Unbound

The first thing Felix saw as the skiff doors opened was purple. Great sheets of it, magical and slightly transparent, hung from every wall and solid surface he could see. Though they could only see the squat edifice of the dockmaster’s office from their vantage point, it was clear that no building went without a touch of purple. Where the Umber had a few select pieces of sepia magic glowing from its sides, the Violet was more ostentatious by an order of magnitude.

It was glaring and a bit awful on the eyes, but the sheer amount of Mana being poured into what amounted to an aesthetic display was incredible. Felix could hear it buzzing, feel it humming against his skin. He knew that, if he dared to activate his Manasight, he would be blinded.

Tern stepped out first, Felix and the others following. The docks were a standard affair, built much like the air docks in Haarwatch, with long piers sticking out into the thin air, segmented into inscribed berths. Aside from them, the docks were empty and devoid of even workers loitering in the corners.

It made the sound of footsteps really stick out.

A young man in pale robes hustled down the length of the dock, his split skirts flapping in the stiff wind. They were off-white, much like their own, but with a narrow band of purple around his shoulders. He carried a board and quill and adjusted a pair of enchanted spectacles on the bridge of his nose as he slowed to a walk.

"Good morning, guests of the Tower. I do apologize, but we are not currently allowing guests into the Violet Tower's halls. I would ask that you return to your skiff. Oh!” The moment he caught sight of the Elven mage, his words stuttered to a stop. "Venerable Pagewright Tern! You honor us with your presence. How, um—this is quite irregular." He started flipping through sheets on his board. "I did not know you were set to return. I thought you had left for good."

Tern clucked his tongue. "Apprentices had better manners when I still walked these halls. I had left, but I am ready to come back. Jot that down."

The Apprentice mage flushed. "Of course! But, as I said, we are not currently allowing guests into the Tower grounds. Since you left, sir, with all due respect, I don't…I can't..."

Tern raised a hand. "Don't think too hard on it, son. Go back. Find your superior and tell them that I'm here. They'll take it off your shoulders."

Atar snickered. "So you really are famous, huh?"

Tern smiled at the mage but said nothing.

They didn't have to wait long. The young Apprentice came hustling back at the heels of an older woman. Her hair was bound up in a tight bun, and her robes were slashed with many more bits of purple. Felix supposed it was some kind of indicator of rank.

"Mage Tern," she said as she drew close, very clearly enunciating his lack of title. "When my Apprentice told me you had returned, I had almost ordered him flogged for lies in the course of his duties." She laughed, though there was very little humor in her voice. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I've come to discuss the terms of my return."

She didn't blink at all. "That is also what the Apprentice said. Very well. We will mark you in and hold your ship here until you've had a chance to speak to the Tower Master."

"As it should be," the Elf said before he started striding down the dock. Felix and the others stepped after him, careful to stay close.

The dockmaster licked her lips and tried to step in their path. "If you wait a moment, I’ll gather an escort for you—"

"I know where to go," Tern said, interrupting her and pushing his cane against her arm. He nudged her aside. "You go back to your duties, Journeyman."

And just like that, they swept off, stepping across the docks and up a set of stairs. They passed through the dockmaster’s building and out the other side of a covered tunnel to yet more stairs. Felix had noticed this during their approach; the floating islands on which the Violet Tower was built were many, and all of them sat at different elevations. The place was absolutely covered in stairs with balustrades and portico-covered landings where greenery flourished between stone benches and the occasional small pond.

Tern walked with a purpose, barely using his cane as he climbed the stairs through a beautifully engraved arch and into a courtyard filled with blossoming trees. A lawn of manicured grasses and wildflowers spread out before them, untrodden upon, set with glazed stone pavers that marked out curving pathways in several directions. Just as below, sheets of transparent Mana hung from the sides of the buildings around them, encasing and obscuring its architecture with intangible panes of magic glass. Where before the effect was overwhelming, now Felix was simply disgusted by it.

God, that's ugly. The flowers and trees were certainly nice, but it clashed garishly against the manmade display. It seemed the mages in Levantier were far more interested in maintaining their branding than a Tower that looked good.

They stepped down the manicured pathways through the courtyard and, unsurprisingly, did not encounter many people.

"They're not accepting guests," Alister mused. "What do we think that means?"

"We cannot be sure, but keep your voice down,” Zara warned. “These places have ears everywhere."

Felix supposed they could have thrown up a sound ward around themselves, but that would have been almost as suspicious as whispering furtively in the garden. More than that, Felix wasn't sure how effective any wards might prove in a tower full of mages. He imagined many of them would have ways to bypass sound wards, and who knew what defenses the tower itself had—it was better just to go without.

Just follow the plan.

