Disclaimer: Don't own.
A/N: Sorry it me so long to get this up. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. I decided to up the rating. Things are going to get violent more than likely. Hope you enjoy and review.
Lightning split the sky causing Altair to shy to one side. Kai pulled on the reins, quieting the horse before adjusting his hood. The rain had soaked through his cloak, leaving his clothes to cling. Slate grey hair had ceased to stay standing and was continual falling into mahogany eyes. Altair was just as wet as his rider and the only thing that kept him from being mired was the cobbled road. Lights from town were barely visible through the pouring rain.
Kai touched his heels to Altair's flanks and the horse started down the road. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself, trying to retain what little heat remained in his body. The wind abruptly changed direction, lashing the knight's face with rain. Lowering his head to stare at the horse's back, Kai allowed Altair to take them to the warmth the inn would provide.
The courtyard of the inn was devoid of life; not even a watchdog was visible. Kai dismounted and loosened his saddlebags. A rectangle of light appeared in the driving rain before disappearing into the darkness. A small figure appeared next to him, taking Altair's reins. Kai grabbed the figure's upper arm, tightening his grip marginally. "I want the best for my horse. I'll check in the morning." The stable hand quickly bobbed his head before taking refuge in the stable. Kai picked up his saddlebags and entered the inn.
The common room of the tavern was extraordinarily comfortable compared to the bone-chilling cold outside. Pushing back his hood, Kai surveyed the room. It was rather normal for a common room. Three long tables ran the length of the room, ending slightly before the edge of the hearth. A huge fireplace took up one wall and a fire was burning in it, easily heating the common room. The room was almost deserted, with only two crofters sitting at one of the tables, talking in low voices.
A plump, motherly looking figure swept out of the kitchen, bearing down on the knight. Her brown hair was bundled under a dust cap, leaving several wisps of hair to float around her round face. She wore simple, sturdy homespun, covered by a white apron. Her blue eyes danced with good humor and were surrounded by laugh lines. "What can I get you?" "A bath, room and hot food. Preferably in that order." She nodded and pulled a key from her apron pocket. "First door on your left. Best room we got."
Kai had no doubt it was the best room. A huge, four post bed dominated half of the room. The posts had been covered in carvings of vines and animals. Heavy curtains hung from a canopy. A simple table sat next to the bed with a water pitcher on top. A second, round table sat in front of the fireplace. An empty tub sat in one corner, with a towel folded on top. Kai hung his wet cloak on the back of a chair, before tossing Dranzer onto the bed. A knock sounded on the door, swiftly followed by the innkeeper and his son. The innkeeper was a huge man, amazingly bear-like in appearance. He carried two cauldrons, as though the weight was nothing. He tipped the tub down and poured the water in, not spilling a drop. The son started a fire, paying as much attention to the fire as to the knight. Within minutes the room was his alone.
Digging through his saddlebags, Kai was relieved to find that not all of his clothing was wet. He pulled out a pair of black linen pants and tossed them on the bed. The room was finally warm. He stripped and slipped into the hot water, for the first time in hours, actually warm. At the sound of the door hinges creaking he opened his eyes and looked at the door.
A young girl, no more then fifteen stood at the door with a tray in hand. She bore no resemblance to the innkeeper or his wife. Obviously she was part of a family in the town working at the inn. She set the tray on the table, all the while running her eyes over every inch of pale skin she could see. Ignoring the coldness emanating from the mahogany orbs, she once again took a slow perusal of the knight. Winking at him she turned and left calling over her shoulder. "If you need anything call me."
*I'm starting to feel like a prime stud* Kai dipped his head under the water quickly, before getting out of the rapidly cooling water. Wrapping the towel around his waist he took the tray in hand, setting it on his bed. He quickly dried off before slipping into his pants. The food on the tray was nothing special. A bowl of venison stew, a warm roll with butter and a goblet of mulled wine. The only sound in the room was the crackle and pop of the fire.
