by Dante King
“I’m not going to let you fall, Winnie,” I said reassuringly.
She bit her lip and remained silent.
Yarina sighed. “Would you prefer if I went first?”
Winnie nodded, so Yarina climbed over the railing and turned her face up to meet mine. She took a deep breath and gracefully pushed herself forward on the balls of her feet. Her arms were outstretched, and I caught them easily. Within seconds, she was standing beside me on the copper staircase.
Winnie was still staring down at the black hole. “What do you suppose is down there?”
“Does it matter?” Yarina asked. “You don’t want to fall either way.”
“Good point.”
“Winnie,” I said. “Stop looking down—look at me.”
She hesitated for a moment and then did as I asked. Her eyes were still filled with dread, but I knew I could talk her through this.
“Winnie. Do you trust me?”
“I…well…of course I do, but—”
“Then trust me. In the time we’ve met, have I ever let you down?”
A growing smile appeared on Winnie’s face. “No.”
“Exactly. So why would I now?”
She gulped and held the balcony edge tightly as she sidled over the railing and turned to Yarina and me. I could sense the fear in her aura, but there was resolve there too.
“Okay,” I said. “Now jump.”
She didn’t hesitate, probably because she didn’t want to prolong the moment. Her jump wasn’t as strong and didn’t reach as far as Yarina’s, and if I didn’t act I would miss her hands. Instinctively, I threw myself down flat against the painful ridge of the staircase, pushed my hands through the gaps in the balustrade and grabbed her wrist in the knick of time. Winnie emitted a strangled, high-pitched scream.
I pulled her up slowly and when she was at eye level with me, Yarina bent down and helped her over the balustrade.
“Gods,” Winnie gasped. “I thought I was a goner.”
I smiled. “Didn’t I tell you that you could trust me?”
“My hero,” Winnie sighed, as she threw her arms around me and dropped into my embrace.
I glanced at Yarina and found her already facing the next staircase, a wooden one.
“Are you sure that’s the one?” Yarina asked.
As much as I enjoyed having Winnie’s body pressed up against mine, I gently removed her arms from around my neck and turned to survey the wooden staircase. There was a subtle pervasive energy flowing through it, and unlike the other magic I could sense, it didn’t seem hostile.
I nodded. “It’s a shorter jump as well. We should manage it without a problem.”
The moment I finished speaking, the wooden staircase creaked to life and started moving away from us.
“Fuck,” I said, through gritted teeth.
I glanced to my left and then to my right. No other staircase was close enough to be able to use as a bridge. Below us, there was a curved, pearly-white staircase that looked as though it had been carved from marble. It had no balustrade, and I sensed the heat of magic coming off it.
“We need to use that one,” I said.
Winnie’s knuckles lost color as she gripped the bronze railing fearfully. “That staircase looks like a death trap.”
“I think that’s the point,” Yarina said. “Kurt’s right. We need to get to the white staircase before we can get to the wooden one.”
“How do you propose we do that? It’s a seven-foot drop, at least.”
I exchanged a look with Yarina before we both looked down at the balcony, and then at Winnie.
“Oh, no,” Winnie said firmly, slowly shaking her head. “No way. It was bad enough I had to jump from this balcony over here, but jumping down…that’s not going to happen. And what if we miss our footing? There’s nothing to hold on to.”
“It’s the only option,” Yarina said.
“You can get on my back,” I said. “I’ll jump, you just have to hold tight.”
Yarina frowned. “Can you manage that? The weight will hinder you. And if you land in a difficult position—”
“I won’t,” I said, pulling out my axe and smashing it into the side of the balustrade. It shattered like glass, chunks and splinters falling down into the gaping black mass below us. I put my axe away again.
Winnie approached me nervously, and I hoisted her onto my back. Yarina stepped by my side and the two of us looked down below at the white marble staircase. I wondered if it was just my mind playing tricks on me or if it really was that narrow.
“On three,” I said.
Yarina nodded. “One, two—three.”