Walking through the garden courtyard, they entered a covered portico, leading them across a large pond set between two larger towers at least thirty stories tall. Large fish, each the size of Felix's torso, swam in the pond, their scales glittering with gold and green colorings. A speckle of red flashed on their fins here and there, and large, lily-like flowers bloomed atop the algae-patterned water.

The main tower stretched ahead of them, a tall, monolithic structure marked by a number of shorter towers around its base. The closer they drew to it, the more the magic seemed to scratch at Felix's sensibilities. None of the others seemed particularly perturbed by it, but it gnawed at him. At first, he thought he was just too sensitive, whether through stats or Skills, but soon enough it resolved into an uncomfortable rumbling in his belly. A rumbling that was only half his own.

Mmm. Hunger hummed within him, rousing from the darkness in his core space. Eat It.

What?

Eat It, Hunger repeated, and Felix knew without a doubt that it meant the panes of purple light that hung around them. Pride Binds To Arrogance. Strip It From Them.

Felix stopped walking. What? I'm not gonna eat their Tower magic. That’d be like setting off a firework in a library.

Hunger growled within him. Like Calls To Like. I Seek Strength Through Bonds.

Felix had never heard Hunger speak that much at one time, or not to mention so eloquently. Bonds. Like connections between things? Links?

Hunger didn't answer other than to roll sideways, a vast creature diving deep into the depthless ocean.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Fine. Be that way. Look, if everything goes to plan, you'll get your dinner, and if I feed you, you can tell me more about these bonds you're talking about.

Silence met his words for long enough that he thought he was being ignored again.

Very Well.

"Felix," Zara motioned to him. "Stay close. What are you doing?"

"I thought I saw something," he lied. He stepped closer, catching up with the group once more.

i heard that.

Felix raised an eyebrow at Atar's back. The mage was busy looking up at the tower as Tern led them up another set of stairs.

"Keep your ears to yourself, Urge.”

"What?" Atar asked, looking back.

"Nothing."

A long bridge spanned the final gap between islands, and across it, the main Tower loomed. Several sweaty mages hustled across it, slipping into the central complex carrying supplies, books, and all sorts of paraphernalia no doubt useful for magic.

Felix focused on his crown, not summoning it, but calling on the awareness that lingered within him. A presence roused within his sight; the connection between the Seat and Seal was nearby. He looked up and up until his eyes settled into a groove in his vision near the very top of the tower.

It’s there.

They passed through a set of massive doors, propped open between two mage guards who stared at them suspiciously. Felix let Skein of Fate hum in his chest, not so much flaring it as allowing it to hum. Faint outlines of silver wrapped around the guards' throats and wrists, while more pulled through the doors themselves, crunching together like tangled cables.

Inside, the halls were wide and polished, the architectural details unadorned by gaudy purple light. Instead, there were statues of robed figures within a series of alcoves, outstretched hands holding tomes or strange gears or more esoteric objects. A plaque denoted each of them.

“Ancestors of the Tower,” Tern muttered. “Former Tower Masters all.”

Felix ran his gaze across them, committing their details to his impressive memory. One was praised for rediscovering some ancient text, while another was lauded for finding an epic Skill once thought lost to Ruin. All of them focused on reassembling what had been lost in the ancient past. Very few had any focus on new thoughts or new ideas.

That is, until they reached a spot where Tern himself paused. An alcove was empty, but the marble plinth upon which a statue once stood was clear. A placard stood on that, labeled with a familiar name.

"They removed my statue," Tern said quietly. "I didn't think it would hurt to see that." He shook himself. "Come."

He led them down a short hallway off the main to an office that was clearly meant for many mages working in tandem, but it was currently only occupied by a woman. She had a number of purple slashes across her robes—far more than the dockmaster—and she looked up with a weary resignation. Her mouth opened to speak, but it stuck there as she stared at their entrance.

"Grandmaster Tern!" She stood, smoothing out her robes. "I did not expect you to be here. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Corvelle," Tern said coldly. "I have come to speak with Tiir."

Corvelle's face went through a series of wild emotions, but it was clear she was flustered. It was just as clear from her confused Spirit that she was a fan of Vilus Tern.

"I shall get the Towermaster for you, Grandmaster Tern. Please wait here a moment as I announce you."

"Very well."

She scurried off, hustling through a side door that had been disguised to look like a bookshelf. Felix flared his Perception the moment she left and took stock of their surroundings. Sadly, it resembled nothing so much more as an admissions office at a college. There were desks and reams of paper, scrolls and quills and ink, many of which were half used to make intake forms and requisition forms and all manner of bureaucratic paperwork. The other desks were similarly burdened, covered in work and looking sloppier than Felix might have expected. There was no one else there.