The sky was clear; the only hint that there had been a storm was the wetness of the ground. An old wagon rested in one corner of the courtyard, wheels missing. A single dog was basking in the weak morning sunlight, oblivious to his surroundings. The stable was clean and almost completely empty. Altair was housed in one of the stalls, while a grey, long-eared mule occupied the stall next to the stallion. Altair had been freshly brushed and was contentedly eating his hay. Kai opened the stall door, saddle in hand. Within minutes Altair was saddled and on the road.
*****
"What can you tell me about the tower?" Kai took a sip of wine, eyes never wavering from the bald innkeeper. The innkeeper looked puzzled, racking his mind for the answer.
"What tower? There's no tower in town." The knight took another drink of wine, eyes hiding a deep contempt. *How stupid does somebody have to be to miss a tower in the middle of a damn forest? * "The tower in the middle of the forest." The innkeeper's eyebrows rose so high, the appeared to take up residence in the middle of his head. He ran his eyes over the knight, paying special attention to the sword easily carried across broad shoulders. "Oh, you're one of those people." Kai arched one eyebrow at the innkeeper's cryptic words.
"One of those types? Is there something I should know about those types?" The innkeeper shifted under the cold mahogany gaze suddenly feeling nervous. He ran the edge of his apron over his bald pate, wiping away the sheen of sweat.
"Well you see," the innkeeper started nervously "periodically people come through town, asking about the tower. We only know about it because of the people that come through. Nobody in town can see the tower. I think all the people that come are fighters and mages. They all seem to have some kind of enchanted item. There are legends surrounding that tower. No one from town goes there." His eyes once again came to rest on the sword.
"Legends? Care to inform me?" Kai's dinner sat in front of him untouched with the exception of the wine. Dranzer spread his feeling of curiosity to his partner, both intrigued. The innkeeper looked around before lowering his voice.
"Well, since I can remember at least ten times during the mild parts of the year somebody would show up here asking about the tower. We would tell them what we know, which mind, you isn't a lot. They would depart and they would never see them again. Nobody has ever explored around the forest. We're the last town. They had to come back this way. No one did." He got to his feet. "I'll leave you to your thoughts."
*Well that was certainly interesting. * "Well Dranzer what do you think?" Dranzer gave off a light glow, showing his excitement for the forest.
*****
The trees were at least three hundred years old, hulking behemoths. The light of the sun only penetrated so far, leaving most of the forest dark. Moss-covered vines drooped over branches, some hanging nearly to the forest floor. Kai took a lantern from his saddlebags and lit it, carefully hanging it from Altair's saddle. The lantern provided just enough light to see about two feet ahead before the light was engulfed by the darkness.
"Damn. A mage globe would be nice at the moment." The light from the lamp was barely enough to illuminate the ground. Any obstacles on the path would be seen at the last moment, which led to the problem of Altair stumbling and injuring himself. Kai focused his eyes on the ground, allowing the stallion to choose his own path down the road.
"Would you stop complaining? I didn't expect this much growth." Kai hacked at another clump of vines, Dranzer humming through the air. The road had been clear for three miles before becoming overgrown. On some of the thicker vines, scars could be seen, testaments to previous passerbys. No natural sunlight could be seen within the labyrinth of trees. There was no way to tell the passage of time. The darkness seemed to pervade even the air, making it thick, and almost tangible.
Suddenly the trees ended on the right side of the path. A small clearing, no more then ten feet wide marred the uninterrupted vastness. The sky overhead was losing its last light, painted a blue-purple color. Stars were becoming visible, and the quarter moon hung low over the trees.
Once Altair was picketed Kai began his search for firewood. There were a few chunks in the clearing, mostly small pieces more of use as kindling then actual firewood. The pieces off the forest floor were still slightly green, giving off huge billows of smoke when burned. Dinner was nothing fancy, dried meat, dried fruit and a type of bread that kept for insane amounts of time. The water in his canteen was running low, leaving him to ration his water. The fire burned low, casting an orange glow over the nearby ground. The only sounds in the night air was of the wind through the leaves, and the small sounds of animals going about their ways.
