“Oh, no, I mean here,in the shadow of the empty tower,” said the old man with a smile.
“Should we not be here?” Alex asked.
“There is no law against it,” said the man in a reassuring tone. “It is just that few people ever sit so close to the tower, as they know its dangers.”
“Dangers?” Arconn questioned.
“This is the Empty Tower of the Oracle,” the man explained. “I am Kathnar, the keeper of the grounds. I, and my people, are known as the Servants of the Empty Tower.”
“And how long have you served?” Alex asked.
“My family has cared for the grounds of the tower for more than a thousand years,” Kathnar answered proudly. “We have kept watch, waiting for the oracle to come.”
“A long time to wait,” commented Arconn.
“Yes, but we will wait as long as we must,” said Kathnar in a sad tone.
“Who is this oracle that will come?” Alex asked as he looked up at the tower.
“The dragon will bring her,” Kathnar answered reverently. “At least, one of the legends says that. It is difficult to know which legends are true, as so many have been told.”
“May we enter the tower?” Arconn asked.
“Oh, no,” Kathnar answered quickly. “It is most dangerous. The tower is sealed by magic.”
“Take us to the entrance,” said Alex. “I would like to see what magic holds the gates of this tower.”
“As you wish,” said Kathnar with a bow. “The gate is not far. I will show you.”
Alex and Arconn followed Kathnar through some trees and along a stone path. The tower had a high wall around it, and as they came around one corner of the wall, Alex saw Nellus, Barnabus, and Kat standing in front of the gates. Barnabus and Nellus both looked worried, but Kat seemed perfectly calm as she walked toward the gate.
“Kat, no!” Arconn called, racing forward.
“You should not stop her,” yelled Kathnar, hurrying along behind Arconn. “She has a right to try.”
Stepping between Kat and the gate, Alex stuck the ground with his staff. The rolling sound of thunder filled the air, and Kat’s eyes turned from the tower to Alex in surprise.
“This is not for you,” said Alex, his voice full of power. “You have other tasks to do.”
“Yes,” Kat said in a dreamy voice. “I have promises to keep.”
“But the time is so short,” Kathnar shouted. “If the oracle does not arrive soon, the tower will be lost forever.”
“What do you mean?” Alex demanded, turning to look at Kathnar.
“Legend says that the tower will remain empty for only so long,” said Kathnar, looking from Alex to Kat and back again. “If the oracle does not arrive before that time is up, the tower will vanish like the mist.”
“How much time is left before the tower vanishes?” Alex questioned.
“It is hard to say,” said Kathnar, his anger fading into helplessness. “The exact count was lost years ago.” He shrugged. “A year, maybe less. Forgive my anger, I . . . It’s just that I feel that the time is almost over, and I don’t want the tower to fade.”
“There is no need for forgiveness,” said Alex, glancing at Kat. “My friend is a seer. The power of the tower called to her as I’m sure it has called to others.”
“Yes, there have been others who have tried,” said Kathnar. “They have all failed to enter the tower, but that doesn’t mean your friend shouldn’t try.”
“Those who failed, what happened to them?” Arconn questioned.
“They lost themselves,” Kathnar answered slowly. “They had no sense of who they were or even where they were. Some went mad. Others wandered away from the city. Still others simply refused to eat and, well . . .”
“Yes, I understand,” said Alex. “The tower is seeking a new oracle. The power of this place is trying to find someone who can control it, and it will call to anyone who might fill its need.”
“That sounds more than a little evil,” Arconn said, glancing at the tower.
“No, not evil,” said Alex. “It is a test of magic and will. The magic of the tower does not destroy those who try to enter; it is their failure to enter and their inability to accept that failure that destroys them. I don’t think Kat is ready for this test—at least not yet—and I won’t let her go blindly forward. When she understands what has happened and what might happen to her, then perhaps she will wish to make an attempt to enter.”
“As you wish, master wizard,” said Kathnar, bowing to Alex. “I hope that she will not wait too long before making the attempt.”
“And I hope that the oracle appears before the tower fades,” Alex answered.
Kathnar bowed to Alex and walked away.
Kat was still looking at Alex, her eyes blank and distant, and it was only when he softly spoke her name that the trance was lifted.
“I don’t know why I came here,” said Kat after the others told her what had happened. “It was like a dream, but the more I try to remember it, the more it slips away from me.”
“Don’t be troubled by it,” said Alex. “We have an adventure to finish first. If you decide that you want to try to enter the tower once you understand what your attempt might mean, well, then I will come with you and help in any way I can.”
Kat nodded her acceptance of Alex’s words without speaking, and they all returned to the city without looking back at the tower. Alex worried that Kat might slip away from them and return to the tower, but she didn’t. Kat did seem to be thinking about the tower, and she said very little to anyone for the rest of the day.
“Kazad-Syn is a wonderful city,” Thrang said at dinner. “A week or ten days and you will see it shining like a jewel in the sun.”
“I’ve never heard you speak so fondly of any city,” Arconn said, looking at Thrang.
“It is the city my family comes from, my home,” said Thrang with a smile. “My brother Thorson still lives there, though the rest of my brothers have moved away. Still, I have cousins and other family there, so our visit should be a happy one.”
“Then let us drink to Kazad-Syn, and hope to reach it quickly,” said Nellus, raising his mug.
The others followed Nellus’s example, which made Thrang happy.
“One final drink and then off to bed,” said Thrang as they finished their meal. “We’ll make an early start in the morning, and if we’re lucky, we’ll reach Kazad-Syn in less than ten days.”
They all drank and headed to their rooms. Thrang motioned for Alex and Arconn to wait as the others departed. When they were alone, he spoke in a lowered voice.
“Do you think she will try to return to the tower?”
“I don’t think so,” Alex said softly. “I’ve blocked the magic that called to her, at least for now.”
“And when you remove the block?” Arconn questioned.
“Then the magic of the tower will call to her again,” said Alex. “If she wants to try to enter the tower then, well . . . In any event, I won’t let her do anything without really understanding what the attempt might do to her.”
“It’s good that we’ll be leaving tomorrow,” said Thrang in a thoughtful tone. “Arconn, keep an eye on her tonight, just in case she tries to slip away.”
Arconn nodded and the three of them hurried after their friends. Alex felt certain that Kat would want to return and try to enter the tower after their adventure was finished, even once she knew what might happen to her. He was also troubled because he knew he could do almost nothing to help her if she tried and failed.
Chapter Fifteen
The Third Bag
Thrang’s prediction of when they would reach Kazad-Syn was correct. Just before midday on the ninth day out from Darvish, the company stopped at the top of a hill. Spread out before them was the dwarf city of Kazad-Syn, shining like a jewel, just as Thrang had said.
“It’s beautiful,” said Thrain with breathless excitement. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Do all dwarf roads lead up hills before reaching cities?” asked Nellus. “It seems the roads are designed to give us the most impressive view of the city possible.”