"This place is usually busier, right?" Atar asked.

"It does seem deserted." Alister glanced around. "Even if they’re not allowing guests aboard the islands, this feels strange.”

Tern shook his head. "It is. I've never known them to stop guests entirely."

"Something's happening," Zara said.

The bookshelf door clicked open, and far sooner than he expected, a Hobgoblin stepped out from behind it wearing robes that were entirely purple with faint white details. Corvelle was right behind him, her hands folded demurely. Hiraan Tiir, Master of the Violet Tower, swept his arms wide, throwing his dark purple sleeves into the air.

"My old friend, it is a joyous occasion that you've come back to us. I've heard reports from the dockmaster and now Corvelle. Is it true that you wish to join the Violet once more?"

"I do, and I would like to discuss the terms of that return."

"Certainly!” The Hobgoblin smiled through his white goatee. “But you left so suddenly! What has prompted this return?"

"A yearning for what once was. My projects languish in my absence. I cannot do all of the research I have done in the past, not from my house. I need the resources of a true laboratory once more.” Tern chuckled, and he was one hell of an actor. “You could say that curiosity and boredom are the cause for my return. Research is all that I've ever wanted to do, finding what once was and developing what could be.”

"I am glad to see the Tern of legend has returned!" Tiir laughed, and he seemed relieved, though his Spirit was closely guarded. "You have given us our greatest gifts time and again, old friend. I would be a fool to turn you away! I just do not wish you to return for the wrong reasons."

Felix watched the Tower Master carefully. He could feel the man's power from across the room. His emotions may have been held tight, but his presence oozed from him like a suffocating blanket across the entire chamber.

He thinks Tern has an angle. Felix watched the man and his secretary closely. Is he afraid the Oathbinding failed? Or just being cautious?

From what he remembered of Tern's experience leaving the Tower, his exit had been particularly fraught. Quick flashes of borrowed memory returned to him, unbidden, and for a moment, Felix was running down a hallway draped in purple tapestries, dodging the spells of his allies. He pushed them away, forcing his heartbeat to slow.

"I am quite sure of my actions, Tiir. I would like to prove that to you."

"Of course. What say we retire to my office? We can discuss exactly what is going through your Mind.” Tiir smiled broadly, his crimson skin crinkling at the corners of his eyes. “You no doubt noticed the strangeness today, with so few visitors on the islands. We’ve a large project to test that requires all hands on deck, so to speak. I have a glass to spare before I’ll be pulled away, I fear.”

"A glass should do nicely.” Tern gestured. "Lead the way."

The two of them swept out of the room without a single look back at the others. As the bookshelf door closed, leading presumably to the Tower Master's quarters, Corvelle took up a post before it and smiled at them.

"Hello, and welcome to the Violet Tower. I apologize for not saying so before, but it is not everyday a Grandmaster of Tern’s caliber returns to the fold!” She laughed airily. “While you wait, we have a chamber set with many amenities that is designed just for this occasion. If you could please follow me, I can show you where you can wait out your master's return."

Zara inclined her head. "Please.”

Corvelle led them into a short hallway lined with a series of open archways. They featured a big sitting room, a minor library, and even a dining room and something of a kitchen.

"Now, normally there would be dozens of other assistants here, each waiting on their masters as they met with Tower officials, but due to our current projects, you are the only occupants. Please make use of all of the amenities. There are some fruit and nuts over here, as well as a selection of beverages in the enchanted ice boxes. We've devised a grand spell for keeping things cold, at least for a few hours, before it has to be refreshed. It’s a marvel!” Corvelle smiled pleasantly at them all. “But that's enough from me. Please, sit, enjoy yourself, and we will be back with you as soon as possible."

She left, leaving the four of them standing awkwardly in the sitting room. Once they heard the far doors click shut, Atar picked a book off of a shelf and sat down. He flipped it open. "Oh! This is a copy of Oswick's Illumination."

"Uh-huh." Alister leaned through the archway, staring at the door as if he could peer through the wood. "I believe she is gone. Where’s the exit Tern mentioned?”

"Hmm. Through here." Zara was already at the far end of the sitting room, and she eased open another brass latch. Felix caught a glimpse of a polished hallway on the other side. "The way is clear."

"First edition," Atar said, waving the book.

"Atar," Alister chided, "now isn't the time for reading."

The fire mage looked scandalized. "It's always time for reading."

"Come then," Zara said, pushing open the door. "The sands fall swiftly. We cannot expect Tiir to be distracted for long."

Felix smiled and pushed Atar ahead of him. "Come on, buddy."

"All right, I'm going, but I am taking this," he said, pocketing the book.

yes. none can stop us!

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