Rain was suddenly dripping on Therelin’s bare shoulders. Having just come from Saanazar, he looked around and found that a mountainside trail ran zigzagging ahead of him. Maia and Kren stood next to him, also turning to check their surroundings. Down the ridge and off to the right was the dark water of Tieko’s Deep, reflecting the dreary clouds overhead.
As they walked north along the coast, following various trails between the rough crags, Therelin asked Maia if she had any contacts at Tempest Tower—someone who could broker their introductions. She did know a few, but they were acquaintances not friends. She explained they’d best just approach the Tower as newcomers.
Soon they crested a slope to gain their first glimpse of Tempest Tower itself. Down the next valley and up the next mount was an outer wall surrounding a large keep. The keep, half built into the cliff face itself, rose up into the shape of a tower until it was entirely replaced by the rising peak behind it. From here, it was hard to tell how much of the stronghold was natural rock formation and how much had been built by human hands.
“Quite a sight,” Therelin murmured, as they started their descent into the valley.
The scattering of trees and bushes across the valley floor made their crossing easy. It also easily revealed them to the watchers. Three men approached them. With leather tunics, cloaks, and a variety of tools and weapons, the men could have been military scouts or local hunters, but Therelin knew better—these were magicians, guards for the Tower.
One of them, a lanky man with a shaved head, declared, “More newcomers. Where are you from? Where are you headed?”
“We’re headed here, to Tempest Tower,” Therelin said, speaking for his friends. “I’ve come from Master Nolicrin at the Hall of Three Winds.”
“Ah, in Saanazar, right?”
Therelin nodded.
The man grimaced. “Most of our guests these days are not from the cities.” He looked past them, scanning the woodland in case there were more than three newcomers. Of course, he found none.
“Is there a reason for that?” Therelin asked.
“You have heard of Tarro’s attack, yes?” The mage gave a shrug as he spoke.
“I was there, on the Isle,” Therelin admitted. He glanced at Kren who gave a dire nod of agreement.
“Ah, another,” said the man. “I’ve not been, but many from there have found their way here.”
“That’s part of the reason I’ve come,” Therelin explained, intent on his mission here.
It was Kren who caught the implication of the man’s comment. “Wait…” he muttered. “You’ve not been—to the Isle?”
Therelin blinked. “How do you know about the Isle, if you haven’t sworn by the Tether?”
The man smiled slyly, but then his mirth faded. “We know not what has transpired there recently, but the Tether is no more,” the mage explained. “All those bound by it—yourselves included, it seems—have been released.”
Therelin and his friends glanced at each other. All Therelin could think at first was—why would Tarro destroy the Tether? The last they had heard, the warlord had taken it with him. His second thought saw the silver lining: “That means we have the ability to coordinate with non-magician leaders in the war effort.”
His blurted words drew a slow nod and a raised eyebrow from the scout. “For better or for worse,” he said. “We haven’t heard the aftermath of this change yet. It was only about three weeks past that the change was even noticed.”
“Well, regardless of the aftermath, we magicians must find a way to band together. Tarro has divided us for too long,” Therelin said.
The man smiled. “True enough. So, you’re here to contribute? Or are you seeking the arts of the Tower?”
Therelin glanced at Maia, then back to the man with the shaved head. “A little of both, I suppose, but our main reason for coming here is to contribute.”
“I’ll let you head on up, then,” the man decided. He waved to his comrades and they began retreating into the cover of the bushes once more. “Speak with Mistress Shali.”
“Thank you,” Therelin said. “I suppose we’ll see you around.”
The man offered him a bob of the head before rejoining his peers.
The valley floor took longer to cross than Therelin had expected. The rain gave up, at last. The foliage grew thicker as they approached the base of the fortress, but a clearing gave way to a staircase and they began ascending towards the outer wall they had seen from the opposite ridge. As they made their way up, Maia mused, “He said three weeks ago. How long have we been gone?”
It was a troubling thought. They had expected the Journey to take little over one week.
A large brass gate was lifted, allowing free entrance through its threshold. Within, Therelin and his friends found the courtyard packed with pavilions of the semi-permanent variety. There were people absolutely everywhere, filling the tents and sitting by the fountain. It took them the help of several passersby to find Mistress Shali, the mage overseeing newcomers. They waited patiently while she spoke with an elderly magician in front of his tent.
Then, the middle-aged woman adjusted her long braids and turned to them. “Welcome to the Tower. Are you here to apply for study? Or to seek shelter from the war?”
