The Princess of Light and The Knight of Shadow

Year 2: Fifth Month, Part 2

He soared among the clouds.

Below him, the black castle sprawled along the slope of the mountain, its massive walls insignificant compared to his might. Did they really think their walls would protect them against him?

With the wind on his velvety wings, he dove down. Arrows sailed toward him, backed by fireballs of every size and hue. But all of them shattered and evaporate with a wave of his black sword.

And with another wave he broke the walls...

***

They began in the early hours of dawn, when the sun was just beginning to peak in the horizon. A thin wisp of cloud rolled over the island's mountain peak, darkening their surroundings.

Nox held up the lantern and pressed on.

Mapping the surface would be easy enough. The ruins of what he assumed was once a mighty fortress left many open paths, allowing for passages on foot. Half of it had collapsed outward, and the towers that had fallen were strewn in shattered pieces. Thankfully, the moss-covered debris weren't clustered to hinder their navigation.

They picked their way between a crumbling wall and the remains of the gatehouse. The portcullis had long since rusted, and a large portion had already broken off, leaving a gaping hole near the center.

"How long do you think has it been, Master?" Ireela asked.

"Probably a few hundred years." He looked across the grassy courtyard. Here and there patches of paved stones were visible. "Or maybe longer than that."

"A thousand, do you think?" Galos asked. For someone so tall and broad, it was strange how the Water user's voice could be so soft.

"At least."

Maintaining a fortress like this would be difficult, but Nox couldn't see any reason why the island it stood on and the surrounding ruins had to be built in the sky. The logistics alone of transporting construction materials by air would have been nightmarish.

They continued deeper, arriving at the fortress gate. What remained of the keep was crumbling like the rest, and most entrances were blocked. But here and there were gaping holes, remnants of a long forgotten conflict.

Again it didn't make sense. Dragons and other flying mounts were the only ways to lay siege to a floating fortress, but it must have been an impressive army to deal this much damage.

Behind him, Ireela eagerly drew on the empty map she held. When she finished, they entered one of the holes. Galos went first, standing on a pile of rubble. Torma followed his master, but he nearly slipped until Galos's hand shot toward him and grabbed his wrist, pulling him up.

Nox managed just fine, as did Ireela. They dropped into a dark corridor. Torma brought out a lantern, illuminating the dust-coated floor. Once it must have been as polished as a mirror, but now cracks snaked along its grey surface.

Torma pointed the lantern to their left. Its light splashed on a chunk of debris. "Blocked," he announced.

Ireela scribbled it on her map then said, "The only way is right." With Torma taking the lead, they proceeded in single file.

We're inside the keep, Nox told Estella. There was no response, though he felt her dim acknowledgement. It was still disconcerting how he couldn't hear her thoughts. But it was relieving that they could still feel each other.

The corridors twisted in many places and branched out in different directions in some. For easier navigation they always took the left passages. Whenever they looped back to their point of origin, they chose the right passages.