The only other thing in the room are more stairs winding up the circular walls. From the looks down here, there’s no hiding place for the stone of power, so that means we keep going upward.
Maddox leads the way to the top of the tower, rushing forward before I can. I don’t bother to fight him, I’ve walked into enough danger lately.
The lower level might have been a lounge and trophy room, but this was his war room. A giant wooden table sits in the middle of the room, with a large map of Faerie spread out in the middle. There’s a carved wooden desk sitting in a corner, similar to the one in the king’s office. Four large windows that seem to be carved out of the stone with no glass to protect from the elements, are the room’s only light. There isn’t a fireplace to keep it warm in here, so he must have liked to make his top guards suffer as well.
“It’s a bit frigid in here. Why was this king so sadistic?” Maddox asks, each word punctuated with little puffs of steam.
“Let me try something so we can focus.” Using my mind to picture balls of fire dancing in each open window, I push my magic into the image until I hear the others sigh in relief and feel the warmth of the fire kiss my skin. Opening my eyes, I glance over at my newest creation to see bright blue flames flickering in the windows, not daring to move out of their designated spots.
Magic is so fucking cool!
“It has to be here,” I say now that I can focus without chattering teeth. Closing my eyes, I do a quick sweep of the tower. The brush of ancient magic against mine is immediate. As soon as I latch onto it, the essence pulls me toward it. My outstretched hands hit a solid wall, someone stopping me before I can run into it. Opening my eyes, I frown at the plain, empty wall in front of me. I study it carefully, but I can’t see anything, not even a blemish or crack in the stone to show it hidden inside.
“It’s right here!” I protest, throwing my hands up. The others all crowd around me and inspect the wall. Anger and frustration war inside of me. I’ve never lied to myself, I knew these journeys wouldn't be easy, but haven’t I suffered enough? Can’t we catch one fucking break?
“Outside? Is that even possible?” Jacob says as he inspects the nearby window, squinting as he tries to see through the fire.
“It looks like there is roof access in the corner over there," I point out. The hesitation is clear in my voice… I feel like I would have known if the stone was out there.
“If it were outside, how would he be affected by it?” Maddox points out. He makes a good point. Thank the Gods, I didn’t want to crawl around on the roof. Ice and spire rooftops sound like a recipe for certain death.
“Valid point. Maybe it’s like in the lock outside of this tower?” Gerwyn muses as he studies the wall closer.
“Don’t do it," Emrick grunts at me. I only smile over my shoulder at him. He knows me too well already. Carefully, I reach my hand out and trace it over the stone wall. Nothing happens.
Dormouse starts to squeak at Jacob to be put down. Smiling, I reach up to Jacob’s shoulder and place him on the floor. He squeaks and takes off around the room. I guess he was tired of being cooped up in Jacob’s pocket. Plus, he’s never gone far from us, so I trust that he’ll stay nearby.
“Any other ideas?” I ask, the desperation clear in my voice. There’s nothing on the ceiling or higher on the wall. No rug at our feet it could be hiding under either. It literally has to be behind this wall… but how?
“You don’t think he ground it into a powder, do you? Had the masons put it int
o the walls?” Maddox suggests tentatively. My mouth falls open in horror at the suggestion.
“What would we even do?” I wonder aloud, real worry settling into my stomach now.
“That’s ridiculous, the Spirits would have known," Gerwyn waves it off.
“Look!” Jacob shouts and points at the floor. I look down just in time to see Dormy disappear into the wall. A tiny hole sits against the base of the wall, I never would have realized it, if he hadn’t run inside.
“Oh no! Dormouse come here, baby,” I call out as I drop to the floor, settling onto my stomach so I can peer inside, I don’t see anything other than pitch black on the other side. “Guys, I can’t even hear him anymore. Why would he run off like this?” My heart clenches at the thought that I might not be able to find him if something happens. Gerwyn must have realized that I’m trying not to freak out, sitting next to me on the floor. He rubs my back as I try to see anything in the inky black hole.
“I need a light," Gerwyn announces. I hear footsteps disappear for a few minutes before Bowen returns with a torch in hand. He holds it above our heads, the light helping enough that I can see something shiny through the hole now.
“There’s gold on the other side," I announce. “Maybe his private treasury is on the other side? If so, there has to be a way in.”
“The king liked his secrets, just look at the lock downstairs. It makes sense he’d keep his gold and treasures near. Maybe a hidden mechanism somewhere?” Bowen suggests, running his eyes over the other walls. Jacob walks to the window to inspect, and I pull the fire back for a moment while he looks.
“I can’t see it clearly, but it does look like that wall goes out further than the other walls," Jacob announces, pulling away from the window and walking around the room to inspect.
“Everyone look for some sort of trigger. Downstairs I found a trigger in the back of the weapon cabinet," I call out. Between all of us it should be an easy find. We fan out to different parts of the room, leaving no stone unturned. We’ve all come too far not to figure something out.
Maddox slips under the table while Emrick inspects the chairs. Jacob goes to the desk and Gerwyn to the shelves behind it. Bowen and I both inspect walls and floors, looking for anything out of place.
Despite running my hands over every odd-looking stone and crevice I can find, nothing seems to make a difference. Everyone else looks like they’re having just as much trouble.
“Have you tried to open the panel with magic?” Maddox calls out to me.
“I would need to know where it was. I don’t feel any spells other than the stone," I explain, throwing a nearby book in frustration.