A chill wind swept through the clearing, followed by an ear-piercing shriek. Altair nearly pulled his picket up at the shrill sound. Kai surged to his feet, pulling Dranzer from the scabbard in a single, smooth motion. He felt the chill invade his body, settling on his bones. The urge to sleep rushed him in a wave, threatening to drag him into an endless void.
A brilliant flash of red light lit the clearing, driving the spell from Kai's mind. The unsettling feeling of having somebody watch him, washed over him. He sent his senses out to their furthest distances, trying desperately to find his opponent. He felt an insistent pushing in his mind and with slight hesitation allowed Dranzer to 'borrow" his eyes.
"Shit." A figure appeared about ten feet in front of him and too the right. It was lined with red, thanks to Dranzer. Since Dranzer was a spirit he could see other sprits. He could also allow his partner to see the spirit. Most spirits were rather harmless. Only the ones that had died violent deaths or been betrayed ever-showed violence toward the living.
Kai had no doubt that this was one of the violent spirits. It came at him with a single-minded determination. It drifted several inches off the ground, and was almost translucent. The ghost swung a hand at him, only to have the appendage severed by the blade. A low moan erupted from the spirit, raising the hair on the back of the knight's neck. He stood ready, waiting for his opponent to make the next move. The ghost floated at him, swinging its remaining arm. Kai ducked under the arm and stabbed Dranzer into the ghost's side. Concentrating he forced a burst of pure energy down the blade, annihilating the spirit. A final wail was released as the spirit dissipated.
******
The tower rose above him, sky making a perfect backdrop for the black stone. The ground around the tower was absolutely flawless. Grass grew from the base of the tower out to the trees before being engulfed in underbrush. Kai pulled his rolled armor from its moorings on the saddle. He unrolled the oilcloth wrapped around it before pulling it on over his head. He unsaddled Altair, setting the saddle and bags under the tree with his cloak. Once the horse was picketed, he made his way to the towers door.
The door was a simple wooden door with iron bands across it. Kai touched the doorknob and jerked his hand back suddenly. There was a massive build up of magic and he was thrown back, slamming against a conveniently placed tree. Dranzer dug into his back, along with his armor. *That smarted. I'm going to have a chainlink patter on my back. * He got to his feet and moved back over to the tower door.
The king's words came back to him in a rush. A warding spell, and a powerful one at that. Kai looked at the door, trying to figure a way to break the spell. He was no mage and even people with small amounts of magic could perform spells to break wards. Sitting on the ground he closed his eyes, deepening the bond with Dranzer. Dranzer had been around for thousands of years. The knight was confident that his blade would have an answer.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Kai held his dagger in hand, looking at the sword lying next to him. The ruby gave a reassuring flash before returning to its normal color. He pulled the blade across his palm and let the blood pool slightly before dipping his finger into the blood. Quickly, he drew the runes Dranzer had shown him on the door before stepping back. There was a brilliant blinding flash from the sword on the ground and the door swung open with a creak. The knight went to his saddlebags to get out his first-aid supplies, only to find that his hand was healed. The only reminder was a pale ridge of skin.
Spiral stairs wound up the tower, stopping off at landings leading to rooms with locked doors. Kai hadn't drawn Dranzer yet. With the twisting staircase, he would be able to hear an enemy before they heard him and be able to arm himself. Also if anybody was in the tower he didn't want to frighten them. Finally reaching the top of the tower, he found one final door, hanging partially open. He pushed it open the rest of the way, the door not creaking, for which his was thankful. A huge window was set in the far wall, looking out over the forest. A table sat in the middle of the room with a single chair next to it. Several tall bookshelves decorated one wall. Other small bits of furniture were scattered across the room, in a haphazard fashion.
Kai stepped further into the room, not noticing the figure sitting on the window seat. His eyes caught movement and he turned, surprised to find somebody in the tower. "What are you doing here?" asked the figure, a green glowing light forming at the center of their chest before expanding to encircle the figure.
