Ch.21

After a long look down each corridor and stairway, Ardi began to feel a growing impatience. Her curiosity demanded she know what lay beyond the next door or corner, and she couldn't stand the waiting. It reminded her of the day before, when they'd discovered her parents dead. All she could think about was how much she wanted to comfort her brother; to say something to ease the burden, however trivial . . .

"Are you okay?" Evander asked, prompting her out of her thoughts.

She shook her head. "Just . . . everything is so new. I've never seen anything like this. That's why I wanted to get away from all of it. As long as I had my brother, no one could hurt me." She lowered her voice. "But now that I've discovered I have magic powers, too, it seems even more unfair that we're still separated."

"Your parents are gone because of my fault," Evander mumbled, a bitter tone in his voice.

Ardi's hand trembled, causing the magic ring to slip off her finger and land on the floor. "No‌—you were never to blame! I told you about them long ago!"

"And that was a mistake. I should have kept silent."

Ardi smiled weakly, hoping she could forget their conversation. "Well, we can't change the past. We can only move forward‌—"

Before she could finish the sentence, the two heard an echoing thud as someone fell to the ground. Evander quickly ran down the hall toward the noise.

There was another sound, and then a third. They grew louder with each step. The man threw open the door leading to the staircase, finding Ardi struggling to push someone up. Evander rushed over, pulling him inside.

The first person to reach the bottom stood up with a huff. The second looked even paler than he had before.

Evander frowned. "Who are you?"

"H-hey!" said the one who had fallen, leaning against the wall to keep himself from collapsing again. He stretched his neck to look at Evander. "My name's Elestra, but everyone calls me Fart. Why?"

"Huh?"

Elestra straightened himself out. "I mean .‌. . why do people call you Evander? And isn't there another mage here with you? Who's the pretty lady?"

"She's not pretty," Evander scoffed, though he couldn't help blushing just a little bit. "Anyway, that guy over there is Elaric. We were sent here by a friend, because there's something they needed from the tower."

The man‌—Fart, apparently‌—walked over, squinting at Evander. "You're different‌—"

"Excuse me, sir," Elaric interrupted. "But where is my brother?"

Evander shook his head. "Sorry, but he disappeared."

Elestra gave a bark of laughter. "What are you talking about?"

Evander sighed, looking away. "That's the thing. He appeared right here, and then vanished without a word. I don't know how. It was like magic .‌—"

"Don't be ridiculous," Elaric snapped. "It wasn't magic at all."

Ardi took Evander's arm, giving him a gentle squeeze. "Tell him."

Evander looked back at her. "Well .‌. . You see, it's magic. And a really old one. The power within this tower has been around since time began .‌—"

Before he could finish explaining, however, Elestra caught on to what had happened. His face grew more serious, and a dangerous look washed over his features. "Let me guess .‌.‌." he muttered. "You stole it. You stole it!"

"We didn't steal anything," said Evander, trying not to show any sign of anger. He quickly glanced at Ardi, who gave a firm nod.

Elestra turned toward the ground, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You have something of mine. Tell me where it is, or we'll leave your friend for dead."

"Wait‌—what?" said Evander. "No one‌—"

Ardi stepped forward. "Evander, let's leave now."

"I'm sorry," Evander replied, facing Elestra squarely. "But the power is gone."

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

Ardi gritted her teeth, clenching her hands so tight they started to turn blue. Her heart was racing as she watched the man from her mother's tribe come closer and closer. She had never seen anyone look like this before‌—and she realized what he must have felt when his friends were killed. He looked like he was trying to fight off death itself.

"I took it," said Evander, spreading his arms wide. "And I'm going to give it to you. There‌—" He pointed to the symbol. "‌That's my grandfather's ring. Do you understand what that means? It means he wanted someone to find it. He wants you to have it."

Fart growled, but Elestra remained calm. "You're bluffing. Even if the ring belonged to your grandfather, there's no way he would allow this power to stay in the hands of a mage from another tribe."

"Can't you see?" Evander replied with a frustrated laugh. "He did."

A cold feeling ran down Ardi's back, and her entire body quivered. "What do you mean?"

"Your mother told us about you." Elestra smiled with an unsettling expression. "She spoke of you many times. He wanted someone to take control over the tower. Your mother was given the role of Archon, as well as the power to rule from above."

"How?" Ardi whispered.

"By using something so precious‌—someone who he thought was already lost. Does this make sense to you?"

Ardi shook her head, her lips trembling. "You .‌.‌"

"No. No, I won't tell you," Elestra rasped, stepping forward. "There's no point now. We can still work together. All I want is for the magic to be yours and mine again. Is that so much to ask? Or are you too stubborn to obey an order?"

Evander stood taller. "If you kill me, then there's nothing you'll ever get."

"Your brother is right." Elestra turned his gaze toward him. "This power can only be used by one person. The rest of you have no interest in working together. You've brought death upon this entire village."

Ardi shook her head as Evander stared at her.

Elestra looked her directly in the eye. "I will take what was taken from me‌—by force, if necessary." His eyes shifted toward Evander, then back to Ardi. "And then we can begin our lives anew."