The others don’t make a move to continue walking as they feel their muscles ache and groan after days of fighting Visindor Forest’s summer heart. Even Luke is unable to shrug off the combined effects of heat and exhaustion. As much as he tries to concentrate on taking in his surroundings, he finds himself mentally exhausted and easily distracted.
“We’re all tired, but I want to make contact with this caster today. I think it best to make our presence known to our allies right away. For all we know, our new friend could be planning to spend all of tomorrow preparing for the voyage. It’s getting close to evening, so he or she is more likely to be home if we visit now,” Luke says, rubbing his aching neck and shoulders. “It might be a good idea to split up. Two of us will find a place to stay for the night and the other two will go to this Rainbow Tower. As for tomorrow, I want to get a small tour of the city. Not to sound lazy, but I don’t know when I will get another chance to see Gaia. It’s so much bigger and denser than Gods’ Voice and Darkmill. Do you guys mind if I leave the supply run to you and take a look around after breakfast?”
“I mind. I want to relax too,” Nimby replies.
“I have been in Gaia before, but I would like to be around for a local tour,” Fritz casually admits. “Supply runs are simple matters, especially with Aedyn here.”
“Why is that?” Nimby asks after a lion-like yawn.
Fritz looks directly at the robed half-elf before explaining, “Aedyn is a priest. All temples give discounts to priests of their order when they request supplies for a voyage of importance. Protecting a political figure from an undead caster, demonic assassin, and chaos elves fits perfectly into the Duragian definition of important voyage. We can leave all of the shopping to Aedyn and enjoy the day. Sorry, kid. Looks like you have to suffer for our cause. I promise to tell you all about my brothel exploits during our voyage.”
“You’re going solo to the brothel, old man,” Nimby declares.
“I intend to,” Fritz claims with a lecherous smile. “Besides, you have to visit the produce market, Nimby. I will remind everyone that you and Fizzle were the reasons we ran out of apples during the first three hours of our journey. Since Fizzle has no money to pay for what he ate, it comes down to you alone. I demand that you get us more apples.”
“Fine, I can get us fresh apples without a problem,” Nimby swears in annoyance. “Now, can we get on with the real planning? My stomach is eating itself . . . again.”
Aedyn finally breaks his silence, which causes Bessaria to jump in surprise. His voice is louder than he intends and he blushes slightly at the mistake. “I have to agree with Nimby. I am getting tired. I will go with Fritz to find lodging and food. Fritz can take the time he needs to purchase and send his gambling debts to Kevin. Luke and Nimby can find some food on the way to Rainbow Tower. There are some street vendors along the way that serve high quality food at cheap prices. As for tomorrow, I would like to accompany you on your tour. My time in Gaia has normally been spent in the temple or running errands.”
“I can’t believe you sound more boring and dull when you’re tired,” Fritz mentions.
Aedyn groans and looks around the bustling crowd around him. “On second thought, I will take Nimby and Luke can take Fritz. I do not believe my mind can handle the gnome tonight. I believe we have drawn enough attention to ourselves since we have been standing in a small group and whispering to each other. If anything, the sheep with a saddle has been getting us strange looks.”
Aedyn flashes his holy symbol at the two guards who have begun to move toward the group. They stop and nod silently to the priest before going back to their posts near the closed gate.
Luke stares back at the guards and notices that one of them is keeping a close eye on him. He wonders if it is because he is one of the few people walking around with his weapons in the open. He loses interest in the guard when a sense of curiosity starts to grow in the back of his mind. It is a feeling that is urging him to explore the city. Luke begins to realize that while Gaia is not a forest, it holds its own type of nature with adventures to be found. He can childishly imagine the types of people who live and thrive within the city walls. His thoughts are filled with vague images of hardened warriors, pampered nobles, lurking thieves, and all manner of stereotypical city-folk that he has heard about over the years. Fritz’s words about going to a brothel, brings vivid thoughts of attractive women in dimly lit rooms to his mind.
Luke begins to feel his loneliness return until he remembers that Kira’s family has a merchant office in Gaia. He becomes even happier when he thinks that she might have ignored his request and is already in Gaia waiting for him to arrive at her family’s office. He is already considering finding his way there when he notices that his friends are no longer talking. His mind returns with a jolt from his hazy daydreaming to find the others waiting for him to say something.
“Is something wrong?” Luke asks everyone.
“I asked if you agreed with my suggestion that you take Fritz with you to Rainbow Tower and if you mind us joining you on your tomorrow,” Aedyn replies.
“Oh, I don’t mind you guys tagging along tomorrow, but we really should find a way to get the supplies,” Luke mentions, trying to sound confident.
“We already went over that,” Nimby groans.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Where was I?”
“Standing there and staring straight at Aedyn as he talked.”
“I guess I zoned out.”
Fritz chuckles before loudly announcing, “Everyone, I give you the great awareness of a forest tracker! A troll could have sneezed on the boy and he would not have noticed the burning, agonizing stickiness.”
“That is a very precise explanation of troll snot,” Aedyn says curiously.
