The Quartz Tower (Kingdoms of Oz Book 2)

by Carrie Whitethorne

  The tower grew larger as we approached. I hadn’t appreciated the size of the thing. Nox seemed to be heading right, looping around the building, and we continued to trail behind him. “She doesn’t get her hands dirty, Ella. It’ll be your estranged lover who lights me up.”

  I don’t know what I was more offended by, him addressing Sayer as my estranged lover or that he seemed unconcerned that someone would try to kill him. After a few steps I concluded it was the former and quickened my pace.

  Fallon gripped my hand tighter and pulled me back. I looked at him as he gave a stern shake of his head, indicating I needed to let it go.

  He was right, it wasn’t the time to argue Sayer’s loyalties. That was a problem I’d have to solve later. Instead I asked, “How are we supposed to get in?”

  “There’s a staircase running around the outside,” Nox replied as we drew closer. “It leads up to a single door… there.” He pointed, and I followed his hand, looking in the direction he indicated, and saw the door.

  “And it’s just open?”

  “It should be. If not, you’ll have to figure out how to open it. From that point, you can go up to the observatory or down into the living quarters. You need the ob—”

  “How do you know so much about it?” I cut him off, realizing he knew some very detailed information about the tower.

  He looked at me and wiggled his eyebrows.

  “You broke in?”

  He shrugged. “More like took advantage of an unlocked door. The owner of the place really should be more careful. Security here is lax, to say the least.”

  I gave him the side-eye and murmured, “Okay, and we go up?”

  He nodded. “You do. Probably safer if we stay down here.”

  “Why?”

  Fallon blew out his cheeks and splayed his fingers.

  “Boom?”

  Nox chuckled.

  “What?”

  “Safety,” was all he said.

  I continued to the rear of the tower. When I reached the foot of the staircase, the two of them stopped.

  The stairs were made of what appeared to be white clouded glass. I knew quartz came in an array of colors, but was most commonly found in this clear or opaque form.

  “Why is it made out of quartz?” I asked, before beginning my ascent.

  “It holds and amplifies the bearer’s intention,” he answered, stepping close behind me. “The stone cleansed when Mags died. It waited for Dorothy and she never came. Nor did the next. It’s standing now, waiting for your intention. Be clear in it as you climb these steps, and it’ll absorb it, bolster you.

  “We know who you are, Ella. It’s why we’re here. The tower is a key part in securing your victory. It knows what you are. Show it who you are, your intentions, and it’ll bind itself to you.”

  He was so close I could feel his breath on the back of my neck and my skin prickled. My stomach squirmed and I knew it wasn’t anything to do with anxiety.

  That was the closest he’d been to me, and I longed for him to close that tiny distance still between us. I’d been fighting my attraction to him, but in this moment, I wanted to feel his breath warm on my cheek. His lips on mine.

  A shiver slipped down my spine, and before I could act on the sensations awakening elsewhere, I took a step away.

  Instinctively, guiltily, I turned and looked for Fallon. He gave me a half smile.

  Did he know how my body had responded to Nox?

  Did he care?

  Was Nox aware?

  I stepped forward and away from Nox’s heat.

  “We’ll be right here. If you need us when you reach the top, you know what to do,” Nox reminded me, giving me a small semblance of assurance.

  I nodded but didn’t look back, instead bringing my other foot onto the first of the white quartz steps.

  Despite the polished appearance of the tower, the steps had been carved with grooves for grip, and it made climbing easier.

  After nine steps the stairs case curved, and I reached out a hand to steady myself on the rail and turned the corner without looking down. I didn’t want to see them. I didn’t want to want them at my back.

  I’d relied on others too much already and it wasn’t fair to them.

  I relied on Sayer to deliver me to the fortress safely. Fallon had saved my life at least twice. Nox had saved the two of us from the wolves.

  It could be argued that I’d saved Nox from Fallon, and Fallon from his lonely existence in the ruined fortress.

