The Lady Tower

By Elsa Frohman Part 3

Todo started his search in the tower nearest to the deZors compound. He had stopped off briefly at his own quarters to equip himself for the expedition, then had dropped off Draban's oilskin at the stable, leaving a brief message with the boy on duty to pass the rain poncho to the farmer.

Both stops had been delays that he felt he could scarce afford, but both had been necessary. Going into the towers unequipped would leave him little better off that the Baron. And the farmer would need his oilskin.

The rain continued outside, setting up a low drumming punctuated with the occasional growl of thunder. Water came in where the windows and doors had been scavenged, sending muddy streams across the floors, disturbing the dust and dirt. But Todo could see that this tower hadn't been entered. He ducked back out into the storm and headed for the next building to the east.

Here, in an interior poorly lit in the rain-dimmed afternoon, Todo continued his search for signs of deZors' party.

This tower was well stripped at ground level. There was debris strewn about, but nothing of any practical use was still in place. The ceiling was stripped to rafters and the floor was uneven since most of the ceramic tile had been ripped up and used in the houses in town. Here and there, a broken tile was still in place, so Todo had to be careful of tripping. The twilight was crisscrossed by deep shadows.

He was bent over, examining some marks on the dirty subfloor when he heard a very soft shuffling a little way behind him. He didn't make any move to indicate he had heard, but continued to look at the marks on the floor -- which he decided were too old to be what he was looking for. He straightened up and walked a little way, stopping abruptly and looked up at the ceiling, as if he had noticed something significant there. The shuffling started again when he moved, and stopped when he stopped. He performed this pantomime several times, then turned suddenly to peer back the way the sound had come from. He was rewarded with a glimpse of motion in a deep shadow.

Having located his pursuer, he walked straight to the hiding place. Probably a scavenger, he told himself. Even as tapped out as this level was, they still came hoping to find something of value.

He might have ignored his companion, but scrounges were notoriously territorial. This one might even now be trying to get the drop on him. As he got close, he saw his pursuer had ducked down behind a waist-high partition -- the remnant of what had once been a wall between rooms. He reached over meaning to yank him up by his collar.

The small, wiry figure crouched behind the partition lunged to the side, spoiling his aim. He came up with a handful of red curls.

"Ow! Let go of my hair!" Elora cried out.

He let go in alarm and jumped back.

"I'm sorry! I thought you were a scrounge!" he said.

Elora was too flustered to say anything coherent. She put her hands up to smooth the hair he had pulled out of her ribbon. It was futile, less than half her locks were still secured at the nape of her neck, so she pulled the ribbon out and let her curls hang free.

"What are you doing here, miss? You should be back at the compound."

"I saw you come in, and I followed," she stammered. "I wanted to talk to you."

"You'd best go back, miss. It's not safe in here."

She was dressed as a boy, leather boots and black wool breeches under a linen shirt and a brown wool tunic. There was a coil of rope on the floor at her feet. Todo could see coming in here hadn't been an impulse. She was prepared to explore.

"Just let me talk to you for a moment, Todo," she pleaded. "I know I was very, very presumptuous ... I just wanted to apologize."

"It doesn't matter, miss."

"Yes it does!" Elora cried, stamping her foot.

"There are more important things to consider now, miss."

"Could you at least just call me by my name?" the girl asked plaintively. "Miss this, miss that... I'm sick of it."

"All right, Elora. Your apology is accepted. Now, it would be best if you went home. It's important that there be some responsible member of your family present. When the guildsmen come looking for you, you should be there to greet them."

"The guildsmen... why would the guildsmen ... they're already caucusing, aren't they. They can't do this! It's only been three days."

"That's why you're needed," Todo said calmly. "When the guildsmen come, you have to convince them that your father is off on a routine errand. You can't leave that to your mother. She'll have handed over the scepter before they finish introducing themselves."

Elora took a deep breath. "Just as well," she mumbled.

"Do you know where your father went?"

"The Lady Tower."

"Why?"

"Sentries saw lights. The men were all talking about portents and demons and things, and father got angry and said he'd show them it was nothing. They were supposed to be back before nightfall."

"The Lady Tower," Todo said thoughtfully.

Todo knew the stories of a priestess dying for unrequited love were nothing but fancy. The Lady Tower had been a military research complex.

"How high were the lights?"

"I don't know, about halfway up, I guess."

Todo nodded. "Go home, Elora. Your mother needs you."

"No! I'm not going home. You can't order me around."

"No, miss, I can't. But I would hope you knew where your duty lay," Todo said stiffly.

"That I do," Elora said firmly. "I have to find my father."

"And what chance do you think you have of that, if your father and his best men haven't been able to return?"

"You're going after them, aren't you?"

"Never mind that, miss. You're needed at home."

"Stop calling me miss! And don't talk to me like I'm a child."

Todo stopped and took a breath to gain control of his temper. It wouldn't do any good to meet her petulance with petulance.

"Elora, you're absolutely correct. I'm going to try to find your father and bring him and his men back.