“I’m old. I’ve been on hundreds of adventures and would rather not go into the details of that one,” Fritz whispers, a shudder running along his spine. He takes Luke’s backpack and gently straps it to Bessaria’s side. “I believe it’s time that we move along and continue our business. Please, reveal our great plan to our fearless leader, Aedyn.”
Aedyn clears his throat before slowly repeating himself. “I will explain this again, Luke. Nimby and I are taking Bessaria and the gear to find lodging. You and Fritz will go to Rainbow Tower to introduce yourselves to our new companion. I will contact you later or you may ask one of the casters of Rainbow Tower to contact us. Our supplies can be purchased from my temple as long as we give them a donation, which we can ask Kellia to take care of since she is our employer. I will also have to spend part of tomorrow afternoon helping around the temple. The temple here is our second biggest location and they always have a need for an extra priest. This means that I will have to depart from our tour of Gaia by lunch. Fritz has stated that he would like to come with me to the temple, so I will take him off your hands as well.”
“Why is Fritz going with you to a temple of Durag?” Luke asks, hoping to regain some level of leadership.
Fritz takes Luke by the wrist to start leading him away. “Business. The temple here is always heated by sunlight, but they have a problem cooling down the springs that give them water. Even at night, they have special windows that amplify moonlight to the point where it might as well be daylight. All of their non-ritual water has to be purchased from outside sources, which is a waste of temple funds,” Fritz explains in a very serious, but low, voice. “So, I’ve devised an invention that will cycle a cold liquid under the springs and cool the water without significant cooling to the air. The liquid is easily processed from melting ice gems that can be found in Gaia’s surrounding waters, which can be gained by making a trade agreement with the local sea elves. With my method, a single gem can produce two months worth of cooling liquid. I’m going to give the temple this invention and the ice gem melting process in return for access to their library. It’s a fair trade in my honest opinion. Before you ask, the cooling liquid is harmless and is similar to sugar wate
r. There is no danger of contamination, so the deal is as good as sealed.”
“Can we get some food?” Luke asks, rubbing his eyes.
“Well, that were a few minutes gone to waste,” Fritz says. He starts to lead Luke through the streets of Gaia. “There’s a beef pie vendor two blocks to the east.”
“This is going to be very interesting. I never worked with a caster before,” Luke excitedly declares.
Fritz shakes his head and pats Bessaria on the rump. “Nothing good . . . or easy . . . or safe ever comes from you saying that something is going to be interesting.”
*****
“Welcome to Rainbow Tower!” Fritz announces as he stands with Luke on the other side of the tall, granite wall. “This is the home of the world-renowned casters who helped make Gaia one of the most influential cities in Windemere. Cyril and Willow named it Rainbow Tower because they used magic to transform millions of gemstones into bricks for the tower. Hence the bricks changing color depending on sunlight and viewing angle. Surrounding the tower is a beautiful garden with a waterfowl pond on the southern side. Willow is a skilled gardener and has created several plant hybrids without the use of magic. At least, that is what she tells people. The final leg of the Fritz Warrenberg Tour is the basic outer wall with a single doorway that is flanked by ivory gargoyles. As you will see, the gated entrance is the only door in the entire complex since there are no windows or doors on the actual tower. This is a common practice of casters because it makes it very difficult for people to break in without knowing how to break the illusion. Even with that knowledge, it’s not recommended that you ever try to break into a caster’s tower. To conclude the tour, I have one question.”
Luke finishes chewing on a piece of chicken and turns to the gnome. “What’s that?”
“Why aren’t we going toward the entrance?” Fritz asks. He looks around the shaded area with a look of deep concern in his big, red eyes.
Luke swiftly picks Fritz up and starts climbing the wall. “Simple. This place is huge and it’s a long walk to the entrance, which is on the other side of the complex from us. I don’t want to waste time walking around this wall when I can just climb over and knock on the tower. We’re expected guests after all.”
“I would like to point out that this is suicide!” Fritz exclaims, watching the ground get further and further away. “There are basic rules of etiquette that one should uphold when dealing with any type of caster. Breaking into their home on the assumption that we’re already invited is not one of the rules. Rethink this action, put me down, and take the walk around the tower. You’re a forest-tracker! You should be used to walking around things! You ever go around a mountain! This is the same situation!”
Luke hoists himself onto the top of the wall and lets Fritz down next to him. The half-elf takes in the sight of the lush garden spread out below him before dangling his legs on the tower side of the wall. He closes his eyes and absorbs the sweet aroma of flowers that permeate the air without overpowering his sense of smell. A splashing flurry of wings catches his attention as a flock of gray swans lift into the air and soar in the direction of the farmlands. A caressing breeze passes over the wall and into the courtyard where it playfully shakes the slender branches of several willow trees. Luke can taste the sea in the wind as it passes over him and he crinkles his nose at the sudden taste of salt.
“You just wanted to sit on the wall, didn’t you?” Fritz asks.
“Basically,” Luke sighs.
Fritz chuckles before patting his friend on the shoulder. “Let’s get down and head to the entrance. Nimby and Aedyn will be trying to contact us soon.”
