High in the Grey Tower

Chapter One

The life of a knight was exhausting. The long hours spent training, doing chores, generally being chivalrous was enough to work a man to his grave. It wasn't all that unlikely, being a hazard of the job and whatnot. The knights rose before the Sun and went to bed long after it had set. They worked their bodies beyond the point of exhaustion and fresh hands grew calloused mere days into such rigorous activity.

Ruth sighed.

He didn't have such a glamorous title of "Knight of Remdragon," but he did have the unfortunate task of healing the bumbling fools whenever they pushed themselves too far and got injured. He was also tasked with accompanying the knights on their expeditions, no matter how far, all he could do was respond with a dejected sigh and bow his head in agreement.

Riftan Calypse had that effect on people.

"Are you trying to work Anatol's wizard half to death, my Lord?"

Riftan shot him a steely look over his shoulder. As if that was response enough, the giant man turned sharply on his heel and, whether on purpose or not, slammed the door to the library behind him.

Ruth rubbed his temples and exhaled sharply. The Lord's request was not unreasonable, per se, but it was still a thorn in Ruth's side. Ever since Lady Calypse left for the Wizard Tower, Riftan's already somber attitude seemed to deepen multitudes further. In fact, the dark circles under Riftan's eyes were beginning to rival Ruth's.

Luckily, Ruth had been anticipating this from the Lord. On one hand, he was hoping Riftan would be merciful and allow him to stay at the castle this time, but on the other hand, Ruth knew that he was a vital piece of the puzzle for the expedition to return successfully. He turned to the piles of parchment that were slowly accumulating on the great oak desk before him. Slowly leafing through them, he was able to pick up a piece of parchment with clumsily scrawled letters.

If the time comes -- you'll find me in the Below.

Ruth carefully folded the parchment and placed it in his pocket. Internally berating the cryptic message, he quickly extinguished the fire that desperately hung onto life. After tucking a few more pieces of parchment back into their places in the stack on the desk, Ruth surveyed the library one last time. Once he had confirmed that none of the precariously stacked expensive books would topple over in his absence, he exited the moonlit library, making his way towards his tower.

The cool night air nipped at his cheeks and knuckles as he unlocked the tower and climbed to the top. Through the sparse windows in the tower, Ruth paused and glanced at the full moon and bit his cheek, deep in thought. Is it really appropriate to go to this person after all this time?

He shook off the notion and let out a yawn as he continued up the stairs. Determined to sleep in a comfortable bed at least one night before leaving, he collapsed face down and immediately drifted off to sleep.

•••

The next morning, Ruth rose groggily. Lazily, he lifted one hand to his eye and rubbed aggressively, as if trying to polish away the deep darkness living underneath his grey eyes. The other hand stretched back as far as he could manage, popping the kinks in his spine as he did so. He frowned to himself, wondering why he always reminded himself what a pleasure it was to sleep on a mattress before going to sleep on the cold, hard ground. However, the thought was fleeting, and soon the wizard propped himself up.

He quickly grabbed his leather sack and stuffed as many supplies as he could fit inside and manage to carry for the long journey. Manastones, herbs, flints, bandages... Ruth lifted the bag in his left hand and weighed it for a moment before haphazardly throwing in a spare set of clothes. Satisfied with his packing job, he descended the tower and made his way towards the training grounds.

The Sun was still nowhere to be seen, and it was as if no time had passed since the time he went to bed to when he woke up this morning. Ruth stuck out his lower lip as he felt the dewy grass sink beneath his light steps. He stole a glance in each direction before stooping down to caress the damp grass with his long, thin fingers. He savored the feeling and grounded his thoughts. There wouldn't be anything like this where they were going.

The knights were bustling about, preparing horses and Ruth weaved his way between the large men. His silver hair glinted in the light of the dawn as the Sun started the peak its way out over the horizon. The deep grey of the knights' meticulously shined armor reflected light back and forth and bounced around into Ruth's eyes as he strode towards the stables.

The attendant quickly handed him the reins to his horse and scuttled away to deal with the rest of the knights. Ruth crumpled his nose at the stench of the barn; it was nothing like the soothing smell of parchment he had grown accustomed to since the War. Ruth clicked his touch and led his horse into the back of the ranks. The space was limited, so he lightly stepped around to avoid his foot being crushed by a horse's hoof.

"Wizard," a deep voice boomed from the front of the ranks. Ruth let out a lengthy sigh, a habit formed from his endless years of weariness, and trudged to meet Riftan at the front of the ranks. "You're sure this will be worth our while? Is she..." Riftan's dark eyes gleamed as he pondered their current situation. Ruth didn't need him to complete his sentence and nodded, but his eyes were downcast.

To be honest, Ruth had no idea what to expect from this expedition. They took a skeleton crew, not enough to be an army, but enough knights to be formidable enough to deter petty looting or ambushes. No one had ever been to the Below before. Even the mighty Knights of Remdragon were restless with apprehension. But, there was lengthy research conducted by Ruth and Riftan had gathered as much information as he could from passing merchants and Lords that lived deep in the South.

"I'll have to remind you, my Lord, I haven't heard word from her since..." Ruth trailed off at the end of his sentence, almost in disgust. Riftan shot him a piercing glare, but it immediately softened when he noticed the wizard's glassy eyes. "I'm confident in her abilities."

Sensing that the conversation had ended and there would be no use in prodding, Riftan stuck out his chin and barked orders as the knights prepared the embark. The servants of the castle gathered in the gardens and waved them off as they embarked on their journey. The morning mist was slowly starting to rise with the Sun and the image of Castle Calypse faded into the distance like a mirage.