The Tower of Endless Worlds

by Jonathan Moeller

“And then Conmager said that someday two men, one old, and one young, would come through that door, along with a child.” It had gotten dark in the last hour. Simon turned on the lamp besides Maura’s chair. “Conmager asked me, begged me, really, to keep them safe until he could come. He…said the winged things would hunt them.” He shrugged. “So that’s my story.”

  Katrina stared at him. They sat in silence for a very long time.

  “You don’t believe me?” said Simon.

  “Goddamn, Simon,” said Katrina. “Goddamn and holy shit. Please tell me you were drunk. Or that you were high off something. Or that you’re bullshitting me. Or that this is some overdone April Fools’ joke.”

  “It’s the end of May,” said Simon. “And I really wish I was making this up. Or that it was a hallucination or something. But it’s not. I saw the winged thing by your apartment building. And I saw the door. I saw it open, and I saw the things inside. So did you. You know I’m not making this up.”

  Katrina sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me? This must’ve eaten you up.”

  “It did. I did my best to forget it,” said Simon. “When it started, I wasn’t that close to you. And…later, I didn’t want to tell anyone. If they caught Conmager, if they found out that I had helped him…”

  “Goddamn,” said Katrina. She sat cross-legged on the floor, the muscles of her arms and legs clenching and unclenching. “That explains so much. All those secret warehouses and off-limits areas at work. All the trucks coming and going.” She snorted. “I always thought Wycliffe was crooked, you know. Just not on such a scale. Why did you stay working for him?”

  Simon blinked. “What?”

  Katrina cracked her knuckles. “Christ, Simon. You knew those trucks were full of guns. Why did you keep working for him?”

  Simon shook his head. “I didn’t really make the connection between the winged things and Wycliffe, even when Conmager flat-out told me. I guess I didn’t want to know. It’s a good job. I lied to myself. God. My mother was right. I should never have gone to work for him.” He looked at the children. Lithon had fallen asleep on the floor by the couch. “I suppose I’m going to pay for it now.”

  “Simon.” Katrina got up and rubbed his shoulders. “Yeah. You were an idiot.”

  Simon rolled his eyes. “Oh, thanks.”

  “But it’s not all bad,” said Katrina, kneading his shoulders. “I mean, you did help that Conmager guy get away. And you helped him when he came back. And now you’re able to help these kids.” She kissed his cheek. “And, think. If you hadn’t gone to work for Wycliffe, you wouldn’t have been able to meet me.”

  “Well.” Simon put an arm around her waist. “I suppose it’s not all bad, then.”

  He tensed.

  “What is it?” said Katrina. She frowned. “Besides the obvious?”

  “Conmager said two men and the child,” said Simon. “We have a boy and a girl.”

  “We know what happened to one of the men,” said Katrina, her voice dark.

  “How?”

  Katrina looked at him. “The man with the fiery swords. Those shadow-things got him.”

  Simon ran a hand over his eyes. “Yeah. Probably. I suppose you’re right. I wonder what happened to the other…”

  The little girl moaned and sat up, putting a hand on the arm of the couch to steady herself.

  Simon knelt besides the couch. “How are you feeling?”

  Strain and exhaustion marked the girl’s pale face, but her deep dark eyes never wavered. “Hungry.”

  “Simon,” said Katrina. “There’s some pizza left. Why don’t you go grab it?”

  “Right,” said Simon. He hurried to the kitchen, retrieved the pizza box, and poured a glass of milk

  “What’s your name?” said Katrina as Simon pushed open the living room door.

  The girl stared off into nothingness for a while, as if trying to remember. “Ally.”

  “Here,” said Simon. He put a slice of pizza on a paper plate and handed to her. “We have some food for you.”

  Ally stared at the plate. “What is it?”

  “Um…pizza,” said Simon. “It’s like…a pie, I guess, with cheese and meat on it.”

  Ally took a tentative bite. Her solemn face brightened. “That’s good.” She devoured the rest of the piece, eating like a starved thing, and ate all of a second slice. “Lithon needs some food, when he wakes up. But it has to be cut into small pieces so he can eat it.”

  Katrina pulled out her pocketknife, a wicked-looking curved thing she had bought a hunters’ supply store. She began dicing a slice of pizza.

  “Ally,” said Simon. “We need to ask you some questions.”

  Ally titled her head, ragged hair brushing her pale neck. “Are you friends of Marugon?”

  Simon blinked. “Who?” Conmager had mentioned a man named Marugon.

  “The Lord of the Warlocks,” said Ally. “The last and greatest of the Warlocks.”

  “No,” said Katrina, making a little pile of pizza pieces. “We’ve never even met him.”

  “Who are you, then?” said Ally.

  “Um…I’m Simon Wester.” Simon pointed to Katrina. “This is Katrina Coldridge, my fiancée.”

  “Fiancée?” said Ally.

  “We’re engaged to be married,” said Simon. Ally’s expression didn’t change. “She’ll be my wife in a few months.”

  “Oh.” Ally nodded. “She is your betrothed. You are pledged to wed.”

  “Right,” said Simon. “Can you tell us what happened? How you came here?”

  Ally stared into space. “I…don’t remember everything. I woke up on a dead plain. Some of Marugon’s gunmen found me. They were going to rape me.” Katrina’s eyes narrowed. “Then Sir Liam Mastere and Lithon came. Liam killed them.”

  “Liam?” said Simon. “You mean the man we saw through the door? The man with the burning swords?”

  Ally nodded. “The shadows killed him, I think.” Deep sadness crossed her face. “His swords were called Sacred Blades.”

  “What happened after Liam found you?” said Katrina.

  “We went to the Tower,” said Ally.

  “You mean the Tower of Endless Worlds?” said Simon. Ally nodded. “Why did you go there?”

  Ally thought for a while. “Liam said we had to. He said that an old Wizard named Alastarius had made a Prophecy. Lithon would grow up to defeat Marugon.” She looked at the toddler. “But only if he lived long enough to grow up.”

  “You mean Marugon would hunt for Lithon?” said Simon.

  Ally nodded.

  Katrina leaned forward. “That’s why Liam wanted to take him to…to Earth, I guess. To keep him safe, right?”

  Ally nodded again. “The winged demons hunted for him. They would have found him, if we had stayed. But they won’t think to look for him on Earth.”

  A chill went down Simon’s spine. “The winged demons? Do they look like large men with wings, and sooty black armor, and burning eyes…”

  Ally nodded. Simon shuddered.

  “What happened in the Tower?” said Katrina.

  “We walked through it. I don’t know how long it took. I guess time doesn’t work in the Tower. The shadow-things came. One pretended to be the Queen. We ran. They would have killed us, but Liam slowed them down. I jumped through the door, and we were here, on Earth.” Her thin shoulders sagged. “I wanted to open the door so he could get through, but I couldn’t. I don’t think you can open that door on this side.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Simon.

  “Do you have a latrine?” said Ally.

  “Oh. A toilet?” said Simon. Ally frowned. “Um…Katrina. Can you show her the bathroom?”

  Katrina nodded. “This way.”

  “I’m tired,” said Ally.

  “Do you want a bath first?” said Katrina.

  Ally nodded. “That would be nice. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bath.”

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