The towers of Dusk and Dawn

The wizard fled out on the moor, and the rider followed. For three days and nights, the wizard had been able to escape the rider’s attention, but had been revealed this morning due to a stupid but oh so common mistake. The rider was closing in fast now; in this pace it would catch up with the old man in only a few seconds, and when, or if, that happened, the war would pretty much be over. This didn’t cross the riders mind though; nothing ever did. It’s mind was set on a single task, and that was obeying it’s master’s orders. Nothing else mattered. For all the rider cared, if it could have cared, the world could go to hell and back again just as long as the book that wizard was carrying ended up in it’s master’s hands.

The wizard’s mind was, on the other hand, racing. As was his heart. He needed to stay focused if he was to succeed casting the spell he was preparing, but he couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen if he got caught or, even worse, killed. He instinctively turned around to see how much closer the rider had come, and he was shocked to see that it was almost upon him. He was going to have to face it up close; at least for only a short while. He needed more time to cast the spell, and running wouldn’t buy him enough. He stopped just as the abomination behind him let out it’s terrifying scream, and managed to draw his blade in time to parry the rider’s. The creature brought it’s horse to a halt and turned to charge the wizard again, but the old man was faster. With a single, powerful word he sent the dust underneath the mount upwards in a strong wind, causing the animal to trip and fall. As the dust settled, Haaru could see the rider rising from the body of it’s fallen horse.

“Let’s get this over with, then” the wizard said, and charged.

 

It became evident to him during the fight, which was intense but short, that he had vastly underestimated his opponent. After only a few attacks and counter-attacks, Haaru found himself lying on the ground, disarmed. His foe, the rider, paused only briefly to inspect him before again coming towards him, rising it's blade in the process. Haaru once again uttered a single powerful word and sent himself spinning into the air, a cascade of dirt and dust around him. He needed only a few more moments to complete the spell and, even though he knew it was risky, he could't think of any other way to get them than by attacking. As soon as his feet touched the ground he unleashed another portion of his power, releasing a biting wind from his palms onto the rider. The creature wasn't, even though it tried, able to withstand the fury of the gale, and was thrown away by the surging winds.

Haaru retracted his now termbling hands and clenched them in an attempt to stop them from shaking. He was heavily fatigued and fought hard to remain in a standing position. Still, though, his mind and will worked furiously to complete the spell he so very much needed to cast. Finally, as he watched the rider slowly rise to it's feet, he completed the last phase of his escape. He didn't stop to think twice about going.

"Farewell, creature, and better luck next time." he said as thick black feathers began to cover his body, "Though I doubt there will be a next time for you when this reaches your precious master's ears."

With that, he soared off into the sky, accompanied only by the furious scream of the defeated rider. He wouldn't be able to stay awake long enough to choose a location for the landing, but it didn't matter. He had once again escaped the pull of the Tower, and months would pass before they would be able to track him down again. Slowly, he fell unconscious.

 

Winter was coming early this year, Katie noted to herself as she rode into Scarlet Cross. She was going to have to ration some of her materials carefully, as several of her most potent herbs and plants wouldn't grow again for many months.

There was a strange undercurrent of tension in the city today. Whispered conversations, cautious looks between strangers. She wondered if it had anything to do with the rumours of an approaching armada that had been making rounds of the city before she left.

"She-ba!" someone yelled, and her horse reared. She tumbled backwards, hitting the ground with a painful thud. Her horse went charging through the morning crowds, vanishing down the road.

She staggered to her feet and realised that she was surrounded by three unpleasant-looking men.

"Behave yourself, girlie..."

 

Ecthelion had just arrived to Scarlet Cross, but didn't have to wait long to see the true nature of mankind.

He watched as three peasants approached a single girl that just had fell of her horse. And none seemed to care. It was always like this. Everyone "minded their own business" and wanted nothing to do with anything that could be slightly bad for them.

He hesitated at first, and then got mad at himself for doing that, but he was getting tired of humans getting mad and yelling at him for helping out.
Nevertheless, he closed in on the three men from behind, closely observing them.

