Page 61 of Tower of Tempest
That was an issue I’d worry about once I got out of here.
I climbed down the ladder of the bunk, noticing my boots pushed up against the wall. I slipped them on and wondered what I was supposed to do. The queen had said Erasmus would escort me, right? The king had called him captain, so he must’ve been a busy man. Ihoped he hadn’t forgotten about me. Just as the worries started to pile up, Erasmus appeared in the doorway.
“Are you ready?”
“Y-yes.” I hurried toward him, eager to be free of this place.
We emerged into a dark hallway, nothing like the bright airy ones we’d walked through last night with the moon gleaming through the big windows. This was all stone, and servants scurried past us, carrying trays, cleaning supplies, baskets of clothes. A few of them shot me odd looks, same as the people in Winded had.
Something felt so distinctly wrong, but I couldn’t pinpoint it. I shot a sidelong glance at Erasmus. Maybe he could give me some insight into that conversation from last night. We ascended up uneven stone steps that led to a wooden door. Erasmus opened it, and the sun burst through as we entered into a hallway.
No, I decided. I wouldn’t pry. I didn’t need to ask questions, didn’t need to know whatever was going on with the king and queen. It didn’t concern me, especially now that they were letting me go.
“I’m sorry about last night,” Erasmus said quietly, hands behind his back.
I raised my chin. “You should be. You scared me to death. Threw me in a cage when I’d done nothing wrong.”
“Guilty people don’t run,” Erasmus said.
I stopped, staring at him. “Excuse me?”
“You ran last night. When you first saw me, realized I was after you. You ran. So maybe you’re not who I thought you were, but you are someone.”
I waved my hand. “Well, that’s silly. Everyone is someone.”
His lips twitched. “What’s your name again?”
“Poppy,” I said, kicking myself. I needed to be nicer to the captain of the guard. I certainly didn’t need to antagonize him. I might end up back in a cage after all.
We arrived at the end of the hallway, which opened up into the big foyer we were in last night, chandelier hanging and catching bits of sun, splattering it against the silver walls. Servants scrubbed the white floor, keeping it pristine and shining. Two doors twice my height stood at the front of the room, a guard on either side. Erasmus nodded to the guards,and they pushed the doors open to reveal a huge platform where sky elementals landed and took off from. Steps led from the platform down to a glass bridge that stretched over a moat and out toward the grassy land.
My cheeks flushed as I realized what he expected me to do. He was waiting for me to walk out those doors, spread my wings, and fly. I licked my lips. “Uh, I...” If only my brain was working, I could say something. Just then, a servant dipped into an alcove off to the side, one lit with bright candles, a statue of Spirit Sky rising up in the center. I gasped, and Erasmus turned.
“Do you want to see it before you leave?” he asked.
“Yes,” I breathed, excited both because it looked beautiful but also because it bought me time to think of what I might say about why I couldn’t fly. I could just admit it but didn’t want to bring more attention to myself.
Our boots scraped the floor as we strode across the room toward the alcove. Flowers lay at Spirit Sky’s feet, and two small brown pews stood in front of the statue. One woman knelt at a pew, head bowed. She stood, bowing again before brushing past us.
“People come here to ask Spirit Sky for favors,” Erasmus whispered. “In return they give him an offering. They believe they’re closer to him up here, in his former castle. So their prayers are more likely to be answered.”
“And you? Do you believe that?” I asked.
Erasmus smiled. “I’m no scholar or historian. Just a captain of the guard.”
Historian. That made me think of Emory. Still locked up there in that cage. She’d seemed so sure she’d get out soon. For her sake, I hoped she was right.
Erasmus gestured to a pew. “Go ahead. Take a few minutes. There’s no rush.”
“Thank you,” I said as I walked forward, dropping down into a kneeling position and staring up at the statue.
It was similar to the one in Winged. Tall and mighty, a bolt in one hand, the other resting at his thigh. His wings spread out wide, and I couldn’t help but wonder what color they’d been. That was never included in any of the drawings we had of Spirit Sky. Then I thoughtabout Emory’s words. It was hard to believe something this powerful could be trapped by anyone.
But no. Emory was just a woman with a few theories. Not an expert. Surely if there was any evidence pointing to the fact that the spirits had been trapped, that someone wanted them gone, we’d have uncovered it by now.
Erasmus had said this was a place to come and ask Spirit Sky for favors. I chewed the inside of my cheek.
Maybe I could ask him for one small favor. It couldn’t hurt to try.
