Ch.20

Eventually, Ardi found herself standing at the top of a stairway made of stone, leading downward into the mountain. It was shorter than the spiral staircase at the Spire, but her eyes continued to scan the walls, looking for any signs of enemies.

As Ardi descended further, though, she felt an intense heat. It took her a few moments to realize that she'd found the source of the fog: the floor was lined with coals.

She paused, a thought occurring to her. "Could this have anything to do with the Spire?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it," Evander answered. He had joined her again. "I can't imagine how any kind of magical construct could survive for thousands of years. All magic eventually dissipates‌—"

"Not always," a new voice interrupted.

Both Ardi and Evander turned as one. The speaker stood in the room behind them, towering over them by a good five feet or so. Though he wore black robes, he looked no less human than any of the others they'd seen thus far. In fact, he might even have been younger‌—though, his attire gave him away as being some sort of scholar.

"I'm sorry, did I miss something?" Ardi asked.

The man looked up from the book in his hand, narrowing his eyes. "It's a strange story. Can you perhaps explain what you're doing here?"

"Looking for my sister," Evander answered.

"Who might be still alive, which is why we must move quickly. First, we will answer your question‌—about the tower. It was constructed by the Old Gods, the same ones who built the Spire." The man paused, then added, "Your questions should have been directed to the Sorcerer-King, however. This is not a place where his subjects are free to speak their minds. You should leave now; he will not take kindly to you interrupting him again."

Evander shook his head. "No thanks. If I can help it, I want answers. We'll find them together."

The man rolled his eyes. "Then allow me to provide them." He turned to face Evander, who instantly recognized him from the Spire. "You knew of the power hidden within the tower?"

Evander nodded, giving nothing away.

"And yet you didn't bother to make use of its magic?"

Evander forced a laugh, though his heart felt heavy. "Magic is for sorcerers, not scions like myself‌—"

"Yes, well, that might have been true once. But now, anyone may learn these arts. For whatever reason, the blood of the Old Gods runs through your veins . . ." The man paused, looking at Ardi as if awaiting permission to continue. When she didn't respond, he turned back to Evander. "And you still haven't learned anything about the Spire. Well, I will teach you right now. Take a look around this room, and try not to do anything that might give yourself away."

Evander followed his orders‌—carefully walking over to the wall of coals, scanning the surface.

The man followed him. "Do you see any sign of danger?"

Evander shook his head, but then noticed something. A few feet from the center, there was a small crack. He walked over, careful to avoid being burned by the coals themselves. Then, he reached out, pushing against it. It gave way easily, and in the next moment, the entire side of the wall burst inward, revealing another room. The room itself was nothing more than a storage area, though, with racks filled with clothes, weapons, and other such items.

He continued into the room, while the man watched him with growing interest. Finally, Evander saw what he'd been searching for: a white oval on the floor. Upon closer inspection, however, he realized the shape had been carved‌—it was too perfect to be natural.

Ardi came to stand next to Evander. "What's that?"

He shrugged, keeping his eyes trained on the symbol. He quickly found himself struck by a strong desire to walk around the symbol‌—or, rather, the tower. There was nothing else here to focus his attention‌—in fact, he could scarcely make out the rune without turning his head. It might as well have been invisible.

The man chuckled, glancing between Ardi and Evander. "I've no doubt you're already wondering why your brother would choose to come here. Before we answer that question, I'm curious .‌. . I realize you said you knew of the power within the tower, but is it a force capable of ridding us of magic entirely?"

Evander laughed. "Are you serious? Have you even heard the stories? We've lived in a world made of magic for thousands of years . . ."

"You misunderstand." The man pulled out a leather bag, dropping a coin into his palm. He held it up and studied its surface. "This isn't just any ordinary piece of metal; the coining process changed this particular coin. In fact, the same is true for many others we can see lying around the Spire. Do you see any difference?"

Evander frowned. "No, I don't."

"I assure you, you do. Those coins contain all the magical power which has ever existed. But as for how we did it‌—well, that's something else entirely."

Ardi tilted her head slightly, a strange look in her eyes. "That's impossible. It'd mean they took the powers from the Old Gods, and in turn, are now tainted by their blood . . . and then somehow, some way, those powers ended up back inside the metal?"

The man shook his head. "It makes far more sense than you think."

Evander shrugged. "If that were true, it would be the greatest magic trick of all time."

"Not at all. That wouldn't prove anything. How do I know what's wrong and what is right? If everything in this room was truly magic, you'd still see something different. So instead, I must ask the obvious‌—what does this symbol mean to you?"

Evander stared at the symbol for several seconds, unsure what to say. "It looks like an incomplete circle. At least, that's what it looks like without you explaining it."

"There it is," the man muttered. Then, he turned back to Ardi. "I'm afraid there are no such things as magic tricks. Every single bit of this tower houses a rich history‌—so much so, that even the memories of the Sorcerer-King himself may no longer exist. It's not our purpose to speak on this matter‌—I can only tell you as much as I am given. Let us move on before we dig ourselves into a hole."

Ardi nodded. "I understand." She continued searching for the rune‌—not trying to figure out its significance, but simply trying to get her mind off the conversation she'd just heard. As she searched, she noticed something else about the symbols‌—the two circles weren't identical. There seemed to be small differences between them, suggesting a complexity to their design . . .

"What are you looking at?" the man asked, stepping closer to her.

"Nothing," Ardi replied, taking in Evander's frantic glances in her direction.

The man sighed, returning to his book. He flipped a few pages, then began scanning over each with the same intensity as the others. After a moment, he gave a satisfied nod. "Your father was correct in his assessment. This tower used to contain several entrances. It hasn't been completed yet. Our search begins now. Stay close."

Ardi immediately stepped toward the symbol. Evander followed close behind, making sure they were in one another's sight. She turned back toward the man. "I don't think this is exactly where we want to go."

He frowned at her. "You have some idea of what we should be doing?"

"Not really."

"Then you are no help to either of us." With that, the man turned away and continued down the hall, leaving Ardi and Evander to make their own way.

Evander took a deep breath. "Well, you'll probably be okay, right? If there are more sorcerers like me around, then‌—"

Ardi placed her hand on his arm. "Wait‌—what does this mean?" She pointed to the symbol. "No magic! It makes sense . . . if everyone has power to wield, none of it can be used to attack. So, nothing could survive for thousands of years‌—it's not like you could simply wait around without worrying about being attacked. And even if there was magic left, this place wouldn't make sense anymore. In fact, it would become dangerous, so people wouldn't come here. It makes the most sense!"

"I guess," Evander muttered. He leaned forward, trying to see the rune at the same level as Ardi, but quickly realized he was too tall. He sighed, pacing back and forth. "Well, we're going to have to explore the rest of this place before we go any further. I'm sure your sister is safe in the tower, but we need to find her!"