"Behave yourself, girlie...", he heard one of them speak.

Elen sila lumenn omentilmo, Nadorhuanrim. Could you gentlemens maybe point me in the direction of a fine inn?

 

Katie blinked at the intervention of the elven man, but she was not one to take such an opportunity for granted. She pulled her scarf up over her nose with one hand, while the other threw a small glass orb to the ground where it shattered and gave off a wave of sweet-smelling smoke.

The three men swayed and collapsed, the sleeping gas doing its work quickly and effectively as always.

She curtseyed to the elf. "Thank you for your help, sir," she said quietly. "I find such men to be a hassle to deal with in normal circumstances."

 

"Thank you for your help, sir, I find such men to be a hassle to deal with in normal circumstances."

Ta nae amin saesa, Aier he answered as he bowed, feeling a deep respect for the young one that single handedly took care of three strong men.

Would you like me to accompany you back to your house, or can you point me in the direction of a good inn where I can stay? he asked and grabbed his light packing.

 

She took a deep breath before putting her hand on the doorknob. She hated having to enter this room almost as much as she hated the fiend residing inside it, but she'd sworn an oath and such things were not to be taken lightly. It was as if the room breathed when she opened the door. The hissing sound of air and dust being sucked into the void therein made the hair on her neck rise. Ahead of her was an absolute darkness, pierced only by a small light in the distance. It was there it resided, by it's crystal orb. Always watching, always knowing, constantly staring into it's precious treasure. The door closed behind her with a faint thud, leaving her to herself... and the darkness. There were things hanging down from the ceiling; odd-shaped, strange thingswhich clattered when she touched them. As she came closer to the light, a hideous arm reached out towards the orb and touched it. She froze on the spot, not daring to go any closer.

The clatter of his sentry wards told him that someone was aproaching, but he didn't care enough to tear his focus from the orb. Inside it, the vision of the feathery meteor that was Haaru was slowly fading away into the mist. A thin, grey finger carefully touched it's surface, and the vision immedietly changed to a small port town, bustling with activity.
"I already know what it is that you are going to tell me. The wizard managed to escape, yes, but I will find him again just as I always..."
"Um... Forgive me for interrupting, but that is not why I am here. The king has demanded your presence. You must leave for the castle at once."
"... I see. I will leave shortly. Now go."

Outside, she let out a sigh of relief. Luckily for her, the deal which the fiend had struck with her master prevented it from causing her harm. But she still feared that someday, somehow, that creature would cause both her and her master more than simple pain, if things continued developing as they recently had. She hurried away through the damp corridors, her steps echoing behind her.

 

"Get out of here you worthless drunk!"

Yimadwe watched the approaching wall with interest, and idly wondered how hard it was. After a brief moment of blindness, he realized he was half-leaning against the brick and mortar wall, now facing the doorway he had so recently been flying through. He managed to focus his eyes on the opening's occupant and saw the red-faced bartender glaring at him from the steps.

That was a lot softer than I expected he thought, reaching up and gingerly touching his face. His hand came away bloody. Maybe not.

The bartender reached down and picked up an empty bottle from the refuse cluttering the ally.

"Don't come back unless you can pay for your drinks!" he snarled and let the bottle fly at Yimadwe's face.

Yimadwe closed his eyes and waited for the second impact, but time seemed to strech well past the point where he should have felt the bottle hit him. Slowly opening his eyes, he met the bartender's gaze and noticed that the hot anger in his eyes was now tempered with confusion. It took Yimadwe several more moments to realize that he was holding the bottle, apparently having caught it midflight.

The man's eyes narrowed and he looked as if he might throw something else, but settled for slamming the door hard enough to send echoes careening through Yimadwe's head.

Yimadwe closed his eyes again and let the bottle fall to the ground.

Maybe I should move, he thought, but comfortable darkness was edging into his vision and he was happy to fall into it's embrace.

 

"I would be honoured to escort you to the nearest inn, sir," she replied, smiling shyly. "I also thank you for your offer of aid, but I do not expect that I shall need to take you up on it. Only strangers to this city are foolish enough to attack an Alchemist, and I dare say that after this little display I will be left alone for some time."

