She nodded. “Don’t take this exit, even after I leave. I hope, for your sake, that we never meet again, Corin.”
Not likely.
When I get out of here, you’re going toward the top of my “figure this resh out” list.
Vera inched her way out of the room, the kid still slung over one shoulder, the dueling cane always pointing at me.
I considered rushing her right up until the point where she reached the pillar in the center of the next room and the door slammed shut.
Resh.
Only one thing to do now.
I looted the room.
Five more small crystals from the remaining destroyed monsters. They weren’t much, but they probably had some value. I picked the sheathed sword back up too. Rusted or not, it was better than nothing. Unfortunately, the sheath wasn’t built with a loop to attach to a belt, so I had to carry it by hand for the moment.
If Vera knew that the way she’d gone was an exit, can I just wait a bit longer and follow her?
I knew that different exits led to different locations — was she going to be lying in wait for me out there? Did she have contacts outside the tower that would cover her retreat?
The latter was slightly more likely, but I didn’t think either of them was going to happen.
I still didn’t take the exit, though.
I had unfinished business.
I found a clear spot near the exit door and unslung my backpack, finding the book.
As I flipped open the pages, the room trembled. I dropped the book as the floor beneath me shifted, but I managed to maintain my footing.
After a few more seconds, the shaking stopped, and I picked up the book. Fortunately, nothing had fallen from the ceiling, but I could see cracks in the walls.
Was that an earthquake?
No, ordinary earthquakes don’t happen here.
That was something moving — something big.
…can the god serpent move outside of that room?
I felt a momentary surge of terror, clenching my hands into fists as I pictured the god beast smashing through one of the nearby walls. But quivering wasn’t going to get me anywhere.
And it certainly wasn’t going to get Tristan the help he needed.
I took a deep breath, unclenched my fists, and picked up the book.
I wasn’t done here.
I found the last line I had written, and I found the reply.
I will try. It is not my way, but I will try.
I frowned, uncertain, and lifted the quill to the page. I noted the distinct lack of a description for this room. Was the entity still watching me?
Are you there?
Seconds passed. No reply.
I lifted my head from the book, frowning, to find that I was no longer alone.
A hooded robe floated in front of me, with a pattern of white stars sewn into the blue cloth. The sleeves were outstretched, giving the impression of arms within, but there were no arms. No face was visible within the hood; just empty air.
“You have made things very difficult for me, Corin.”
I wasn’t sure if the voice was coming from within the cloak or inside my head. It seemed to come from everywhere at once.
But I was pretty sure I knew who I was talking to.
“Sorry about that.” I put the book and quill away. “Mysterious book entity, I take it?”
“In a manner of speaking. This is not my true form, merely a manifestation of convenience. There is no time for deeper discussion. Come.”
I stood, ready to draw the sword, but holding it downward in a non-threatening position.
The hooded figure moved to a wall toward the middle of the room. I followed, avoiding the traps on the floor.
“Press here.”
I searched the wall, finding a small tile that stood out from the rest of the stone. A switch.
Of course, most of the switches in the room triggered traps.
I really didn’t like this.
I pressed the switch.
I heard a click, followed by a grinding noise. A door-sized section of the wall slid into the floor.
I nodded to the hooded figure. “Thanks.”
“Do not thank me. This favor will cost us both.”
Well, that was ominous.
The room ahead was circular, similar to the one with the pillar. Instead of a pillar at the center, however, it had a basin filled with clear blue. There were exit doors on the opposite side of the room.
“Enter the room.”
I stepped in, glancing around cautiously. The robes floated in beside me.
“This is a Room of Attunement.”
I felt my heart pound in my chest.
“Drink from the water to be anointed and complete your test.”
I didn’t hesitate. This was one of my two goals for entering the tower, and I had already made as much progress as I could have hoped for on finding Tristan.
Maybe this would give me the strength to do more.
I laid my sword down next to the basin and dipped my hands into the water. It was cool, almost freezing, as I brought it to my lips and drank.
My mind went blank.
I saw only blackness at first, but I felt no panic, only calm.
A woman manifested slowly in front of me. She glowed with a soft blue light. It was a cold light, colder than the water that flowed within me now, and it chilled me to my core.
Her wings were brilliant white, reminding me of the soft glow on the blade of the sword that Keras wielded.
Her expression was full of sadness as she reached for me, brushing her fingers across my forehead.
“Awaken.”
I was back in the chamber. My forehead felt cold, the touch of her fingertips still lingering on my skin.
I had no doubt as to what I had seen, what I had experienced.
I was attuned.
The robed figure remained next to me. It leaned down, lifting the sheathed sword in an invisible grip.
I blinked, taking a step back.
It paused. “I am not going to strike you. I am merely retrieving a tool.”
The cloaked figure unsheathed the rusted sword with an invisible hand, then thrust it into the pool of water. The entire blade and hilt sunk in, deeper than should have been possible from the visible fluid. When the cloaked figure pulled its hand out, the weapon had transformed. It was an elegant saber, a blue gem shimmering in the pommel, the handguard a weave of silvery vines.
The cloaked figure turned the sword to the side, offering it in two invisible hands. I accepted it with a mixture of confusion and awe, then re-sheathed it.
I felt an aura of frost emanate from the weapon as I took it in my hands, but it was a soothing cold. The chill fought back the pain in my right hand from the overuse of my cane.
“Thank you,” I breathed.
“It is a meager gift, but the best I can prepare with limited time. You will need far more than this to survive the days to come.”
“Because I opposed Katashi?” I might have expected as much.
The creature’s hood twisted, giving the impression of an attempt to shake a head that wasn’t there. “Because of what you have seen. You are one of several who have been pulled into a conflict with the potential for vast devastation. Seek the woman called Lyras Orden. Tell her that the Voice of the Tower must speak with her. You may tell her what you have seen, but speak to no one else of the prisoners. That will be the first of your tasks to repay what you owe.”