Page 16 of Lies Within the Darkest Tower

The ring was half lit up with two men waiting to step through, and we ducked back behind the underbrush until the area was empty.

“Put your cloak on, hide your hair, and get out of the Five Great Kingdoms,” I said, pulling him into a firm hug. The Five Kingdoms were on good terms with the much younger kingdoms to our east and our north and it should be easy for him to cross the boarder without drawing too much attention. From there, he needed to head west or south. “You’re smart, can read, and do numbers. You should be able to find work as a bookkeeper or scribe.”

He hugged me back and nodded against my shoulder.

“But don’t take work as a tutor. Only noble houses hire tutors and there’s a chance someone could recognize you.”

“Yes, Mother,” he said again, his arms still wrapped around me.

“Now go.”

I squeezed him tighter. I didn’t want to let go. I didn’t know if I’d ever see him again. I wish I’d had a vision of that, wished I knew this would turn out all right and everything would end up fine. But all I did know was that he wasn’t going to die in the Gray.

I forced myself to let go and nudged him in the direction of the ring. He hurried across the clearing, quickly pressed a pattern, and stepped through the blinding white light.

The light slowly dissipated and I stared at the empty space, my heart aching and my stomach tight with uncertainty.

I was just about to step out of the underbrush and let the ring take me to the Black Tower, when I heard the creak of wagon wheels and the slow, rhythmic clomp of hooves on the hard-packed dirt road.

I ducked back behind the cover of the bushes and watched as a long procession of merchants and farmers, some with their carts full, some with their carts empty, come down the road. They were led by a middle-aged man with medium brown skin who wore a worn leather jerkin and a sheathed short sword at his hip — most likely a guardsman from the town — and an older man in a cream and gold robe — the town’s priest.

Most merchants and those who regularly used the fae rings to travel knew the patterns to take them to where they wanted to go, but anyone who didn’t travel frequently wouldn’t know the correct pattern and would need the priest.

The procession was long, and I didn’t want to walk up to the ring and have it awaken without me touching it. Even if the merchants, farmers, and village people didn’t know what thering awakening without touching it meant, I was sure the priest of the Great Father would.

And while approaching the ring with everyone watching would be an opportunity to test my disguise as a boy, I didn’t know what kind of reaction I’d get. I was a sacrifice, no longer really a person in Erellod. Would they shun me? Pity me?

Without a doubt they’d remember my red hair and I didn’t want that, either. So I waited as everyone took their turn, either lighting up the pattern they already knew and stepping through or asking the priest to do it.

By the time the guardsman and the priest had headed back to town and stepped out of sight, the sun was setting with reds and oranges on the western horizon and velvety darkness was creeping from the east.

I took a quick moment to listen for anyone else, then hurried out of the underbrush to the ring, the fire in my arm bursting to life. I didn’t want to risk another group approaching before I went through, and I didn’t know if the rings were used all night long or not. If I didn’t go now, I’d probably lose my nerve — at least until the binding spell forced me to go through a ring or it killed me.

White light blossomed in the ring before I was halfway across the clearing and fully filled the ring by the time I got there.

With a deep breath that did nothing to steady my nerves, I tightened my grip on my rucksack and strode through.

The ring’s magic tingled over my body, and I walked into a cold mist that curled around me, chilling my skin.

I stood on a wide, bricked area with a road trailing ahead of me down a slope. Except I couldn’t see past the circle of light blazing from the ring to see where the road led, and when the magic in the ring vanished, I was plunged into darkness. There wasn’t a glimmer of sunset on the horizon, and only a hint of moonlight behind thick clouds to tell me which way was east.

I blinked, trying to get my eyes to adjust to the dim light. I could see a few paces ahead of me, but that was it, and there was no indication of where I should go or even that the Black Tower was anywhere near me.

Off in the distance something screeched and the cold wind gusted, swirling the mist around my legs and making me shiver.

I should have taken a second cloak when we’d fled Herstind, but Sawyer only had one and I hadn’t wanted to take the time to go to my room to get mine. That, and my cloak wasn’t practical like Sawyer’s. It was red with gold embroidery along the hem and distinctly feminine.

The screech came again. Louder and closer and didn’t sound like it had come from a bird.

Another screech and another, these ones lower in pitch. Then two more. All getting closer, coming from all around me.

My pulse lurched. There were monsters in the Gray. From their screams, it sounded like they’d found prey, and I had a horrible feeling that pray was me.

CHAPTER 11

Sage

I glanced backat the ring, a looming shadow in the darkness with no hint of the brilliant white magic that had filled it moments ago. I only knew the patterns for Olinon near Herstind castle and Addur, the capital, and Edred was sure to look for me at both of those places.

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