Tower of the Four, Episode 6: The Reunion by Todd Fahnestock

Author:Todd Fahnestock [Fahnestock, Todd]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: F4 Publishing
Published: 2021-08-24T22:00:00+00:00

8

BROM

Brom wiped his sleeve across his tear-filled eyes as he sprinted into the forest. Royal…. Now Oriana….

He ducked branches, dodged trees. He jumped roots and pushed through underbrush. The scaly green trunks had turned black in the moonlight, like dragon legs thrust into the ground all around him.

He listened behind him for pursuit, listened for Oriana’s final cry as they swarmed her. But the Queen of Keltovar never made a sound.

His feet pounded the soft forest floor. With every passing second, he felt the weight of his decision. Gods damn it, he shouldn’t have left her! He ought to go back for her. What was he thinking?

What was he even doing here anymore? He wasn’t a Quadron; he was just a normal. Even as a full Quad, it was a fool’s errand to attack The Four. Oriana herself had said so. But now two of his Quad mates were dead. Quad Brilliant was dead.

Gods, he didn’t even know if the little island he was running toward was the right place to go. What if it was just some circular island in the middle of the forest, one that had always been there, one that had naturally formed? What if its existence meant nothing at all? In all likelihood, logically, Vale wasn’t there.

And even if she was…even if she had the secret to defeating The Four, what did it matter? Killing The Four wouldn’t bring back Oriana or Royal. It would be a pale and useless gesture.

He ought to just let the masters catch up with him and let this hopeless quest end—

A chill scampered up Brom’s back as he realized how dark his thoughts had turned. Hopelessness, despair. These weren’t his feelings…. This was an attack! A soul-suck!

“Linza…” he growled, and he forcibly pushed down his despair. As he reclaimed his own soul, he felt a brief, frustrated pushback, like a rat baring its teeth before scuttling back into the darkness.

The intense despair faded. Only then did he realize that the pebble in his belly was vibrating—that it had been vibrating for a long time now. He stopped, breathing hard, and tried to get his bearings. Silver moonlight filtered through the canopy overhead, lighting up the silver-lined leaves of the trees.

The island. He had to get to that island. When he’d caught a glimpse of it from the back of the moth, it had only been for a second, but it had been directly east. If he could just keep bearing in that direction, he should find that river, and the river would lead him to the island.

He headed toward the moonlight, bearing ever east.

He tried to remember how far it was. From that great height, it had seemed close. Barely a mile. Surely he’d run that far already. Should he double-back?

The forest got thicker, and he wondered if this was natural or if The Four were at work again, trying to close the way. With every second that passed, he expected another tree to bend down and try to crush him.

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