A/N: Sorry it me so long to get this up. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. I decided to up the rating. Things are going to get violent more than likely. Hope you enjoy and review.
Lightning split the sky causing Altair to shy to one side. Kai pulled on the reins, quieting the horse before adjusting his hood. The rain had soaked through his cloak, leaving his clothes to cling. Slate grey hair had ceased to stay standing and was continual falling into mahogany eyes. Altair was just as wet as his rider and the only thing that kept him from being mired was the cobbled road. Lights from town were barely visible through the pouring rain.
Kai touched his heels to Altair's flanks and the horse started down the road. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself, trying to retain what little heat remained in his body. The wind abruptly changed direction, lashing the knight's face with rain. Lowering his head to stare at the horse's back, Kai allowed Altair to take them to the warmth the inn would provide.
The courtyard of the inn was devoid of life; not even a watchdog was visible. Kai dismounted and loosened his saddlebags. A rectangle of light appeared in the driving rain before disappearing into the darkness. A small figure appeared next to him, taking Altair's reins. Kai grabbed the figure's upper arm, tightening his grip marginally. "I want the best for my horse. I'll check in the morning." The stable hand quickly bobbed his head before taking refuge in the stable. Kai picked up his saddlebags and entered the inn.
The common room of the tavern was extraordinarily comfortable compared to the bone-chilling cold outside. Pushing back his hood, Kai surveyed the room. It was rather normal for a common room. Three long tables ran the length of the room, ending slightly before the edge of the hearth. A huge fireplace took up one wall and a fire was burning in it, easily heating the common room. The room was almost deserted, with only two crofters sitting at one of the tables, talking in low voices.
A plump, motherly looking figure swept out of the kitchen, bearing down on the knight. Her brown hair was bundled under a dust cap, leaving several wisps of hair to float around her round face. She wore simple, sturdy homespun, covered by a white apron. Her blue eyes danced with good humor and were surrounded by laugh lines. "What can I get you?" "A bath, room and hot food. Preferably in that order." She nodded and pulled a key from her apron pocket. "First door on your left. Best room we got."
Kai had no doubt it was the best room. A huge, four post bed dominated half of the room. The posts had been covered in carvings of vines and animals. Heavy curtains hung from a canopy. A simple table sat next to the bed with a water pitcher on top. A second, round table sat in front of the fireplace. An empty tub sat in one corner, with a towel folded on top. Kai hung his wet cloak on the back of a chair, before tossing Dranzer onto the bed. A knock sounded on the door, swiftly followed by the innkeeper and his son. The innkeeper was a huge man, amazingly bear-like in appearance. He carried two cauldrons, as though the weight was nothing. He tipped the tub down and poured the water in, not spilling a drop. The son started a fire, paying as much attention to the fire as to the knight. Within minutes the room was his alone.
Digging through his saddlebags, Kai was relieved to find that not all of his clothing was wet. He pulled out a pair of black linen pants and tossed them on the bed. The room was finally warm. He stripped and slipped into the hot water, for the first time in hours, actually warm. At the sound of the door hinges creaking he opened his eyes and looked at the door.
A young girl, no more then fifteen stood at the door with a tray in hand. She bore no resemblance to the innkeeper or his wife. Obviously she was part of a family in the town working at the inn. She set the tray on the table, all the while running her eyes over every inch of pale skin she could see. Ignoring the coldness emanating from the mahogany orbs, she once again took a slow perusal of the knight. Winking at him she turned and left calling over her shoulder. "If you need anything call me."
*I'm starting to feel like a prime stud* Kai dipped his head under the water quickly, before getting out of the rapidly cooling water. Wrapping the towel around his waist he took the tray in hand, setting it on his bed. He quickly dried off before slipping into his pants. The food on the tray was nothing special. A bowl of venison stew, a warm roll with butter and a goblet of mulled wine. The only sound in the room was the crackle and pop of the fire.
