Whisper of a Demon's Shadow
By Richard LeBlanc
The Burning Star
Falls from the sky
A fear shall well
All hope shall die...
...The Prophecy
Chapter Twelve: the tower
The journey from where they had set camp was for the most part quiet. There were a few rogue bands of hunters and crusaders that had been sent to capture them - but with the aid of their new ally Louie the thief - they were able to evade their pursuers.
In that time - Tia and Thomas had grown even closer. The element of tragedy in both their paths seemed to entwine them together.
The two walked beside each other - holding hands. Louie skipped over and poked his head between the two - the intrusion was not appreciated.
"Problem?" Thomas asked.
"Shouldn't be - the false tracks I made for our friends should lead them towards the swamp. But - should be on guard - just in case," the thief replied. Tia scowled at him.
"Then why not do that? Now maybe?" she suggested. Louie quietly laughed as he hopped away from the two to talk to Gnar. "I still think it is a mistake," she muttered.
"Having him with us or giving him the Eye?" he asked.
"Both," she answered.
"I'll be careful. Besides - how can anything go wrong with you protecting me?" he remarked. She could feel her cheeks redden. She lowered her eyes and sighed.
"I'm - not used to feeling this way," she admitted.
"What way is that?" he asked.
"I don't know - loved?" she hesitantly asked - looking over at him.
"That goes both ways," he replied - kissing her on the cheek.
"All my life - I have been different. I have been hated - abused - but when I am near you - it is like - all of that is just a dream," she whispered - holding onto his arm. "How is it - that you have woven such a spell on me?" she asked with a smile.
"I don't know - I'm just lucky I guess," he stated as they reached the top of a hill. He stopped as his eyes widened. Tia looked up at him and was going to ask what was wrong when she looked over and saw what had rendered him speechless.
"The tower," she muttered. Louie and Gnar walked up and stood beside them.
"Quite the place huh? Tall as a mountain - rumored to be built over a bottomless pit - home to all sorts of traps designed to keep intruders - invaders and thieves away - and where we have to venture," Louie commented.
"I say chop the thing down - and dig the Star out," Gnar rebutted - spinning his mammoth axe. Louie smirked and shook his head. He knew the dwarf meant it only in jest - he had to - he hoped. Thomas looked up the length of the ancient looking tower - arching his neck to see the top.
"We have to get to the top - don't we?" he hesitantly asked.
"What kind of a deterrent would it be if they put the prize by the front door. Come on hero - let's get this over with," Louie rebutted as he led the way. As the gathering headed towards the tower - the monstrosity of a tower seemed to grow in size - seemingly stretching up into the very heavens.
"If that place keeps getting taller - I'm going home," Thomas remarked
"I'm sure that it won't be so bad. Just try not to dwell on it," Tia said reassuringly - craning her neck - watching as parts of the tower vanished into passing clouds. "How exactly are we to get into such a place?" she hesitantly asked. Louie hurried around and looked up.
"I think there," he stated - pointing to a window that was a few stories up.
"You had better be joking," Tia muttered.
"Far from it. The thing that keeps most people from disturbing the place is the fact that it isn't overly accessible," he began as he took a rope out from his pack and looked up at the wall. "You people wait here - I'll send the rope down," he reassured as he began to scale the wall. They watched as he climbed - resembling a human spider. The thief then slinked in through the window - and vanished.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Tia muttered. It was then that a coil of rope flew from the window and fell down to where they were. Louie then poked his head out the window and motioned for them to come up. "I'll go first - Gnar - make sure nothing funny happens," she stated as she began to climb up. Thomas watched as she pulled and climbed her way up the rope until Louie finally helped pull her up through the window.
"Okay hero - your turn," the thief called down. Thomas looked around and then began to make his way up the rope. It was a harder climb than he thought - but within moments - both Tia and Louie were pulling him through the large window. "You going to be able to make the climb big guy?" he asked. The dwarf looked up - secured his mammoth axe to his back and then effortlessly made his way up the wall.
"I lived in the mountains you green eared thief," Gnar retorted as he pulled himself through the window. "So ask me again if I can make the climb," he remarked with a grin. Thomas stepped forward and looked around.
"So where do we go from here - other than up?" Thomas asked.
"Well - this is Louie's show - ask him," Tia remarked. All eyes turned to the thief.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he muttered back as he looked around the dust and web covered room. Everything looked normal enough - but something told him that they were in peril. "Follow me," he stated as he cautiously made their way through the room. Within moments they were by a seemingly open doorway.
"What are we waiting for? Is there a trap?" Thomas asked. Louie looked at the archway - everything about it screamed trap - but for the life of him he couldn't see it. He motioned for the others to stand back. He closed his eyes. In his mind he saw the room - around him were dead bodies - theirs. He looked at the bloody bodies and saw the messy nature of the wounds. He opened his eyes - the image was gone.
"You look white as a sheet," Tia muttered.
"We have to go through that - if we do - we will all die," he replied.
"If it is a trap - if we all go through at once - we might confuse it," Gnar suggested.
"No! I mean no. I have a hunch that was what happened in that vision I saw," he began as he heard a creaking noise coming from the far wall behind them. From the corner of his eye - he could see bricks sliding aside - revealing holes. "Nobody move. We already triggered the trap," he warned. Frantically his eyes scanned around for some sign any sign of a trigger.
"Then I would suggest you hurry," Gnar muttered - looking over his shoulder. He could see several serrated barbs poking out from the wall. Louie closed his eyes. He let out a frustrated groan as he punched the archway. His fist hit a secret pressure plate. Silence followed. The thief looked over his shoulder - the barbs retracted back into the wall.
