Vikter & the Dark Spire

CHAPTER TEN: THE ATTACK

Vikter couldn't help but think back to the night so long ago when he sneaked out of his brothers' room to go to the Spire the first time. He had been weak then and scared and alone. The Spire had been a mystery, an adventure, a purpose.

"Things are different now," he thought to himself as he crept out of his bedroom, down the stairs, and out to the courtyard. He grabbed his two favorite swords—a couple of short gladiuses—and walked to the gate. This was it. He hadn't been outside the walls of the monastery by himself since that very first day three years earlier. But he was stronger now. He could handle the shadows, the creatures, the Spire.

With a deep breath, he walked through the gate, the snow crunching under his feet as he entered the little clearing where his battle with the creature had taken place. He shivered in the chilly night air and strapped on his armor since it would have woken Casper or Airyn if he had done it inside. This done, Vikter steeled himself for what was ahead. He was returning to the Spire. No, he was infiltrating the Spire. By himself. But he was doing it for Jak and that made it different.

"I see you," came a voice from behind. Vikter froze. It was Airyn's voice, but to Vikter's surprise, it sounded calm, even kind, perhaps. Vikter turned to see the elf standing in the gate as he had that first day. Only this time, he didn't look smug.

"Go back to bed, Airyn," Vikter said, suddenly angry.

"You'll fail," the elf replied. "But you know that, don't you?"

"You know what?" Vikter said sharply, raising a finger. "I don't care what you think. My brother is in there and he has been for three years because of you. And you know what else? You've done nothing but try to break me ever since I got here, so why should I listen to you?"

"He was right, you know," Airyn said, his voice still soft.

"Who?" Vikter demanded.

"Sage," Airyn said. He sounded so different, his usual biting tone softened almost into a whisper. "He was right about the fear. It's there for all of us, tempting us to return—each of us for our own reasons. I see that now. In the past, I've considered returning simply because of the shame. How can I who was once a prince have made such a stupid mistake? How could I have fallen so far? It would be better for me to disappear into that place than to attempt to regain what I lost. That's what I told myself, but it's wrong. It's fear and it will make you do crazy things."

"So now I'm crazy, too?" Vikter snapped. "Thanks for the pep-talk! Now leave me alone." And with that, Vikter turned and disappeared into the shadows.

But a word was whispered into the night wind, "Never."

***

The world flew by in a blur as Vikter sprinted through the mountaintops. He wouldn't have run this fast normally, but he had good reason to tonight. For one, he had to beat the sunrise. He hoped that Zayne's preparations for the attack were not yet in full swing and that he would be able to sneak in and rescue Jak without raising any kind of alarm. Of course, there was always the chance he would be too late no matter how fast he ran, but still, he had to try.

And then there were the shadows.

They swirled about the path, dancing in the starlight, and Vikter avoided them—ran from them, in fact—because he knew what they might hold. The farther he ran, however, the more vulnerable he felt. His heart raced, perhaps more from adrenaline than the exertion, and he wondered if he had made a mistake.

Then the shadows stopped swirling, and he knew instantly that he had.

Vikter had only just crested a rise when the first one came to life. It stepped out of the shadows up ahead, its white teeth glowing and its four arms hanging by its side. It was waiting for him. With a mighty yell, he charged down upon the creature, swords drawn, and attacked it.