Chapter 25 - The Tower
Bright afternoon sunlight illuminated the forest canopy overhead, diffusing through the green leaves as if they were stained glass and dappling the road's surface. Wilhelm and Schwarz walked along the road in silence, both deeply lost in their thoughts. Although he was trying not to show it, Will was becoming increasingly concerned about Jacob. The appearance of the fork in the road, a fork which Schwarz was adamant had not previously existed, suggested to Wilhelm that they were getting closer to his brother, and whoever or whatever they were dealing with was trying to deter them with illusions. 'Magic,' Wilhelm thought to himself with distaste. He hated that word above all else. He'd had enough experience with magic beans, magic queens, magic axes, and magic mirrors to last him more than a lifetime already.
Shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation, Will turned his attention towards the road ahead. The dense canopy of branches obscured much of the skyline from his view, but for a moment Wilhelm was certain that he saw the narrow silhouette of a tower rising above the treeline ahead of them. "Schwarz," Will began, turning to the dark-haired man who was engrossed in stroking Kastanie as she huffed her appreciation. "Schwarz," Wilhelm repeated sharply as the nobleman turned his attention away from the mare, "Is there some sort of dwelling in the forest?"
"There are ruins where an old castle once stood," Schwarz replied, turning his attention back to the mare as she gave him a playful nudge with her muzzle. "Many of its walls have fallen but from what I can recall from exploring it in my youth, two of the four towers are still intact," he continued, glancing back at Wilhelm, "Do you think Jacob is being held there?"
"It seems the most likely scenario," Will responded, gazing up through the trees at the tower's imposing height, "Are there any other structures beyond the castle?"
"None," Schwarz confirmed, "Past the ruins it's a two-day journey to reach the forest's edge, and a half-day's ride past that still to reach the town of Aalen. Although it takes less time than that if you have a garrison's worth of men chasing you," he added with a dry laugh.
"Speaking from experience?" Wilhelm retorted sarcastically, turning to the other man with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, unfortunately I am," Schwarz replied with a sigh, "My father directed the garrison to pursue me out of our family's keep last time I visited home."
"Ah," Will replied with an understanding nod, "Family."
"Indeed," Schwarz responded dryly.
The two continued on in silence for several minutes, the discordant squawks and shrill calls of songbirds quickly filling the air between them.
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. This is the updated version of Chapter 25, uploaded on 03/2023.