Burning Tower by A. C. Cobble

Author:A. C. Cobble [Cobble, A. C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Cobble Publishing LLC
Published: 2018-06-05T05:00:00+00:00

Moments later, Ben crashed down the stairs, flailing to arrest his fall and grunting as each stone step pummeled a different part of his body. He finally reached the bottom and slid across the stone floor.

A woman looked down at him, eyes wide in confusion. Her hair was frizzed and tangled, like she’d just gotten out of bed or been subjected to a heavy electric shock. Her dress was torn, and blood leaked from one of her ears.

Ben, laying on his back, groaned and wrapped his hand around the broken shaft of the spear he’d snapped with his body when he had fallen on it. He shifted and rolled, swinging the spear up and stabbing the woman in the gut. She grunted in pain, still not comprehending what happened.

A frigid blast of air swept over Ben, and the woman was thrown against the wall, her head smacking against the stone with a spine-tingling crunch.

“Thanks,” rasped Towaal. “The two of them proved more resilient than I expected.”

“No problem,” croaked Ben. “Uh, you think you can help me up?”

With Towaal’s assistance, he clambered to his feet and rested his weight half on her, half on the intricately carved wyvern fire staff. He muttered a silent thanks that his body broke the spear and not the staff. That would have been embarrassing.

“Ready to walk twenty stories down?” asked the mage grimly, eyeing the staff but not commenting on it. “It’s going to be a fight.”

“I have an idea,” muttered Ben. “Let’s find the others.”

They stumbled and fell down the stairs, Ben leaving long bloody streaks when he rubbed against the walls. He was dizzy and gasping for air. He knew he was losing too much blood, but they didn’t have time to pause. He could only hope Towaal or Amelie still had strength to lend him healing energy when they made it to safety, but getting to safety was beginning to look like a smaller and smaller possibility.

Below them, they saw their friends clustered around the steel door which sealed Milo’s apartments. The metal was bent in, and resounding booms and crashes sounded from the other side. Amelie was standing against it, both hands placed on the surface.

“Come up here!” shouted Ben hoarsely.

Amelie glanced over her shoulder. Ben could see sweat pouring down her face.

“This door is warded, locking it shut, but there are mages on the other side,” cried Amelie. “I’m trying to hold the wards. If I leave, they’ll be through in no time.”

“You’d better run then,” declared Ben.

“Do you have a plan?” asked Rhys. The rogue was pacing near Amelie, sword out, ready for when her strength failed and the door caved in.

“Sort of,” responded Ben. “We have to hurry.”

Renfro scrambled up the stairs, followed by Sincell and the two thugs he’d brought. Seeing them go made the decision for the rest of Ben’s friends. With one last grunt of effort, Amelie let go of the door and ran up the stairs.

“Higher,” said Ben. “One more level.”

Rhys took over for Towaal, supporting Ben’s weight as they hobbled upward.

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