“I should have dearly liked to have spoken with the Eletians,” Merdigen said. “And seen Sir Karigan again. It’s bad luck I missed them.” He brightened upon learning Alton had sent the additional Riders on to the other towers.

“That is wonderful news,” Merdigen said. “My fellow tower mages will be most delighted, and it should prove useful as well.”

“And what did you and the others decide about Tower of the Earth?”

“After numerous arguments and discussions, with some breaks for ale—Booreemadhe is a very good brewer—we concluded that Tower of the Earth must be entered. By you and me. It’s the only way to get answers.”

“What?” Alton said. “You tried getting in there before, but couldn’t.”

“Very true. I took the long route that time and found too many broken bridges. But, there is one other possibility, my boy. It is not the safest approach, but it is the only one that remains to us.”

“And what would that be?”

Merdigen looked distinctly uneasy. “You must carry the tempes stone to Tower of the Earth.”

Alton, Estral, and Dale set out for Tower of the Earth the following morning, a raw, gray day hinting at the rain to come. He needed Estral because her singing would allow him to pass through the tower wall, and he needed Dale so she could provide a buffer against Estral’s emotions. Also in case something untoward befell him.

Swaddled in a blanket deep in one of his saddlebags was the tempes stone. Alton had not known the stone could be removed from its pedestal, but it lifted from the depression that cradled it with no resistance. It was heavy and smooth in his hands, rather like an oversized egg of green tourmaline. The whole time Alton held the stone and packed it, Merdigen fretted and chewed on his fingernails.

“Don’t drop it! Don’t drop it!” he told Alton. “If it chips or cracks—no! I can’t even think it.”

“Calm down,” Alton said, “I’ll take good care of it.”

Merdigen stared at him with an intensity Alton hadn’t witnessed before. “It is not just a pretty stone you’ve got there, boy, it’s what allows me to exist. It contains my essence, who I am. My knowledge, everything.”

Alton had swallowed hard, finally comprehending the significance of what he held wrapped in the blanket. “I swear to you, Merdigen, I’ll see that the stone remains unharmed.”

Merdigen nodded. “You do that, boy.” And then resigned to his fate, he vanished, and that was the last Alton had heard from him.

Merdigen was willing to risk his very existence to see the condition of Tower of the Earth. He’d put his trust in Alton to deliver him safely, and Alton hoped it wasn’t misplaced.

As if picking up on his thoughts as they plodded at a walk to rest the horses, Dale said, “Do you think Merdigen can tell he’s riding in a saddlebag, or is he just asleep until he gets to the tower?”

Alton smiled. At least Dale talked to him. Estral remained silent and gloomy and he missed her melodious voice and laughter with unexpected intensity.

“You’ll have to ask Merdigen yourself,” he replied, “because I have no idea.”

“I will never understand these tower mages,” Dale said, “or what they are, exactly.”

“Magical spirits,” Estral said. “Like those in the wall, but manifested as individuals.”

Dale and Alton gawked at her, but she rode on as if she hadn’t said anything extraordinary. That she spoke at all was startling enough.

“Merdigen said something like that before,” Dale commented. “But is a magical spirit a living soul?”

This time Estral appeared deep in thought and did not respond. Alton could only shrug. It sounded like a question for a moon priest. They picked up their pace to a trot. There was still a way to go yet.

It was drizzling by the time they reached the tower and they immediately tended to the horses and set up camp. Estral stowed her gear in Dale’s tent and Alton sighed at the prospect of another night alone.

Afterward the three stood together beneath the deepening sky with their hoods drawn.

“Might as well get started,” Alton said.

“I will not expose my lute to the rain,” Estral said.

“I’m sure if you play it in the tent it won’t offend the guardians any,” he replied.

She only nodded, the hood obscuring her expression.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go in with you?” Dale asked. “You need someone to watch your back for that . . . that thing in there.”

“It will be easier for me to shield just myself from the tower defenses. And I need you out here. In case anything goes wrong. If I’m not back out in, say, a couple hours, go to Garth in Tower of the Trees. If something happens to me, there is a chance Merdigen is fine. He may find a way to communicate with Mad Leaf, but from what he says about broken bridges, it doesn’t seem likely.”

They stood in dismal silence for many moments staring at the tower.

“I guess I’ll go then,” he said. But before he was two steps away, Estral grabbed him and hugged him.

“You will come back,” she said fiercely.

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his cheek into her hair. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Good. I’ll play for hours if need be.” She pulled away and glowered at him. “I don’t need to lose you, too.” And she strode toward her tent.