Katie fell into step next to the elf, looking up at him from the corner of her eyes. "If I may be so bold, sir, what brings you to the Cross?"

 

As the apparent alchemist fell into step next to him as they started walking, he thanked the stars that he had met such a interesting human, compared to the more common peasant.

An alchemist you say. That's not one of the most common professions. And no, it's not to bold to ask why I have arrived here, nor does I have an particular interesting reason. I go where my feet's take me, and now they have taken me to the Cross. He paused, suddenly yearning for the great forest where he had grown up, thinking at his family and friends. And if I may be so bold my self, how is it you choose the path of alchemy in your life?

 

Katie smiled peacefully, her eyes taking on a slightly distant look. "At my mother's apron strings," she said, her smile widening. "I suppose that you could call it a family business, if you like."

 

He opened his eyes and found himself, to his great surprise, back on the moor. Or, rather, above it, spinning upwards into the air with dirt and dust swirling all around him. Beneath him, the rider darted towards him, it's gaze fixed upon him. But there was something wrong with it's face. He couldn't point it out, but something was definetly... different. As he fell down towards the ground again, his body withdrew it's hands and prepared for the spell, just as it had before. The gust was unleashed, and the rider swept away. Just like before. But, as he attempted to cast his spell of escape, something went wrong. The feathers wouldn't appear, and he remained pinned to the ground. The rider came towards him, it's blade ready. He tried desperatly to turn around and run away, but is body wouldn't listen. He wanted to scream, but his jaw was glued to his skull. "No!" he thought, now paniking, "No, I have to get away! I can't get caught! It can't end here, it can't, I-!" He stopped instantly as the blade pierced his chest, sending wave after wave of indescribable pain and agony through his old, fragile body. He stared in disbelief as the sword was twisted and withdrawn from his body, which gave one final shrug of fatigue before collapsing on the ground. But, in stead of delivering the killing blow, the rider kneeled down beside him and pulled back it's hood.

"Father?" his daughter said, "Father? Why are you doing this? Why postpone the inevitable? Stop fighting this unwinnable battle and come home. Come home, Haaru. You've done enough..."

A tear rolled down her cheek and landed on his. He felt his eyes water, and gave up a single tear, too. He'd missed her so much. He wanted nothing more than to reach out for her and hold her, and for a second her proposition sounded reasonable in his ears. The war, the book, the tower - everything else faded in comparison to this moment. But then, just as he felt his body was about to speak, his daughter's face was replaced by another, a face he knew very well but feared and hated like the darkness hates the sun.

"SURRENDER!" the creature screeched in a voice which could shatter steel and destroy the souls newborn babies, "HAARU!"
"NOOOOOO!"

A flash of white.

He woke up screaming, sweat covering his body. The fear, shock and hate was immedietly replaced with a freezing cold, and he wrapped his arms around him instinctively.

"A dream... It was a dream... Sarah..."

Having calmed himself, he opened his watery eyes to try to see where he was, and found himself lying naked on a roof. He looked down and around him, realizing he'd landed on the roof of a small cottage just outside a small town. The saltness of the air told him that he was close to the sea. "Voston, then." he thought, "Or Scarlet Cross. Interesting."

"Now... How will I get down from here?"

 

Some time later, the world began to slowly edge back in. Yimadwe remained lying on the rough cobblestones and stared up at the sky. The day, which had previously been sunny was now grey with clouds and unless he missed his guess, there would be rain before night.

Gingerly getting to his feet so as not to aggravate his hangover, Yimadwe flexed his limbs and examined his nose, which fortunately did not appear to be broken. Stumbling to the mouth of the ally, he oriented himself to his inn and set off, hoping that a warm meal and some rest would sooth his headache.