  But not Sayer.

  He was still stuck with her. He’d left me with Fallon, knowing he would keep me safe and what had I done in return?

  Not much.

  But that was going to change.

  I may not have done much to help the people of Oz, but I’d learned a considerable portion of their recent history.

  My instinct was spot on with Glinda.

  No one was that nice. No one was that kind. That sickly sweet persona, the pretty pink gowns and the girlish giggle, were as fake as my eyelashes.

  Glinda was the villain.

  She was cruel and dangerous.

  But I wasn’t a twelve-year-old girl desperate to go home. I was a grown woman with half a lifetime’s experience. I knew people. I knew myself. I knew what I had to do.

  The quartz was a comfortable temperature beneath my hand, warmed by the sun all day. It felt wonderful after so many cold days in that damp and miserable forest.

  I rounded another bend in the staircase and glanced up. Above me was the smooth underside of the stairs I had yet to climb. Somewhere above them was the door that would lead to the next stage of the war.

  The sun was low in the sky when I reached the door. I wasn’t surprised to find it open.

  What I was surprised by was how dark it was inside. For a building made of glass, for want of a better description, I expected it to be brighter.

  Almost instantly, the walls took on the glow of the sun, and I was able to see the whole entrance hall.

  It was plain with no decoration at all, consisting of only the smooth, now yellow-orange walls curving around the circular room. To my right was the beginning of a staircase leading down, to my right one leading up, as Nox had said.

  I was tempted to go down, to explore the living quarters, but I didn’t have time. The sun would be setting soon, and we had to get off the mountain before Glinda showed her face. And there was still the matter of whatever surprises she had planned for me.

  Turning to climb the next flight of stairs, I patted the wall and murmured, “Okay, tower, let’s see what you have for me.”

  I stepped into the observatory and immediately looked skyward. The domed roof was clear, giving me an unimpeded view of the heavens, and I stood for a few seconds just staring up.

  I’d love to be here at night, watching the stars, and I wondered if they had the same ones as us.

  I didn’t fully understand where Oz was. Was it an alternate universe? Was it an alternate reality? I had considered several times whether it was all part of my own imagination. Whether this was an inherited psychosis, and I was as insane as my great grandmother had been. But standing here, I realized I didn’t care. Back home I had a job I loved and friends I cared about, but here I had a purpose.

  Purpose. That pulled me back to what I was meant to be doing.

  I glanced down. The floor was opaque, still holding the yellow glow of the sun outside, and there, in the center, was a golden disc.

  I stepped forward and kneeled to run my fingers over the inlaid metal. There was a pattern etched on its surface, and I followed it with my index finger.

  I didn’t notice the room darken as the disc began to spin. My attention was firmly fixed on the etched pattern, which was changing before my eyes. The swirling design blurred, and I blinked a few times, trying to make out the new shapes that were forming.

  Eventually I managed to focus, the words forming in my mind as I scanned them. Then my concentration shattered along with the do
me over my head and I screamed from the noise and shards plunging down.

  It took me a second to collect my senses. I had put my hands over my head to protect myself from falling glass, but that really wasn’t the real issue.

  No, the biggest issue was the three headed dragon staring down at me.

  There was no instinct to protect it. No desire to spare its life as I gazed up at three sets of sharp teeth. My only thought was to get the hell away from it. The problem was, my escape route lay directly behind the dragon, and I had nowhere to run with its large body blocking my path.

  I didn’t want to attack, but I knew the thing was here to kill me and I really had to.

  The thing with the elemental magic, I’d discovered, was that it wasn’t the same as the shoes. The shoes handled my desires. My wants. My needs.

  The elements had to be willed. I hadn’t even known the few times I’d used the air element that I’d been using my will. It had taken a careful explanation from Nox and several attempts before I’d got it down first time, but I had succeeded and been consistent. I drew on that experience.

  The speed it came together with was surprising. With a single thought the air rushed in, sweeping around the dragon, and gathering up anything in the room not held down.