The sky was clear; the only hint that there had been a storm was the wetness of the ground. An old wagon rested in one corner of the courtyard, wheels missing. A single dog was basking in the weak morning sunlight, oblivious to his surroundings. The stable was clean and almost completely empty. Altair was housed in one of the stalls, while a grey, long-eared mule occupied the stall next to the stallion. Altair had been freshly brushed and was contentedly eating his hay. Kai opened the stall door, saddle in hand. Within minutes Altair was saddled and on the road.
*****
"What can you tell me about the tower?" Kai took a sip of wine, eyes never wavering from the bald innkeeper. The innkeeper looked puzzled, racking his mind for the answer.
"What tower? There's no tower in town." The knight took another drink of wine, eyes hiding a deep contempt. *How stupid does somebody have to be to miss a tower in the middle of a damn forest? * "The tower in the middle of the forest." The innkeeper's eyebrows rose so high, the appeared to take up residence in the middle of his head. He ran his eyes over the knight, paying special attention to the sword easily carried across broad shoulders. "Oh, you're one of those people." Kai arched one eyebrow at the innkeeper's cryptic words.
"One of those types? Is there something I should know about those types?" The innkeeper shifted under the cold mahogany gaze suddenly feeling nervous. He ran the edge of his apron over his bald pate, wiping away the sheen of sweat.
"Well you see," the innkeeper started nervously "periodically people come through town, asking about the tower. We only know about it because of the people that come through. Nobody in town can see the tower. I think all the people that come are fighters and mages. They all seem to have some kind of enchanted item. There are legends surrounding that tower. No one from town goes there." His eyes once again came to rest on the sword.
"Legends? Care to inform me?" Kai's dinner sat in front of him untouched with the exception of the wine. Dranzer spread his feeling of curiosity to his partner, both intrigued. The innkeeper looked around before lowering his voice.
"Well, since I can remember at least ten times during the mild parts of the year somebody would show up here asking about the tower. We would tell them what we know, which mind, you isn't a lot. They would depart and they would never see them again. Nobody has ever explored around the forest. We're the last town. They had to come back this way. No one did." He got to his feet. "I'll leave you to your thoughts."
*Well that was certainly interesting. * "Well Dranzer what do you think?" Dranzer gave off a light glow, showing his excitement for the forest.
*****
The trees were at least three hundred years old, hulking behemoths. The light of the sun only penetrated so far, leaving most of the forest dark. Moss-covered vines drooped over branches, some hanging nearly to the forest floor. Kai took a lantern from his saddlebags and lit it, carefully hanging it from Altair's saddle. The lantern provided just enough light to see about two feet ahead before the light was engulfed by the darkness.
"Damn. A mage globe would be nice at the moment." The light from the lamp was barely enough to illuminate the ground. Any obstacles on the path would be seen at the last moment, which led to the problem of Altair stumbling and injuring himself. Kai focused his eyes on the ground, allowing the stallion to choose his own path down the road.
"Would you stop complaining? I didn't expect this much growth." Kai hacked at another clump of vines, Dranzer humming through the air. The road had been clear for three miles before becoming overgrown. On some of the thicker vines, scars could be seen, testaments to previous passerbys. No natural sunlight could be seen within the labyrinth of trees. There was no way to tell the passage of time. The darkness seemed to pervade even the air, making it thick, and almost tangible.
Suddenly the trees ended on the right side of the path. A small clearing, no more then ten feet wide marred the uninterrupted vastness. The sky overhead was losing its last light, painted a blue-purple color. Stars were becoming visible, and the quarter moon hung low over the trees.
Once Altair was picketed Kai began his search for firewood. There were a few chunks in the clearing, mostly small pieces more of use as kindling then actual firewood. The pieces off the forest floor were still slightly green, giving off huge billows of smoke when burned. Dinner was nothing fancy, dried meat, dried fruit and a type of bread that kept for insane amounts of time. The water in his canteen was running low, leaving him to ration his water. The fire burned low, casting an orange glow over the nearby ground. The only sounds in the night air was of the wind through the leaves, and the small sounds of animals going about their ways.