We jumped at the same time and, suddenly, the white marble came screeching up to meet us. I made sure to keep an upright position as we fell, but I kept my knees bent so that I wouldn’t break any bones. My feet hit the slippery marble with a resounding crack and I felt Winnie slip off my back. She screamed, but I managed to catch her by the wrist.
Panting slightly, and pulling Winnie up beside me, I looked to my left and saw that Yarina had landed a few steps down. I sighed with relief.
“We did it!” I said, with my eyes fastened on Yarina.
But she was not looking at me. Her eyes were fixed on something just behind me, and I saw the bright orange flicker reflected in her irises. It was only then that I became aware of the sudden heat beneath my feet.
“Fire,” Winnie screamed.
I turned to see flames dancing on the topmost steps of the staircase. Apparently, the fire had been triggered the moment we had landed on its body. Each step in turn burst into angry red whips of fire, and I knew it would take mere seconds before the fire reached us.
“The wooden staircase,” I said, pointing in its direction. “It’s not that far. We can jump but we have to do it now.”
Yarina didn’t need to be told twice. She angled her body like a jungle cat ready to pounce and launched herself off the white marble and onto the cool wood of the staircase across from us.
“Go, Winnie,” I said, eying the fire six steps above us. “Now.”
“I can’t…”
Five steps.
“There’s no time for fear. You have to jump.”
Four steps.
“I’ll catch you,” Yarina called. “Hurry.”
Three.
Winnie bit her lip and jumped. There was momentum behind it this time, she hit the wooden banister with a thud and clung to it with a lurch. But she held on. She was safe.
The step just above me burst into flames and I laughed triumphantly as I jumped. I felt the tickle of heat against the soles of my boots, the step having caught fire the moment my foot had poised and sprung. My body slammed into the carved wooden banister and I scaled it easily.
“Yes!” I hissed.
Winnie looked shaken and Yarina weary, but both of them looked as if they were wondering what awful trick this particular staircase had up its sleeve.
“I can’t sense an offensive enchantment on these steps,” I said.
I felt myself stumble off-balance slightly as the staircase began to move upward smoothly. “You were saying?” Yarina said, placing her hand on the hilt of her rapier.
“It’s just taking us where we need to go.”
Sure enough, the staircase continued to rise until we were closer to the glass dome than we were to the black hole. It turned sharply to the left, toward a simple black, iron door. The scent of magic was stronger now, and I pulled out my axe. Yarina did the same with her rapier and I sensed Winnie stretching her magical muscles as she prepared to fight.
The staircase fastened itself against the landing, and without a moment’s hesitation the three of us made our way through the door.
The room behind it was massive. Several windows lined the wall close to the ceiling, so al you could see was the night sky. The architecture was reminiscent of the Goblin tribes of Old Trysca, with its pale yellow limestone finish and its unadorned, practical columns.
; The architecture only caught my eye for a second, though. It was what was on the floor that had me stop in my tracks. I counted four dead mages lying across the floor, their bodies bent in odd shapes. One mage’s jaw had been shattered and another had no limbs. I looked to the side and saw one of his arms lying beside a column.
Resting between two other columns, lay a massive hulking form that looked to be carved from stone. Its huge mass lifted and fell as though it were breathing.
“Is that a…golem?” Winnie whispered, eyeing it warily.
“A guardian golem,” Yarina said. “He’s guarding the exit.” She nodded toward the diminutive door to the golem’s left.
“Fan out,” I said. “Golems are brawny but dim. We can confuse it and use that to our advantage.”
The three of us moved forward and, as expected, the stone monster stirred. I sensed the magic emanating from it. The enchantment that had created it had been damaged somewhat. It had been weakened in the fight with the mages that now lay dead before us.
The golem finally lifted its ugly head. Its stone features were amazingly detailed and I couldn’t help but admire the magic that had conjured the creature. It took more than just strength and creativity; it took the kind of power that one could only be born with.
