Page 3 of Taurus's Quest
“Go ahead. I’m going to chat with Taurus for a minute before heading up.” She waved Aries away and then proceeded to stare at Taurus. He fidgeted under the intent scrutiny.
Sage sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m too exhausted to see anything. Little Bean’s been waking every two hours at night for feeding.”
“Don’t worry about it. At least Olivia offered some warning, and I’m sure Tower will give me a nudge when I need to deal with the intruder.”
“Don’t be so sure of that,” Sage countered. “Could be Tower welcomes her inside.”
“In that case, guess I’ll be spending some time in the library.” Which sounded like loads of fun. NOT! “Since you’re tired, want me to run you up the stairs?” The steep and winding steps could be arduous.
Sage shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but no need. Tower will transport me. It’s been most helpful in my recovery.”
“Wish it would do the same for me after leg day,” he muttered. Nothing like walking numerous flights of stairs with burning thighs.
Sage left, and Taurus sat a moment longer, drumming his fingers on the table.
“Guess you won’t be getting any time to relax,” Ruth remarked.
“Ah, I’ve never been one to remain idle for long,” he replied to the psychologist before instantly regretting it. He’d like to skip over a session of psychoanalysis. He was much more suited to action, hence his preference for spending his spare time in the gym honing his skills and bulking his muscles, instead of loitering in the library, a place he’d not visited in ages. He’d never been a fan of reading, mostly because it involved sitting still and looking at words—so many words.
Speaking of which… He stood from the table. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to reacquaint myself with the repository of books up there.” The library sat one level above the dining hall and took only seconds to reach since Taurus bounded up the steps three at a time.
He entered the space and immediately grimaced at the sight of all the books. Made him wonder what the green lady would be looking for. Probably something rare or out of print but not so scarce Tower wouldn’t have a copy.
Colorful spines that spanned an entire shelf caught his eye, and he hunched to read the titles. Legend of Scorpio. Sins of Leo. Capture of Capricorn.
Snort. While he’d heard of the books that detailed each Zodiac sigil’s exploits, he’d never checked them out before. His gaze hit the one labelled Taurus’ Quest. Well damn. Could have sworn his used to have a different title.
Having never bothered reading it, he suddenly decided, why not take a peek? Only the book refused to slide out from its tightly wedged spot. He pulled harder, but it wouldn’t budge. Ah, well. He didn’t need to read about how great the previous Taurus used to be, and he well remembered his own successful adventures.
Getting to his feet, he glanced around to refresh himself on the layout. The outer wall held a single window covered in a heavy curtain. When he pulled it aside for a glance, he noticed no easy way of entering unless someone could somehow scale smooth stone. The only other entrance was the door he’d entered.
To reach the library, this green lady would have to first enter Tower, which led to the question, how would she arrive in the first place? Only those with the Zodiac blessing could find Tower, let alone see it. Forget getting here by normal means, AKA by car or on foot. A journey via land involved trekking through some harsh terrain lacking roads, but it wasn’t impossible. Aries said the mercenaries who’d recently attacked had managed the trip using UTVs.
Technically, a helicopter would make for an easy journey, but that would require a pilot not flying blindly past. Tower protected against intruders by encircling itself with a camouflage that few could penetrate, which led to him contemplating what Aries claimed about the recent invasion. Apparently, some dude had found a way to bring down Tower’s shield. While those mercenaries had been defeated, Taurus had to wonder if the Tower had returned to being as impenetrable as before.
The most common way folks entered Tower was via the portal room. That magical space contained daises inscribed with the sigils of the Zodiac, which allowed the warriors the ability to quickly return home. Apart from the daises, there were also some arches that led to several locations around the world. Could be this woman would intentionally, or accidentally, step through one. Unlikely, given they weren’t accessible to the public. A few even had guards, like the one Libra watched over.
However, the teleporting arches remained the most likely point of entry for an intruder. Maybe he should camp out by the portal room so he could waylay this green lady before she infiltrated too far.
First, though, a workout, followed by a shower and then a flop onto his comfy, king-sized bed where’d he enjoy a twelve… No, make that sixteen-hour sleep. Might as well squeeze one in before the lady arrived.
The workout left his body sore, but in a good way. Sweaty, too. He skipped Olivia’s shaving advice and jumped right into a hot shower which did much to ease his muscles. He’d only begun rinsing the suds from his flesh when the water abruptly ceased flowing. He glanced at the showerhead, frowned, wiggled the taps. Nothing. What the hell?
“Tower, mind turning the water back on?”
No reply. Tower didn’t really speak in words, but it had ways of communicating. Not in this instance, though. Taurus sighed as he wrapped a towel around his hips before hitting the hall outside his room in the hopes someone else’s apartment had a working shower. Only the moment he stepped outside his place, he found himself staring at blank walls.
As in, no doors. Not even his own.
Still clutching his damp towel around his hips, Taurus glared at the smooth wall. “Not funny, Tower. Let me back in.”
Nothing changed, so he sighed. “Okay, Tower, what do you need from me?”
A shove from behind had him whirling to see the hall behind had disappeared. The new wall in its place nudged him toward the stairs.
“Subtle, Tower, real subtle,” Taurus grumbled as he began heading down.
And down.