A chill wind swept through the clearing, followed by an ear-piercing shriek. Altair nearly pulled his picket up at the shrill sound. Kai surged to his feet, pulling Dranzer from the scabbard in a single, smooth motion. He felt the chill invade his body, settling on his bones. The urge to sleep rushed him in a wave, threatening to drag him into an endless void.
A brilliant flash of red light lit the clearing, driving the spell from Kai's mind. The unsettling feeling of having somebody watch him, washed over him. He sent his senses out to their furthest distances, trying desperately to find his opponent. He felt an insistent pushing in his mind and with slight hesitation allowed Dranzer to 'borrow" his eyes.
"Shit." A figure appeared about ten feet in front of him and too the right. It was lined with red, thanks to Dranzer. Since Dranzer was a spirit he could see other sprits. He could also allow his partner to see the spirit. Most spirits were rather harmless. Only the ones that had died violent deaths or been betrayed ever-showed violence toward the living.
Kai had no doubt that this was one of the violent spirits. It came at him with a single-minded determination. It drifted several inches off the ground, and was almost translucent. The ghost swung a hand at him, only to have the appendage severed by the blade. A low moan erupted from the spirit, raising the hair on the back of the knight's neck. He stood ready, waiting for his opponent to make the next move. The ghost floated at him, swinging its remaining arm. Kai ducked under the arm and stabbed Dranzer into the ghost's side. Concentrating he forced a burst of pure energy down the blade, annihilating the spirit. A final wail was released as the spirit dissipated.
******
The tower rose above him, sky making a perfect backdrop for the black stone. The ground around the tower was absolutely flawless. Grass grew from the base of the tower out to the trees before being engulfed in underbrush. Kai pulled his rolled armor from its moorings on the saddle. He unrolled the oilcloth wrapped around it before pulling it on over his head. He unsaddled Altair, setting the saddle and bags under the tree with his cloak. Once the horse was picketed, he made his way to the towers door.
The door was a simple wooden door with iron bands across it. Kai touched the doorknob and jerked his hand back suddenly. There was a massive build up of magic and he was thrown back, slamming against a conveniently placed tree. Dranzer dug into his back, along with his armor. *That smarted. I'm going to have a chainlink patter on my back. * He got to his feet and moved back over to the tower door.
The king's words came back to him in a rush. A warding spell, and a powerful one at that. Kai looked at the door, trying to figure a way to break the spell. He was no mage and even people with small amounts of magic could perform spells to break wards. Sitting on the ground he closed his eyes, deepening the bond with Dranzer. Dranzer had been around for thousands of years. The knight was confident that his blade would have an answer.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Kai held his dagger in hand, looking at the sword lying next to him. The ruby gave a reassuring flash before returning to its normal color. He pulled the blade across his palm and let the blood pool slightly before dipping his finger into the blood. Quickly, he drew the runes Dranzer had shown him on the door before stepping back. There was a brilliant blinding flash from the sword on the ground and the door swung open with a creak. The knight went to his saddlebags to get out his first-aid supplies, only to find that his hand was healed. The only reminder was a pale ridge of skin.
Spiral stairs wound up the tower, stopping off at landings leading to rooms with locked doors. Kai hadn't drawn Dranzer yet. With the twisting staircase, he would be able to hear an enemy before they heard him and be able to arm himself. Also if anybody was in the tower he didn't want to frighten them. Finally reaching the top of the tower, he found one final door, hanging partially open. He pushed it open the rest of the way, the door not creaking, for which his was thankful. A huge window was set in the far wall, looking out over the forest. A table sat in the middle of the room with a single chair next to it. Several tall bookshelves decorated one wall. Other small bits of furniture were scattered across the room, in a haphazard fashion.
Kai stepped further into the room, not noticing the figure sitting on the window seat. His eyes caught movement and he turned, surprised to find somebody in the tower. "What are you doing here?" asked the figure, a green glowing light forming at the center of their chest before expanding to encircle the figure.