  All that consisted of was lots and lots of shattered quartz.

  The dragon snapped at the flying glass as it rose higher, and it roared its frustration when one of its heads took a shard to the eye. But that wouldn’t be enough to get me free.

  According to the words I’d read at the Ruby Fortress, and the information I had, I should have an affinity with fire. With that at the forefront of my mind, I willed the air around us to heat, hoping it would do what I needed.

  Filled with rage the dragon reared, searching for a way out and trying to beat its wings. But the room was too small, and the jagged edges of the broken dome above made it reluctant to climb to a higher point. I edged to the left while I kept the dragon distracted, hoping to slip away as the air in the room was becoming uncomfortably warm. I was almost there when one of the necks bent and one of the heads lowered, coming level with my face.

  It was surprisingly beautiful for an oversized, three headed lizard, with it’s scales shimmering and the plume of feathers on top of its head reminding me of a peacock.

  But its mouth wasn’t beautiful. Its brown, stained teeth had the remnants of the creature’s last meal wedged between them and its breath smelled of putrid meat.

  Fighting not to vomit, I stepped back and tried to clear my mind, and will my magic into being.

  The air around me instantly cooled, but the dragon became frantic. I looked up, holding my focus, and watched as the shattered quartz melted before my eyes. In seconds, the white dust and clear shards became a molten orange liquid, and the many globules came together before forming a stream in the air.

  Round and round the ribbon of fluid quartz moved, winding its way around the dragon. The creature’s feathers curled and burst into flame, its scales providing no protection against the searing heat I created.

  It spun, desperate to escape the liquid threat, and its tail flicked wildly, catching me around the back of my legs.

  I landed with a bang, hitting my head, and the room turned black.

  Chapter 12

  I could hear voices. Nox was talking.

  “—didn’t lay a hand on her. You unleashed that beast. This was your doing, traitor.”

  His voice was deep. Even when he was speaking quietly it came with such a rumble it sounded like he was growling. But when he raised it? It frightened me.

  “Take another step and I’ll burn you alive,” Sayer warned. There was an edge to his tone, suggesting that he didn’t believe his threat would stop the shifter. Nox was pissed.

  Nox laughed but there was no humor in it—only cold rage. “Of course you will. May as well complete the set. How many would that make it? Three thousand?”

  “Two thousand eight hundred and twenty-three,” Sayer spat. Then his voice softened, and he asked, “Fallon, is she awake?”

  A hand, gentle but rough, stroked my cheek and I opened my eyes.

  “Tell me,” Sayer demanded, his voice strained.

  “I’m fine,” I answered, reaching for Fallon’s hand. “I just need a second.”

  Fallon moved so his face blocked my view of the room.

  “Is it dead?” I whispered.

  Fallon shook his head and ran his fingers down my cheek.

  “Is she here?” I inquired, my eyes widening.

  He raised one shoulder and grasped my hand.

  “Is he with us or not?” I whispered so only Fallon could hear me.

  His jaw tensed.

  I steeled myself and nodded my head once, and Fallon hauled me to my feet.

  My stomach turned as I righted, my head spinning, and I held Fallon’s hand tightly.

  “It was left here to kill you when you took the power, Ella. I’m expected to report back. What is this?” Sayer demanded pointing to Nox.

  “Nox is here to help,” I replied blithely.

  “He doesn’t help anyone but himself,” he snarled bitterly. “What were you thinking, Fallon?”

  My temper flared at his tone. Fallon would have been seriously hurt by the wolves if Nox hadn’t helped us. We had no reason not to trust him. Why couldn’t Sayer see that? Unless Nox was an unwelcome addition, a problem in his plans. Doubt ignited in my mind, despite how hard I’d been trying to place my trust in Sayer. “We don’t have time. Sayer, I need you with me. Prove you’re with me, please. Whatever oath you swore to her, I need you to swear it to me. Now,” I ordered.