"You have to understand that the political situation is very finely balanced. It's important that you return and hold the standard, so to speak, for your family. If your brothers and father are lost, and you follow them and are lost as well, who will the heir be? The chaos of a situation like that is just the opening Abbott Maretus will be looking for."

"If my father and brothers are lost, it would be better for Fiorenza that I was as well," Elora said in a quivering voice.

"Don't say that. I know it's a terrible thought. And I know you love your father and brothers. But you have your life ahead of you. And you have a responsibility to your father's people."

"You don't understand."

Elora's chin trembled as she fought back a sob.

"If my father and brothers don't come back, Fiorenza will become a vassal state to deCorentha."

"What?"

"I'm promised to Vandon, the Marquis deCorentha's son. It hasn't been announced yet, but all the agreements have been signed. If I'm the only deZors heir, then everything will go to deCorentha."

Todo digested this last bit of information. Alarming. The Marquis deCorentha was known for his ambition. The Custodians would never stand for him getting control of the very rich agricultural assets of Fiorenza, not to mention its towers.

Elora lost what little control she had left and sobbed, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I know that makes what I did the other day ... it makes it seem worse."

Todo fished in his pocket and brought out the rag he carried for a handkerchief. He offered it to Elora and she blew her nose noisily.

"I'm sorry. I really am. For weeks now I've been thinking of nothing but myself and how miserable I am, and how I don't want to be sent away from home. I've never even seen the Marquis' son, but if he's anything like his old fish-faced father, it's going to be horrible."

She sobbed again and wiped her tears on Todo's hankie.

"But now, it's all so much worse. What will happen to Fiorenza? What will happen to mother? And what has become of poor Marco and Iali? It's all too terrible!"

Todo was torn between the need to comfort the poor miserable girl, and the need to search for the Baron. So much time had been wasted already.

"Elora," he said gently. "We've got to get going."

"You're going to let me come with you?" she said, suddenly brightening.

"If I don't, you're just going to follow me, aren't you? This way, at least I can keep an eye on you.

"But make no mistake. You have to do what I say. If you give me any trouble, I'm going to use that rope you brought to tie you up and leave you somewhere safe until I can come back."

Elora nodded again. She picked up her coil of rope and they headed back out into the rainstorm.

The Lady Tower was relatively undisturbed at the ground level. It had an ominous reputation, and all but the bravest of scavengers avoided it. Now, the main doors had been pried open and stood ajar, making it only too obvious that the Baron and his men had come this way.

Elora hesitated, daunted by the darkness beyond the threshold, but when Todo walked in without hesitation, she followed. Inside, he took his bag off his shoulder and fished inside for a light, bringing out a thick blown-glass tube about the length of his hand that glowed green in the gloom.

"Wizard's fire," Elora whispered in awe.

"Not really. Just a light," Todo said casually. "You've seen fireflies. This is nothing but the stuff fireflies are made of, enclosed in glass. Light without heat."

The lamp illuminated a circle of a meter. He handed it to the girl and told her to hold it aloft. "You can light our way," he said.

She took the lamp and held it up, casting a pale circle of light around them. She was afraid, but the light helped. It was as if Todo had handed her a magic amulet, a totem that would protect her from the terrors in the dark.

Todo was bent over, squinting at the dusty floor. "They seem to have gone that way," he said, pointing into the darkness. "The stairwell. That's the difficult way up."

He straightened up and started off in a different direction.

"Wait! Aren't we going to follow them?"

"I know an easier way. We'll go up a few levels, then check for signs of them."

He receded into the darkness and Elora had hurry to catch up. They got to the far wall, which featured several shallow alcoves. Todo set his bag down again and fished inside. He came out with a small metal crank that he fitted in a hole in the wall beside one of the alcoves. As he turned it, a crack appeared in the center of the alcove, and the walls parted revealing an inky void beyond.

"A portal!" Elora said in surprise.

"Not exactly."

Elora was determined now to prove she wasn't a frightened little girl, so when the gap was wide enough to step through, she determined to go in right away. She stepped out into -- nothing.

"Whoa!" Todo grabbed the back of her tunic and yanked her back just in time.

"Don't EVER do that again!" he exclaimed angrily. "There are dangers here you can't even imagine. You move when I tell you to, and not before!"

Elora's heart pounded as she realized just how close to death she had just been. The gap Todo had opened was onto a pit -- a deep, yawning pit. A dank, musty odor rose from the depths.

"Sorry," Elora said in a tiny voice.

Todo went back to cranking, until the gap was the entire width of the alcove.

"Now," he said, "reach around here. There's a ladder."

Elora reached into the dark, haltingly. Her bravado of a moment before had drained away, and she was afraid again.

"It's all right. I'll go first. You follow. We're going up six levels. Then we'll check for signs of your father."

Elora swallowed hard and nodded.

"Here, you can't hold onto the ladder and the lamp at the same time." He took the light from her. "Give me your ribbon."

Elora wondered what he meant at first, then remembered her hair ribbon was still hanging loose over her shoulders, where she had left it when she took it out of her hair. Todo took it and tied it around the light, then hung it back around her neck.

Elora peered down into the pit. "What's down there?" she asked in a trembling voice.