With some delay, its eyes first fell on me and it roared loudly. The sound bounced off the walls, but I didn’t even flinch. They were just scare tactics; they wouldn’t work on me. I raised my axe and sent it flying across the air toward the golem’s pug nose. The blade hit it hard, and it jerked back, blinking rapidly. The axe left an ugly gash, but only a trickle of blood left the wound. The golem let out another furious roar that seemed to shake the floor beneath me.
It still hadn’t spotted Yarina or Winnie somehow. As my axe flew back into my hand, the golem rose to its feet. I saw it stagger slightly, and I realized that it was injured: its leg had been split open. The veins there were a bluish purple that shone with magic. There were cracks in the stone skin around the wound; they rippled up across the monster’s leg like fissures in a volcano.
As soon as it had properly regained its feet, the golem charged toward me and I ducked behind one of the large columns. It roared wordlessly as it ran, its stone fists punching at the air. I stayed silent as I heard its heavy footsteps get closer and closer. Within seconds, it would realize where I was, and either rip the column out or rip me out from behind it. Personally, I preferred the former option.
“Hey you, big ugly brute!” Yarina’s voice echoed across the large chamber. “Over here!”
The golem growled, and I sensed it change its trajectory. I looked out from behind the pillar and saw it turn its back on me in order to chase after Yarina. Winnie was four columns down from me and I sensed her magic course toward her fingertips, emitting a shivering red mist. She was concentrating hard as she lifted her hands and sent thin streaks of the red mist floating along toward the four dead bodies that lay across the patterned floor.
The four corpses shuddered and rose slowly. I raced out from behind the column and threw my axe before the creature could reach Yarina. It hit it squarely on the back, slashing diagonally across its spine, and it screamed and turned, distracted once more. The golem caught sight of the four reanimated corpses and rushed them mindlessly, crushing one with its giant fist before grabbing another and flinging it so high into the air that it hit one of the windows before dropping back to the floor.
While the golem turned on the remaining two summons, Winnie, Yarina, and I circled it slowly.
“I’ve never seen such a massive golem before,” Yarina said.
“He’s been created by powerful magic.” I held an arm in front of each of my companions. “Now, you go low,” I said, knowing they would understand, “and I’ll go high. Winnie, you distract him.”
Winnie focused on controlling the last remaining summons at her disposal. She moved her arms like an expert puppet master and the corpse copied her movements. It danced out of the way every time the golem tried to grab it and the creature screamed with frustration. It was working. The monster was concentrating so hard it didn’t see Yarina close in on the open wound on its leg.
She slashed her rapier across the magical bluish purple veins but the golem seemed to hardly notice. Yarina kept working on the veins of the monster’s leg. I could sense the tired ebb of the enchantment that had been placed on the golem. If we persisted, we could succeed in breaking the enchantment entirely.
I sent my axe straight for the creature’s arms, hoping to find a weak spot somewhere. It roared this time, but still didn’t take its eyes off the corpse. Then there was a deep, resounding bang as the creature finally managed to slam its fist down on the last remaining summons. Then it looked toward Winnie and approached her with deadly purpose.
Yarina and I exchanged a worried glance. How were we going to keep it from crushing her? Yarina stepped forward and sliced at the creature’s open wound again. More magical veins were torn apart, and it slowed, but didn’t stop.
I flung my axe again and hit the creature in the back of the head, creating an ugly gash. It didn’t even glance back at me. It was too intent on Winnie and too close to change course. I had to do something fast. So I took off at a run. I heard Yarina calling after me, telling me to stop, but I ignored her.
I flung myself onto the golem’s back and climbed him like I was climbing a mountain. His uneven stony back gave me enough ridges to grip and within seconds I was hanging from his shoulders, pulling myself up.
I was fiercely glad of my armor in that moment. If it hadn’t been for the expertly crafted steel suit that hugged my body, I was sure I would be covered in bruises when the fight was over.
Winnie caught sight of me as I pulled myself into a standing position on the golem’s left shoulder. Her eyes widened with shock, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of me or because the golem’s hand had darted out to grab her.
