The Tower

A wind seemed to be ripping at the trees, trying to break a forest that had stood for centuries. It blew around the trees cutting into two boys trying to walk on a path that led through the forest.

“Why do we have to be here? It’s cold.” said the boy on the right. He was the taller of the two and looked to be older. He had an angular face, which currently scowled in annoyance.

“You don't remember? Orion, how could you forget how you put a living snake into Master Barots chambers?” said the other boy, slight of build and looking as though he hadn’t eaten in a good while. He was looking at Orion with an incredulous expression on his face.

“Right. Sorry you got caught up in that, Cerin,” said Orion. He hadn’t put the snake in the chambers, just outside the door. With a live mouse set loose in the room. It wasn’t his fault that

the snake had gone for the mouse. Master Barot had stalked out of the room, holding the snake in front of him by the throat. He had seen Orion walking into the building with it and had punished him by sending him out to collect berries from the bushes that grew ten miles away from the school. Cerin had tried to defend Orion but to no avail. That was how they came into this windy forest.

The wind suddenly blew a gust powerful enough to knock Orion to the ground. When he got up, he found that the trees no longer surrounded him and Cerin. They now stood in an oddly symmetrical clearing, and something stood in the middle of it. Orion squinted, looking closer

Suddenly, it became visible. Looming before him in the middle of the clearing was an immense eight-sided black tower. Seamless black stone seemed to reflect the sunlight, and a great silver door stood in the middle of each side. There was no roof, and the trees looked as though they were leaning away from the tower, trying to distance themselves from the goliath that towered above them.

The building seemed to radiate a sense of power, of ancient knowledge hidden, great mysteries that have been unsolved for eternities.

“It’s amazing,” said Orion, who had stopped in the middle of standing. He stared at the tower for several seconds, ignoring the gash on his knee that had gotten cut when he fell. “What do you think is inside? There could be gold inside or maybe magical weapons.”

“We shouldn’t go in there,” said Cerin, who had noticed the tower before Orion and studied it with a nervous expression. “We don’t know what danger there could be.”

Orion looked at Cerin with a contemptuous expression on his face. “Who cares about danger? There’s something in that tower, and I’m going to get it. If you want to be a coward, fine.” He stood and started to walk towards the tower, picking up speed as he went. When he reached the foot of the building, Orion paused, standing still for a moment before striding over to one of the shining doors. He put a hand out to push it open, but it swung inward before he touched it.

As he walked in, Orion froze. The inside of the tower was starkly different from the outer walls.

There was a dull sheen bathing the room with light and had no source to be seen. There were carvings of vines that seemed to wrap around the edge of the room, creeping up for eternity. He walked forward, looking around at the walls. “Hello?” he called out, and the noise echoed across the room. There was a stairway in the middle of the room. Orion walked to it, looking up as soon as he reached it. There seemed to be no end to the spiraling staircase, and there was no railing.

“It has been many years since one of your species has come here.”

Orion jumped, turning to see who had snuck up behind him. The man who had spoken stood a little way behind Orion and

was looking at him with an inquisitive expression. He looked like a man but had distinctly alien features. The man’s skin was tinted a dark red, his face more angular than was natural, and his eyes were tilted too far, like a snake.

“Follow me, if you would.” said the man, seeming to glide up the stairs.

“Where am I?” asked Orion, standing up straight and stepping quickly to catch up. “What is this place?” He had to jog to keep up with the gliding steps of the snakelike man.

“You have entered the Hall of Valor,” said the man without turning to face Orion.

“The Hall of Valor?” asked Orion, then added quietly “I like that. It sounds exciting.” The stairs ended abruptly, giving way to an enormous hallway. The walls were pulsing like a heart with dark grey light. Doors lined each side of the room, and the ceiling had mosaics of many battles and cities, and people depicted in the art, and the most prominent were three men. Each had a sword and covered themselves in ornate armor. These men were all like the

man who walked before Orion. “Where are we going?” Orion inquired, still trying and failing to keep his pace level with the man.

“I am taking you to the Hall of Legacies. The Elders wish to speak with you,” A bright, reddish glow emanated from the end of the hall. “There have been so few to come here, you see.

They wish to help you obtain that which you wish to have.”

The light seemed to part around them, and Orion could faintly make out what looked to be an auditorium. They reached a gate, and Orion looked at the snake-man. “Go forward, and speak with the Elders.” the gate swung inward.

Orion walked through to the other side.