Glass Crest

Chapter 8: The Air Jewel | Rowena

Weirdly enough, Blythe was feeling way better in only a day. He had spent the whole day after their struggle to Torrine recovering in a bed in Jace's complex. Then the day after he could walk, and his leg had almost stopped hurting.

"Wow, what did you give me?" Blythe asked at breakfast. "I feel so good!"

"Only the most expensive herbs and remedials around," Jace said, sitting down at the table. I had choked down my breakfast and was cleaning up, dumping the contents out the window. The great thing about living in a city on a hill was the view, I noticed.

"Oh, Jace, you didn't have to," I said. "let me pay you back."

"No, really, it's fine. I'm just so glad you stopped by." He replied casually.

"If I remember correctly, it wasn't our choice," Blythe growled.

"Lighten up," I said, glaring at him. "If he had known it was us, he would have never kidnapped us, or hurt you. And you're almost fine now."

"Let me apologize again," Jace said. "it was my mistake. I should have controlled my men. Don't worry, they've been punished."

I didn't want to ask how. Instead, I reminded Blythe that we had to find the air jewel. "Jace, do you have any idea where it could be?"

He shrugged. "It's been the windiest up near the bell tower, although it's always been the windiest place here. It's the highest point in Torrine."

I looked out the window and up at the bell tower. "Good idea. How do we get up there?"

"I have a few of my men in there. If you tell them I sent you, they'll let you in. Besides they've probably heard about the . . . Mishap, a few days ago."

"Damn Jace, you're pretty powerful here. I bet you could go anywhere you want."

He chuckled. "I probably could. Anyways, it looks like your friend is done eating, you wanna get going?"

I noticed Jace called Blythe "my friend." They didn't exactly taken a liking to each other, especially since the start they got off to. "Uh, yeah." I replied.

"Great, I'll send someone with you for protection. Get going."

Unfortunately he sent Arman, who happened to be his second-in-command. I hated him, but Jace had no other choice apparently.

When we arrived at the bell tower, which wasn't even that far, Arman left us and, like Jace said, the guards let us in once we said we knew him. I didn't even know why the tower needed guards, maybe people liked to fool around with the bell, I thought.

The inside was majestic. A giant staircase wound up the length of it, and a long, thick rope hung down it. I could tell it was slightly windy, although it was indoors. Huh.

Walking up the stairs was extremely tiring. Blythe and I had to stop multiple times, and although he had gotten better his wounds were still looking bad. When we got to the top the wind was stronger than ever, but that's not the first thing I noticed.

With huge glass-less windows on all four sides, the view was spectacular. directly below was Torrine, a stack of ivory buildings heading down the hillside. Then past that was, to west, the vast expanse of the Lost Woods, thick trees going on and on. To the east there were hills, and then distantly, the ocean could be seen, the horizon could be faintly distinguished.

I looked at Blythe, who was also taken aback by its beauty. Suddenly there was a gust of wind, and I grabbed the corner of the wall to stabilize myself. It was a long ways down.

"Okay, where could the jewel be? Its got to be around here somewhere . . ." I thought out loud. Suddenly I turned and saw the huge bell, and I looked at Blythe. "You don't think . . . ?"