I took my axe and brought it screaming down onto the golem’s head. This time, with the full force of my body behind it, I managed to crack through its skull. The creature stopped in its tracks, its hand dropping just inches shy of Winnie’s cowering figure. Its hand rose up to swat me off, but I ducked easily and hopped onto the opposite shoulderblade.
“Kurt, you’re going to get yourself killed,” Yarina yelled. “Get off it!”
I gritted my teeth and hit the monster again using the blade of my axe, right where I had managed to pierce its skull with my blade. I saw the coat of magic that shrouded the golem ripple with fragility, and I realized that my Negation Aura was bright with activity. I hit the creature again and this time it roared…but the sound that came out was low and distant. I smashed and smashed my axe into the golem’s head, knowing that my Negation Aura was slowly chipping away the enchantment that had brought it to life. Wracked with confusion and unable to get rid of me, the golem ran right into a wall. I was launched off his shoulder by the shock, but managed to hang onto a particularly deep ridge in its back.
A smattering of little pebbles rolled off the golem around the place I gripped it. I hit the golem once more from my hanging position and the creature flailed about helplessly before attempting another panicked run. I expected a crash like the previous one when we made contact with the wall, but instead I heard the sound of shattering. The golem’s stone form seemed to burst into shards, and I tumbled down with the remains of his magical form, which disintegrated before they even touched the floor.
I landed nimbly on my feet and was met by Yarina and Winnie running toward me.
“You broke the monster,” Winnie said, breathing heavily. “You did what four experienced dark mages couldn’t do.”
I smiled. “I’ve never ridden a golem before. That was quite the experience.”
“Are you alright?” Yarina asked, looking me over with concern.
“Of course. Never better.”
Yarina took a deep breath and shook her head. “You take too many risks.”
“What can I
say?” I shrugged. “We all have our style.”
“And your style is what? Suicidal?”
I smiled. “Hey—the creature’s gone, and I’m still standing here.”
“Because you were lucky—”
“Because I was determined. I told Winnie to trust me, and you should do the same.”
“Did you even have a plan when you jumped on the golem’s back?”
I smiled guiltily and saw the corners of Yarina’s mouth curl up ever so slightly, but she kept it at a hint. Winnie, on the other hand, was looking at me with puppy-dog eyes. I hated to ruin the moment, but we still hadn’t completed our mission. I would bask in their admiration later, when all this was done.
“Come on,” I said, putting a hand on both of their shoulders. “We shouldn’t jinx our winning streak. Let’s move.”
The moment we rushed thought the door the golem had been guarding, the scent of dark magic hit my nostrils again, an odor far more powerful than it had been up to now. There was a long staircase in a small circular space, so long it undoubtedly led to the tallest tower in the Spire.
“We’re not alone here,” I said softly, starting the climb.
“What do you sense?” Yarina asked.
“Tainted mages,” I replied. “And these ones are definitely alive.”
I glanced back at Winnie and Yarina. Both had expressions of able resignation, but I knew that neither relished the thought of another fight. They were drained from all the magic they’d been using; I could see it in the muted colors of their auras.
“What’s with all the damn staircases,” Winnie complained darkly as she followed me up.
I suppressed a smile and plowed on.
As we approached the large wooden door at the end of the staircase, I held my axe at the ready. I could sense the magic of the dark mages; they were using it at that very moment. The moment Winnie stepped onto the landing, we heard an explosion reverberate through the air, as the door burst open in flying splinters.
There were three of them. The first warlock was wearing rough-spun wools in the style of the people from Lower Trysca. He had dark hair that was fashioned into a series of braids that reached his middle back. The second warlock was short and heavily muscled underneath his tunic. He had no hair, but wore a massive red beard that hid his neck from view. The third warlock was sour-faced, with a pointed nose and a long scar that ran down his cheek. All three of them were concentrating hard, and I could tell that they were aware of our presence, but unaffected by it.