Luke is about to respond when a large shadow passes over them and continues toward the sea. He recognizes the silhouette of a griffin within seconds and gets to his feet as he watches it disappear near the distant mountain. He gently reaches into his shirt to clasp the griffin talon he wears around his neck. The forest tracker is even more awestruck when several more griffins fly overhead toward the farmlands and completely block the red moon and the green moon from view. The majestic beasts silently glide in a diamond formation. Forgetting where he is standing, Luke takes a step forward and promptly crashes into the garden.
Fritz looks down at Luke in amazement. Even after all their time together, there are moments that cause the gnome to wonder how the accident prone warrior defeated a Hellfire Elf and a Lich in the same day. The grace of a stumbling ogre comes to mind while Fritz carefully climbs down. He finds Luke clambering out of a bristle patch with his eyes still locked on the flock of griffins.
“Guess we might as well head to the tower and apologize for the intrusion,” Luke casually says. He winces as he pulls a few barbs out of his arm.
“I say we go back over the wall and use the entrance,” Fritz whispers, following Luke toward the silent tower.
“No time. At least, we’re apologizing,” Luke says in as low a voice as he can muster. He has to stop from time to time in order to remove more barbs that he didn’t notice while standing still.
“I’m just saying . . . who is that?” Fritz asks, his pupils dilating.
Luke follows Fritz’s lecherous stare to a figure walking toward the tower. The moonlight is bright enough for him to notice that it is a female half-elf. She is slender and petite, but her footsteps are surprisingly heavy and loud. Luke can hear Fritz make a small wolf whistle as they get a better look at her. Her midnight black hair contrasts sharply with her bright red peasant shirt and matching cloak. Unlike her immaculate shirt and cloak, the girl’s brown sandals and flowing, black skirt show signs of being dirtied by smoke and ash. Even the leather satchel slung over her shoulder has a large burn mark on it. Luke barely hears the murmur of her voice before a door emerges from the colored bricks of the tower. The door disappears as soon as the girl steps through.
“She must have been one of the tower servants,” whispers Fritz, whose heart is racing from nerve-wracking fear. “The skirt had a crude slit up both sides, which an apprentice of Cyril and Willow would never wear. The masters hate the new trend of torn clothing and refuse entry to any apprentice who dresses like that. Though, the shirt was rather unique for a servant. Might be Willow trying out some new colors for the hired help. She does that from time to time. Thankfully, the girl wasn’t an apprentice or we would have been noticed. Apprentices of this tower are trained to have a high awareness of their surroundings. Now, let’s go back over the wall and go through the entrance.”
Luke ignores the gnome as he cautiously approaches the tower. He starts feeling around the wall where the half-elven girl passed through. Fritz shakes his head as he runs to grab Luke by the wrist and tries to lead him away.
“We’re already here. I’m just going to knock,” Luke says, easily freeing his arm.
“You don’t knock on a caster tower,” Fritz hisses in a hushed voice. “That’s like shooting spitballs at a werewolf. The results tend to be fatal.”
“Calm down. It’s a simple knock,” Luke whispers with a friendly smile.
Fritz cringes as Luke lifts his fist to deliver the ominous knock. It never connects as Luke suddenly grabs Fritz by the shirt and leaps away from the tower. The gnome can feel a surge of intense heat narrowly miss them. Luke lands in a crouch putting himself between Fritz and the tower. A patch of fire is still smoldering where they were standing and a small trail of flickering flame continues for a few yards.
“What kind of idiot tries to break into a caster tower while the masters are home?” asks a loud female voice from the direction of the tower. They turn to see the half-elven girl has returned and spurts of flame are dancing along her fingers. Being closer to the girl, Luke notices that her skin appears to have been marked by constant exposure to fire. It is a fire-licked tan that looks out of place on the half-elf.
“You said she wasn’t an apprentice,” Luke says through the side of his mouth.
“She must not be traditional,” Fritz replies, putting a little distance between hi
mself and Luke. “I’ve never seen an apprentice of Rainbow Tower dressed like that in public”
A sword of fire grows around the girl’s left hand. “Stop your banter! It’s my job to protect my home and my masters. Do either of you have anything to say before I kill you?”
“I think you’re being overly dramatic. We’re invited guests. If will you let me explain, we-” starts Luke. A slash of fire passes between him and Fritz before it explodes against a sapling. The young tree crumbles to ash in seconds.
“Bullshit!” the girl screams.
“I sense her etiquette lessons never stuck,” Fritz whispers, watching the smoke float off the tree ashes. He turns toward the girl and flashes a charming smile. “You got detention a lot for violent and hot-tempered behavior, right?”
“Shut up!” the girl angrily yells. “Do either of you have anything to say that won’t make me hurt you? I can stand here with a prepared spell all night.”
Fritz clears his throat to say, “Uh . . . nice legs?”
The caster roars in anger as she sends a wave of fire along the ground. It fades away as Luke scoops Fritz up and sprints out of the spell’s range. The girl chases them across the garden, but she is quickly left behind by the faster warrior. Luke wastes no time in hurling Fritz over the wall where the gnome is safe and no longer a concern. The girl catches up to them in time to hear a crash followed by some muttered gnomish that she assumes to be curses.
Legends of Windemere: 02 - Prodigy of Rainbow Tower Page 5