  His eyes widened in recognition of my sudden loss of faith in him. “I can’t. Ella, if she finds out she’ll kill me. And if I’m not there watching her and stirring up problems, you’re likely to follow.”

  “When I go down there, she’s going to try to kill me. I’m not prepared to let that happen and neither are they. If I get away, I don’t know when or if I’ll see you again, Sayer. Please. Just let me know you’re with us—me.”

  Sayer just stood there staring at me as though I’d asked for his head.

  “Refusal is admitting you’re her enemy,” Nox growled.

  I heard a high-pitched whine and looked at the dragon. It was on its side with all three heads on the floor, staring directly at me. The heads were bound tightly together around their necks, and it took me a moment to realize it was a large, solid quartz collar holding them. I followed it down its necks to the chest, where the smooth stone met its torso, impaling the poor creature. It was obviously in pain and the damage was not enough to kill it, but it was more than enough to incapacitate.

  Guilt pricked at me.

  Footsteps drew my attention and I turned to face Sayer. He hadn’t moved far before Nox had gripped him by the throat.

  “Ella...” Sayer pleaded. I could have Nox release him, but it wouldn’t help. I needed to know what was going on and he needed to tell me. Now.

  My chest tightened. I wanted to go to him, to hold him and be held, but Nox was right. We had to play it safe. Sayer was compromised and his refusal to prove himself to me was suspicious. “Where is she?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

  “Outside. Ella please, there isn’t time—”

  “What does she plan to do to her?” Nox demanded.

  Fallon released my hand and stepped between us, acting as a barrier. I couldn’t see his face, but I took a step to my right and saw the expression on Sayer’s.

  “Fallon, you know me, you know that I’m... Ella, did you take it? Is the tower in your possession?” There was a plea in his voice that told me he was genuinely concerned for me.

  “No,” I lied, still wavering.

  Sayer closed his eyes and sighed. “It’s the only way... when you leave this place, she’ll—”

  “Sayer, I need you,” I pleaded.

  His eyes locked on mine. He held me for a second, anguish lining his brow. “You have
what you want, Ella, you always have, but I have to be—”

  “That’s enough,” Nox interrupted, tightening his grip on Sayer’s throat. “Fallon, take her out. Stay up high and watch her. If Glinda moves against her, fire until your quiver is empty.”

  I looked from Nox to Sayer and lowered my head. This wasn’t how I wanted it to happen. I didn’t want Sayer hurt. I didn’t want anyone hurt. I hadn’t even meant to harm the dragon. And I heard what he wasn’t fully able to say. Always have. More importantly I believed him. “Nox, let him go.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Let him go.”

  “He’s here to—”

  “If I go down there without him, she’ll know something’s wrong. He’s supposed to have me under control, you know that,” I reminded him, trying to keep the desperation from my tone.

  Sayer’s expression surprised me. He looked hurt. “Well you are, aren’t you?” Nox responded, unable to hide the bite in his tone.

  Nox released him and Sayer’s shoulders sagged with relief. “No. Yes. Ella, she suspects you’ve turned against her. The longer we can maintain this pretense, the better your chances. You have to speak to her,” Sayer urged, his face showing concern.

  Fallon gripped my shoulder and I turned to him. “It’s okay. Watch my back. If she starts blowing bubbles, do your best to burst them.”

  He looked away and I kissed his cheek.

  “It’s okay. I’ll be back,” I promised, assuring him as much as myself.

  He stepped around me and stalked toward Sayer, drawing his short sword. I didn’t stop him. I followed, but didn’t say anything. Even Nox stepped back.

  To his credit, Sayer didn’t flinch. “I’m doing all I can, it has to look convincing,” Sayer pleaded.

  Fallon gripped his shirt, pulled him forward, and smashed him in the face with his head. Sayer stumbled as Fallon pushed him back, and Nox began to laugh.

  Sayer, hands over his nose, looked directly at me, and mumbled, “Ella...”