 

Ecthelion looked down on the little alchemist, after she revealed her path to her profession.
family business you say? he stretched himself and filled his lungs with air. During my travels in the human world, you must be the most interesting one I have met.
Suddenly Ecthelion remember that he had forgotten to introduce himself and hit himself on the forehead and stops.
A! Dolle naa lost Ecthelion! I have completley forgotten to introduce myself, my manners I have forgotten.
My name is Ecthelion from Tawar-in-Drúedain in the north. And what is the name of the vanima aier I have so luckily meet?

 

Katie blushed furiously at the compliment, smiling shyly up at Ecthelion.

"My name is Katie Reuben, sir," she said, curtseying. "It's a genuine pleasure to meet you."

 

Haaru, having succesfully climbed down from the roof, was looking through one of the windows of the house when it suddenly struck him that he wasn't going to be able to find any clothes here. This was a widow's house, no doubt about it. No married woman would put a painting of their loved one, covered with flowers, on the shelf above the fireplace unless that loved one was either dead or missing, missing meaning presumed dead. He stepped away from the window, and closed it with a snap of his fingers. The spell he was going to have to use was simple but, as always with spells, risky. It was an illusion; people who met him would see that he was naked, but their reason would tell them otherwise. "Come now, really" their minds would tell them, "Why in the Gods names would an old respectable man walk around in nothing but his beard and some wrinkles? Obviously, he's wearing clothes. Don't bother yourself with such trivialities. It's none of your business anyway, you know?". They would know, of course, that he was naked, but they would also know in the very same way that a naked man in the middle of town was just too improbable, and that they didn't have anything to do with it, either. This far, noone had ever confronted him when he'd used the spell, but he had heard of other, less fortunate wizards. Hopefully, the people of Voston, or possibly Scarlet Cross, was too dull to notice him anyway.

And so, having surrounded himself with the illusion of reason (he liked that name; in fact, he had named it himself), he went downhill towards the town.

 

As they walked down the street of Scarlet Cross on their way to the inn that Katie knew about, he was observing the people in the streets. There was nothing spectacular going on, just your normal human life, of peddlers and merchants , yelling out their merchandise, and your average workers just passing by. He could never really understand how there always could be so many humans, and how the streets always were full of them. Didn’t they work during the day?
As he was glancing over the crowd, something caught his eyes. At first he wasn’t sure what it was, except that it was something strange about an old man. He couldn’t really get a grip around it, until he focused. Then he realizes that the old man is completely naked!
After a moments though he assumes that the man is a wizard that has surrounded himself with an illusion of some kind, since he didn’t saw that the man was nude at first, and the fact that no one seems to realize that he is.
He walks forth to the old man, and he can only think of one thing to say.

Excuse me my good man, my name is Ecthelion, and I wonder why you are nude?

 

"Excuse me my good man, my name is Ecthelion, and I wonder why you are nude?" a complete stranger asked him, out of nowhere, on the street. He would have been surprised if it wasn't for the obvious fact tha the man in front of him was an elf. Elves had an annoying ability to see right through simple illusions as the one he was currently using, and this particular one seemed to also possess another somewhat irritating atribute; curiosity. He had to act quickly, lest other people around him would see through the illusion too. "What?" he half-said, half-shouted, "Me, naked? Why on earth would i be naked? What kind of a silly question is that? No one runs around the streets naked, boy! You can takethat for granted!"

He looked around him to see if his display had any effect on the crowd, and found to his relief that it did. Those few who had stopped and given him a thoughtful look now seemed reassured that nothing was out of the ordinary and went on with their business. Haaru grabbed the elf by the collar and pulled him closer. "I don't know if you wanted to cause some serious trouble, or if you're simply curious, or dumb." he whispered, "But unless you want to spend the rest of your days as a toad you should think twice about messing with my spells again. Do you understand?"

He stared the elf in the eyes for a few moments to underscore his point, and then let go of him.

"Now, do you perhaps know where I could find an inn around here? I've just recently arrived, you see, and I need somewhere to stay the night."

 

Luckily for Katie, the illusion was strong enough to overcome her native curiousity, although she did keep shooting Haaru a look which lay somewhere between curious and nauseated.

"There is an inn nearby, master wizard," she said carefully. "I was escorting this good sir there, if you would care to join us."