“I’m here for neither,” Therelin explained. “I’ve just come from Master Nolicrin at the Hall of Three Winds. We believe it is time to formally designate a new meeting place and safe haven for magicians—after the loss of the Isle.”
Shali raised her thin eyebrows and smiled. “As do we,” she replied. “If you intend to help out in that endeavor, there are a few here whose acquaintance you ought to make. A rudimentary meeting has already been arranged for the 10th. Will you stay? We can try to find you and your friends some cots, in the very least.”
“By all means,” Therelin said. “Though, we’ve only just arrived—what is the date today?”
“The 29th of the 12th Moon.”
Kren interjected, “1481, yes?”
With a polite nod, Shali said, “You haven’t been gone too long, I hope.”
“Not too long, fortunately, but more than twice as long as we expected,” Therelin told her. What would have delayed them, had they not Journeyed? It was every magician’s metaphoric rabbit hole. “You had better keep a close eye on Tieko’s Deep during these coming days.”
“I’ll pass that along. Our Master of Letters tracks all the comings and goings to detect such disturbances—and he has the authority to contact those who might need to know of them. Oh, Novice Rina, a moment, please?” Shali waved to a passing magician, a woman younger than any of those already in conversation. To Therelin, Shali explained, “If you’re going to be here any length of time, you might as well see what’s where. Rina, will you kindly take these newcomers on the tour? I’ll sort out some accommodations for you three in the meanwhile.”
“That’s perfect—thank you,” Therelin said. “After you, Rina.”
Rina made a short curtsey and then led them across the courtyard. She asked them a few questions as they wandered—basics such as where they were from and what brought them to the Tower. She showed them a few large dormitory wings, divided by rank. Those of higher rank got separate quarters. Therelin learned that Tempest Tower was governed by a small council of Masters and Mistresses. Next, they passed through classrooms lined with bookshelves, training halls with padded floors that would be ideal for sparring or meditating, and balconies that looked out on cliff-side combat yards. Much of the stronghold was shaped into the natural rock of the mountain, as though it had been mined out by master masons.
Lastly, Rina showed them a stone-hewn corridor deep within the mountain. Heavy metal doors barred the way down the corridor, but Rina proudly told them, “Through here is the Tempest Chamber itself.”
“Sorry,” Therelin asked, uncertain if he had caught what she had said in the echoing hall. “What is this chamber?”
“The Tempest Chamber,” Kren repeated, smiling. “It’s the reason for Tempest Tower to reside here, specifically.” He gave Rina a nod to continue, as it was her job to explain.
“A natural crevice in the peak of the mountain funnels air down into a long cavern. Early excavations here bridged into the cavern—and now it is the world’s best-known location to learn about the wind.”
Maia explained even more clearly, though Therelin was starting to understand its importance. “If a storm blows past,” Maia said, “you can safely learn familiarity with the gale—with winds stronger than you’d ever be able to stand elsewhere.”
“Ah, remarkable,” Therelin whispered. He had seen magicians on the Isle knock warriors off balance with a strong wind, but this was something else entirely. It could, Therelin theorized, make his newly purchased sword an obsolete tool in his self-defence.
Once the trio was shown to a pavilion for their stay, Therelin shared his eagerness to learn from the storm, but it only led to a lengthy debate on politics. First, Maia explained how exclusive the Tempest Chamber was: only those with proper permission were allowed to meditate within.
Discouraged, Therelin could only see such a policy as a result for the overbearing need for control—a trait he had seen magician after magician exemplify since leaving Keth. Kren countered this with a point about the wisdom in not letting every stranger learn such powerful magic, but Therelin countered that, in his experience, people would find ways to scheme and sneak about regardless. He also feared that whoever controlled such a powerful tool could abuse it for their own agenda.
While Kren did see how Therelin’s stance made sense, after all they had been through, Maia insisted that reserving dangers for those responsible and trusted was a wise policy, not a controlling one. She gave them an example of a knife, which should never be given to an infant. She admitted that sometimes criminals got a hold of a knife, but there were guard jobs specifically designed to protect everyone else from those exceptions. That, she said, was how organized society ran.
Therelin was more optimistic than that. He told them that he believed if the Tempest Chamber was open to everyone, far more good magicians than bad ones would benefit from it. Their debate continued on toward dinner—but it was a friendly debate. Maia and Therelin had such opposite life experiences, it was no surprise that they would share opposing beliefs of some concepts.
Nonetheless, Therelin couldn’t help but feel uneasy at Tempest Tower. As they began to make more and more acquaintances, Therelin realized that this could very well be the Isle of Dusk, all over again.