Songbird

Chapter Ten - Artifact

"Ruins ahead, Cor!"

Leah's shout came from her position at the head of the Black Hounds' little convoy, her head barely visible over the fluffy tops of the tall grass that covered the plains east of Bellhaven. Giant trees with bulbous trunks dotted the landscape, as well, poking up amidst the grass, their broad leaves providing oases of shade under the summer sun. Aftermagic touched this area, too, holding the plains in an eerie state of silent stillness—as Kal parted the grass before him, the blades went stiff in his wake, as if frozen in time, and the breeze that caressed his neck did not disturb them. Likewise the leaves of the trees were motionless as the party passed beneath.

A lonely tower reached skyward, the ruins that Leah had called out. It stood three times the height of the tallest trees, a stone behemoth among the slender blades of grass. The battlements that crowned it were crumbling and uneven, like rotten teeth, and it was surrounded by debris, the remains of the keep it had once watched over. A few sections of wall still stood, but much of the ground was covered with loose bricks. An especially large pile was obstructing the entrance.

Quin consulted the dowser. "Cor, got a faint reading. Think we should check it out?"

"Let's do it." He turned to Kal. "You're up, kid. Can you get inside?"

Kal considered. There were several wall remnants that would get him in reach of the balcony midway up the tower, and if nothing else he could use his hook to get there.

"You bet. Give me a minute."

He went through a series of stretches in an abbreviated version of his normal warmup while Leah frowned up at the tower.

"What about that wall there?" she said. "We can use that to get to the balcony."

Kal shook his head. "I wouldn't count on it. A stiff breeze would turn that into a heap."

He checked each wall's integrity by pushing on them, listening for the telltale rattle of loose bricks until he found one that seemed solid. He backed away to get a short run-up, then planted a foot on the wall and hoisted himself up to balance atop it.

Corvin whistled from below. "You really can climb, kid. Just like a monkey."

"A monkey?" Kal asked.

"Little creatures that live in the northern jungles," Corvin said. "They have hands and feet like humans, expert climbers."

A creature with human hands? "That sounds...creepy."

"Oh, they're harmless enough," Leah said. "It's the big ones you need to watch out for—brutes will rip your arms out of their sockets if you make them mad."

Trying to put that thought out of his head, Kal checked for loose bricks on top of the wall, finding one that he would need to avoid. He considered the jump to the balcony. It was risky to go for the railing—there was no telling if it would hold his weight. He was confident he could make the distance, but the drop was twice his height or thereabouts onto the bricks below. If he did fall, he would likely twist an ankle at the least. And if his head were to catch the corner of a brick...

He dismounted the wall and beckoned to the others. "Will you help me clear some of these bricks? I'm not keen to land on them if I fall."

Between the five of them and Quin's spade, they made a quick job of it, clearing a wide area beneath the balcony. With that done, Kal returned to his perch on the wall, walking to the end farthest from the tower. Then he ran along its length and leapt for the balcony. For a moment, he was weightless as he flew through the air, then he caught the edge of the balcony, swinging from beneath it as the Black Hounds cheered. Shimmying hand-over-hand, he made his way to the tower wall for a foothold before clambering up over the railing. There was an ominous crack from beneath him, but the structure held.