“I can’t argue with that.”
Cut Zephyra’s bonds, little Cas.
Zephyra pecked at the leather strap wrapped around her right leg.A chain attached to the strap looped around the cage, holding her captive.Her skin looked raw from rubbing against the leather.
“Hold very still.”With my dagger, I cut the strap, taking great care to avoid her tender skin.The moment she was free, she jumped out of the cage and flapped around the aviary, finally settling on my shoulder.
Thank you, little Cas.That strap has bound Zephyra for years.
“I’m sorry for what they did to you.”
It wasn’t little Cas’s fault.
“I can still have sympathy for you.Holding an intelligent animal such as yourself captive is nothing short of torture.But let’s figure out how to get youfullyfree.Is there a way out of that flight cage?”
At the top, a locked hatch leads to the outside.But unless little Cas can fly, that won’t do much good.
“I can’tfly, but let me give it a try anyway.Where’s the key?”
In Master Solcor’s robes.Zephyra must admit, Zephyra took pleasure in seeing Master Solcor fall.Master Solcor isn’t always kind.
I rooted through Master Solcor’s robes until I found a ring of iron keys.It took me several tries, but I finally found the key that unlocked the entrance to the flight cage.The cage was easy to climb, and I was at the top in seconds.Zephyra flew beside me in ever higher circles.
Little Cas is like a bird without wings!
At the top of the cage was a hatch, which I unlocked using the same key.The hatch groaned as I pushed it upward.It had likely been a long time since it had been opened.I scampered through and onto the top of the cage, and Zephyra followed me out.I was standing on top of the aviary, which jutted out from the main library with the clock tower looming above me.The whole of Analon spread out below me in every direction.
Zephyra’s wings flapped as she circled around me.
Oh, the wide-open air, and the wind!Zephyra forgot about the wind!And the sea air!Oh, how Zephyra longs to taste a fresh fish!
With that, Zephyra ascended, then flew directly toward the bay.Her joy in her newfound freedom hit me harder than expected with a mix of happiness and longing.
She was nearly out of sight when she looked back, her thoughts barely a whisper in my mind.
Thanks again.Zephyra is forever in little Cas’s debt.
From the top of the aviary, I considered the clock tower before me, rising to the clouds.Its height was dizzying.It would be easy enough to climb, and I had hoped I could find a window, but in broad daylight, I would stand out starkly against the ivory-colored stones.A well-aimed arrow from a Royal Archer would end my ascent quite abruptly.I needed to find a way up from the inside.But according to my map, if any such path existed, it had been walled up long ago.
The clock tenders were legendary.Sequestered for life in the clock tower, their one job was to keep the clock running with perfect accuracy under penalty of death.No penalty had been administered in hundreds of years.
It stood to reason that if the clock tenders lived in the tower, there had to be ways for them to obtain supplies.The most obvious place to check was the kitchens, one set of which was positioned just under the tower.That would be my first target.
I weaved through the hallways, peering into rooms filled with books and lab equipment as I passed.I was tempted to stop in and see if I could uncover any secrets, but the danger was too great, and the clock was ticking.My time would be up when Master Solcor woke up or someone found him unconscious.
Several stories up, the rooms changed from labs and libraries to classrooms filled with initiates, all wearing silver-lined robes like mine.Standing at the front of each room was a master lecturing in a lofty tone.I walked swiftly past.On more than one occasion, I ducked into an empty room to avoid a passing group of robed figures.
When I ascended another story, the pleasing aroma of seared meat and grilled onions hit my nose.I approached a door from which steam and smoke billowed.Inside was a large room filled with open hearths and a smattering of worktables filled with cooking implements.Cages filled with chickens, ducks, and other small animals were lined up along the wall to my left.A half dozen people in robes adorned with yellow ribbon scurried around, tending to fires, stirring stews, and rotating meat on spits over coals.I snuck into the room, hid in the shadows, and observed.
On the far wall were three small waist-high openings.Several minutes passed as the servants continued their work.Eventually one of the Initiates approached the far left opening, placed a basket filled with food and other supplies inside, and rang a handheld bell.A moment later, a platform began to rise, and the basket disappeared out of sight.Thatwas how supplies made their way to the tower.
And that was my key to getting in.
This wouldn’t be as simple as sneaking into Garrick’s office in a dark tavern full of drunk people.This room was bright and filled with stone-cold sober initiates who were likely trained in combat.I looked around the room to assess the situation, and the solution presented itself.
Slowly, quietly, I unlatched the cages of most of the animals, leaving each door open only a crack, then snuck around to the other side of the room.
Out of my pack, I pulled a paper tube smaller than my pinky finger.Of the many skills my father had taught me, pyrotechnics was by far the most entertaining.In the early weeks of every summer, we’d toil away making noisemakers, flash bombs, and exploding rockets to launch at the midsummer festival.
