What about me?" Zeru noticed he was not included.
The Keeper paused. "Stay with the Guardian and keep watch."
Zeru puffed out his chest. "You hear that everyone? I am in charge now."
"I don't think that was what was said at all," Zan furrowed his brow.
The two were left to discuss the matter while the five went inside.
"I can see why Zeru and Reyan were friends," Brinn whispered in Aurora's ear. "Both like to overstate their self-importance."
"I heard that!" Reyan glared at the elf. "And I can't speak for him, but it is impossible to overstate my importance. Just ask my close personal friend, the Empress!"
Aurora smiled at the old fairy. "You are important to me."
Leaning heavily on Devrim's arm, Aurora hobbled as they moved farther into the Forbidden Tower. The Emperor pulled her along, supporting her as much as she needed.
Although the Keeper had started off at a brisk pace, he quickly realized that the frail Empress could not keep up. Slowing down, he led the group through the icy halls.
"How far are we going?" Devrim asked on behalf of his wife. 'And where?'
"To the heart of the Tower," the Keeper answered over his shoulder.
That answer brought anxious glances from the ladies. The Tower was impossibly tall and had the width to match.
Where exactly was the heart? And was it a literal heart or a figurative one?
"Do you want me to carry you?" Devrim could see his wife struggling.
At least she didn't seem cold in here. The temperature was much more manageable than outside.
Aurora shook her head. "No, thank you. I know the Keeper's vision said you would hold me up, but I don't think…"
The Empress slipped on the ice.
Devrim caught her up in his arms with a Cheshire grin. "The Tower has decided for us. Who are we to deny a vision by the Maker?"
Aurora opened her mouth to express her embarrassment when the Master of the Tower spoke first.
"Good," the Keeper nodded, looking over his shoulder. "Now we can hurry."
Devrim winked at his wife and she blushed crimson. With his spiked shoes, the Emperor was able to speed up their pace.
Of course, Aurora did not like feeling like a burden, but Devrim seemed energized by her closeness. Maybe the chain was affecting him also, or maybe he was fueled by his unwavering love.
Whatever the reason, the fiery-haired woman decided to be grateful for his help. It gave her a moment to look at their surroundings.
Not only the outside of the tower was made of ice. The inside also looked like bright, glistening glass. The furniture, the floor, and even the candle holders with ever-burning wax candles along the walls were constructed of frozen water.
It was beautiful and mesmerizing. 'I suppose there are no other building materials.'
The candles provided some light to guide their path, but really the sconces were not needed. The sun filtered through the icy walls and lit them from above and on all sides. Aurora imagined that if they were on a higher level, even the floor would be lit. It was beautiful.
When the corridor of the Tower became narrower, the Keeper issued a sharp warning. "The walls here are not as potent as the outside, but they can still pack a shock for unwelcome guests. Other than the Empress, I am not sure what it will do with you."
Reyan, who was flying close to the ceiling, lowered himself slightly. He had no intention of ending up like his former best friend.
Brinn also moved away from the wall. Her ears tingled. "I think we are getting close. The air feels charged with energy."
The humans could feel it too. Outside the tower, the effect had been small, but the farther they walked, the more pronounced the feeling became.
They came to another set of metal doors similar to the front of the Tower. It was the only other metal they had seen in the whole of the South.
'Where did they even find so much in a land of ice?' Aurora's question went unasked. She was far more curious about other things and the words would only throw them off a more important track.
The Keeper stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. "We are here."
They had reached the heart of the tower. There was really no sense of time in how long they had walked, but the light around them beginning to fade. The Forbidden Tower was only dimly lit. Did that mean the sun was setting?
With a wave of his hand, the Keeper spoke words and the door in front of them shivered. The motion had been similar to what Zeru had done to shut the door outside. Sure enough, the door silently slid open.
A bright light emanated from inside.
"Come in, but don't touch anything," the Keeper motioned them forward.
Stepping into the room, the four people looked around in wonder. The room itself was round and shone like a hundred mirrors, reflecting the thing in the center. Above, a hole like a chimney reached upwards all the way to the top of the tower. Cool air wafted in from the impossibly long shaft.
In the middle of the room, all four were surprised by what they saw. A platform of pristine ice was raised above the ground and in it there was a mound of dark, mineral-rich dirt.
It took some time for Aurora's eyes to adjust to the light before she could tell exactly what else she was seeing.
"A flower?!" Brinn exclaimed. "You planted the Seed?"
"It needed to be nurtured. When the vessel I used to transport it disintegrated, I only had a few options. I didn't want to create another magical waterfall, so I found some soil and planted it instead. I had no idea it would grow." The Keeper recalled his own surprise thousands of years ago when he had seen the first green tendril.
"How in the world are we going to restart the Source with a flower?" Reyan sounded very cranky as he shielded his eyes. "You have gone and ruined all the magic in it. That thing is rooted to the spot."
The Empress looked at the planter. Inside the ice, the root had somehow taken hold as it pressed all the way through and into the floor. It would have been impossible for a regular flower to be so robust, but nothing about the glowing flower was normal.
"You aren't taking the flower," the Keeper held his disdain. "The bloom needs water, sun, and soil to thrive. You can give it none of that. I offered you the seed. Around a hundred years ago, something very peculiar happened..."
With a soft breath, the Keeper blew back the petals of the delicate plant and revealed a gem inside.
No, it wasn't a gem.
"A Seed!" Aurora clapped her hands. She tapped Devrim's shoulder to put her down so she could get a closer look.
The small seed looked like a diamond in the middle of the flower. It was the reason the flower, and the room, were so bright.
"Yes, a seed," the Keeper sounded like a proud father. "I don't know how, but the bloom made a new Seed. Magic is as wonderful as it is mysterious."
"We made it," Devrim breathed. He hardly wanted to believe it was true.
"We made it," Aurora repeated. There was less certainty in her voice. "But how do we transport it?"
Now that they had gotten a look at the fragile diamond, it was easy to imagine how easily the thing could be broken.
The Keeper laughed, startling all of them. "You are very funny, Your Majesty. When you said you didn't have a vessel, I thought you were serious."
He looked at the others' faces and paused.
"You really don't know?" The Fate shook his head.
"Know what?" Aurora's ears burned.
The Keeper looked up at the hold in the ceiling. "Maker help me." When no response came, he sighed. "Fine, I will explain..."
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