"Good work," Thomas remarked. Louie smiled and quietly chuckled.
"Yeah - and to think - it will only get harder as we get higher," Gnar commented - lightly hitting the thief on the shoulder as he walked through the archway.
"Maybe you aren't as useless as I thought," Tia remarked as she walked through the archway. Louie looked over at Thomas - he was still looking at him.
"You got something to say?" the thief asked. Thomas put his arm around the thief.
"Don't listen to Gnar - trust your instincts. I do," Thomas stated as he motioned for them to catch up to the others.
Almost two days later - the ragged band was near to the top of the tower. Tia looked at the holes in the sleeves of her robe. Gnar looked at the singe marks on his great axe. Louie had his hand bandaged after a magical trap backfired. Of all them - only Thomas seemingly came out unscathed.
"When we get out of this hellish place - I never want to hear mention of this or any other tower ever again," Tia commented.
"We must be close to the top," Louie remarked. He walked over to a tiny window and poked his head out. He quickly pulled it back in. "No ground - we're near the top," he muttered. It was then that he noticed the walls around them - they were adorned with weapons - magical ones. "Oh my - candy and lots of it," he muttered.
"What are you talking about?" Tia asked.
"Can't you see?" Louie asked motioning at the walls. He blinked - they seemed closer dusty and bare. "Oh - I see," he said with a smile. He walked over and lightly tapped on the wall - it was hollowed. He walked around and pushed a brick in. The wall crumbled. When the dust settled all of them saw what the thief was referring too.
"Oh my," Tia muttered.
"All of them are tainted - save one," Louie stated.
"What one?" Gnar asked. Thomas walked towards the wall of weapons and plucked a rapier from its holding. The weapon felt light as a feather. "Never mind I think our young friend found it," he added.
"The Star is near here - but - danger," he began. The door exploded inward as a cloud of bats swarmed into the room. The band swatted at the locust-like swarm. The sounds of the shrieking swarm was all but deafening. It was then that Thomas stood up and raised his weapon up. The swarm began to fly away from him. The others watched as the swarm flew out the window and other door.
"A little more notice next time maybe?" Gnar remarked. Louie stared at the door the swarm had exploded through. He raised his hand and pointed. The others looked and saw a small glowing gemstone hovering in the center of the room adjoining.
"The Burning Star," Thomas muttered. Slowly they made their way into the room and stood around the hovering gem. They looked around for some sign of a trap but saw nothing. "There has to be a," he began. It was then that they all heard it. The sound of deep breathing coming from above. Slowly - they all looked up. They all saw - a giant bat glaring down at them.
"Not good," Louie muttered. The bat screamed out as it fell down - knocking the questing bad aside. The impact of the massive beasts landing smashed through the floor. They thought their problems were over when the beast flew up and bared its fangs at them. Its tail swung out and knocked Tia hard into the wall - a powerful blow from its wing knocked Louie aside - it was then that the bat stopped a confused look crossed its bestial face. It looked over its shoulder at the dwarf that was glaring at it - almost daring it to try something. Thomas watched as the bat then staggered then fell to the floor. In its back was the dwarf's massive axe.
"Nice shot," Louie stated rubbing the back of his neck.
"I agree," a raspy voice muttered. They all looked over and saw the charred remains of a body holding Tia by the throat. Thomas was going rush the beast but was held back by Gnar. "Young Thomas - we meet again," the creature hissed.
"Have we - met?" Thomas asked - not taking his eyes off of Tia. The creature looked over at Tia and then smirked.
"She is a fine piece of meat. She's done so much," the creature hissed with a smile - Thomas saw the fangs and turned pale. "Ah - you do remember me. You and the whore here almost killed me. Luckily - I am hard to kill. Now - give me the Tear - and any other trinkets you might have collected" he ordered.
"Do it," Thomas muttered. Tia's eyes flickered. She looked over and saw the pale look on Thomas's face - then slowly looked down at the pit she was being held over - then over at the burnt creature that was holding her.
"I can take him," Louie reassured. Flipping a throwing dagger.
"Say the word lad - he goes down," Gnar added - plucking his axe from the bat.
"Do as I say - or the bitch dies," the charred vampire count retorted.
"You - can't stop us," Tia strained. The count looked over at her. "I won't let you," she hissed - gripping his wrist tight. The vampire was going to laugh when her eyes churned to jet-black.
"Don't do it you stupid whore - you'll kill us both," the vampire hissed.
"Tia," Thomas muttered.
"What is one life compared to the prophecy?" she hissed. A white mist began to swirl around the vampire. A desperate look crossed the eyes of the vampire. The floor and walls behind him began to shake.
"Thomas - get the Star and go!" Tia shouted. The vampire screamed as the two fell. Thomas leaped to catch Tia - but was stopped by Gnar.
"It's too late lad," the dwarf stated. Thomas resisted but eventually went limp. Louie walked over to the hole in the floor and looked down. The hole - went down far further than it seemed and there was no sign of Tia - or the vampire that took her down.
"I can't see either of them," Louie muttered. Thomas sighed and almost went limp.
"She did what she did so that you could go on. We would do no less lad," Gnar reassured. Thomas sighed and plucked the hovering jewel and looked at it.
"Imagine - how little that appeases me at this instant," he muttered.
"This is still your game kid. What's our next move?" Louie asked hesitantly.
"She gave her life - so that we could succeed. I'll be damned if I let that be in vain," Thomas muttered dryly as he stared at the tiny gemstone.
To be continued...
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