Todo shrugged. "The lower levels. That's all. Old storerooms and service areas. A lot of it is flooded, so it smells bad."

Her courage was wavering.

"Don't worry now. We're just going to climb up a ladder for a bit. Hold on tight and place your feet carefully, and you'll be fine."

He reached around the edge of the dark gap and gripped the ladder, swinging himself onto it and starting to climb. Elora waited until he was above her head and followed, doing just as she had seen him do.

The light around her neck barely illuminated the shaft. She could look over her shoulder and faintly see a thick bundle of metal cable down the center of the space. The ladder was rough, rusty metal and quickly rubbed her palms and fingers raw. It creaked ominously as they climbed. Elora could just see the soles of Todo's boots when she looked up. More than seeing him, she could feel each step he took through the ladder, which shook more than seemed comfortable.

The only sounds were the metallic squeaks from the bolts holding the ladder to the wall, the scraping of boots on the rungs, and Elora's heavy breathing. She found herself gasping for breath soon after they started the climb. The fetid air seemed to settle in her lungs. They had climbed four or five stories when Elora began to feel weak. She stopped climbing and clutched herself to the ladder. The ladder seemed to sway, but she was sure it was only her spinning head.

"Are you all right?" Todo called down from above.

Elora felt clammy and cold. Her stomach was clenched and she had to force the words out.

"I just need to catch my breath ... the air in here," she gasped.

"Just a little farther. You have to keep moving."

Elora forced herself to reach over her head and grab the next rung. She pulled up, to the sound of another creak from the ladder's moorings. Almost mechanically, she continued climbing. Each step seemed to bring a louder groan from the metal bolts embedded in the wall. She didn't notice that, though, focused as she was on keeping herself in motion. Her arms and legs ached, and she started to feel wobbly.

"Almost there," Todo called down encouragingly. "Just a little farther."

Then she felt him stop climbing. It didn't register at first. She was so focused on her misery and continuing to pull herself up, that she went several more rungs before her hand touched the heel of his boot.

"Are we there?" Elora gasped, clutching herself tight to the ladder.

"No -- stay still. I don't like the feel of this," Todo said, his voice strained.

Elora shifted her weight just a little to get her feet in a better position, then realized what the problem was. The ladder swayed -- it wasn't her imagination or dizziness. The ladder moved.

There was a long, loud creak.

"No!" Elora whispered.

"Hush. Stay absolutely still," Todo whispered. "I'm going to get my weight off. Then, you may be able to get the rest of the way. It's only a little farther to the next opening."

"But ..."

"Stay still!" he hissed.

Elora flattened herself against the ladder, her arms rigid and her eyes crushed shut. She held her breath, afraid that even that might unbalance them.

Todo collected himself and sprung away from the ladder. He grasped for the bundle of cable, and slid down a bit, then got purchase. There was another metallic protest and the ladder shook and swayed horrifyingly.

Barely daring to look, Elora slowly turned her head and saw that Todo was clinging to the cable, almost level with her, one leg wrapped around, both hands holding on firmly.

"What now?" she whispered.

"You're going to start climbing again -- very, very slowly and carefully. When you get to the next opening, you're going to open the door and climb out. Then you're going to find something to tie that rope you're carrying to, and throw it back down for me."

Elora slowly raised an arm to reach the next rung. She closed her hand around it and started to pull herself up. The ladder swayed and creaked.

"That's right, you're doing fine. Keep going."

"I don't know how to open the door," Elora breathed as she slowly brought her foot up to the next rung.

"Oh!" The creak was a screech this time and the ladder moved an inch away from the wall.

Elora froze.

"I'll tell you how when you get there."

"Are you sure the ladder is going to hold?"

" Do you want the truth?"

"Yes."

"No, I'm not certain. But unless one of us learns to fly in the next minute or so, it's the best solution I can think of."

"Right."

Elora lifted herself another step with even more care and deliberation than before.

"Tell me about the door," she said.

"There's a small access panel beside it. You can pull that open, and there's a wheel inside that you'll turn to open the door."

Tilting her head back to look up would have shifted her weight, so Elora didn't dare look ahead to see how far she had to go. She knew it had to be farther than Todo was tall, or he would have been within reach.

She lifted herself through several more steps and had nearly convinced herself that it was going to be all right -- when disaster struck. As she reached up for the next rung, she felt a tickle inside her nose and sneezed. The ladder pulled away from the wall on one side, rotating outwards with an earsplitting shriek.

"No!" Elora screamed.

Slowly, the ladder bent backward, with Elora holding on for dear life. As her weight moved away from the wall, the process quickened, then, with another scream of tearing metal, the second side broke away. She was falling. Her feet came away from the step below, but she held on with every bit of strength in her hands.

She felt the bundle of cable hit her back and thought for a moment she might come to rest here, but the ladder rotated and slid off, almost tearing her loose. She let out another inarticulate scream. There was another drop then a jerking, bone wrenching halt.

Elora found herself dangling over empty air, her hands screaming for relief, her feet with nothing below them. Of all the things she was certain of, this was the first:

She couldn't hold on for long.