Rebirth

Chapter 12: The Tower on the Island

The planning took longer than I expected it to. Beowulf and I had to cover each and every blind spot the island had. The designs he managed to get a hold of- which I never thought to question - was the complete outline of the entire complex. The sail itself would take us a few days to get there, by that point, who knows how different the tower could be. The cells were supposed to be underneath the tower, and the special holding areas, where they likely kept the more important prisoners, was towards the top.

The route there was expected to be heavily guarded, by the best of the Guardians men. That's where the tricky bit would come in. As I am now, I couldn't expect myself to be able to smash through their ranks, no problem. I'd need to prepare myself, increase my magic abilities. The issue is, I don't have much time.

It was the second night since we left. The ship rocked slowly on the waves of the ocean, and the moon peered down overhead. Beowulf was fast asleep on his hammack, snoring loudly. Cynthia was above him, pillow over her head. Sansas, to my surprise, was wide awake, checking our medical supplies and food. Along with us, there were a two other nameless wolves. Guess they didn't want to be left out of the fun.

The ship had it's own library I've spent most of the past two days in. There was plenty of books on the Guardians. The group was led by a man who goes by Eridon. No one has ever seen his face, and he always moved in the shadows of his cult. He was a powerful mage, capable of bringing entire armies to their knees. His goal wasn't outlined with much detail, it was a hassle to at least find that bit, but I managed to learn more about the group itself. It was a bunch of nobodies, people no one would know, low common criminals, exiled generals and the list goes on. They've used magic to no avail, taking what they want, whenever they want it.

The more I thought about the readings, the less sleep I got. The following morning, I was standing on the deck of the ship. My eyelids were heavy, and it felt like I was going to pass out and fall over the edge of the ship. The heat of the sun somewhat kept me awake, and the occasionally splashes of water kept me from slipping from consciousness.

"Here," Beowulf said, handing me a drink.

I took the cup and drunk slowly, swallowing in a big gulp. "Thanks..." I said, wiping my lips. "How do you feel?"

"Stronger, much better." He said. "That rest was something I definitely needed." He chuckled.

"Glad you're better." I said, sipping again. We stood there in a moment of silence, watching the waves dance gently by the boat. After a while, Beowulf let out a loud groan, and grabbed my shoulders. "Fight with me."

"Wait what?"

"I need to spar with you! I need to improve myself." He said, gripping tighter. "I can help you understand your magic limits too."

"Whoa, slow down, Beo. Are you sure about that? I mean, what if you're not at the top of your game.. Hell, I'm falling asleep myself."

"Please Justin!" He begged. I stared at him, thinking about the offer. Sighing, I nodded and the two of us moved to the middle of the boat. Looking around, I made notice of how much space we had so I would be sure not to accidently push him off. It was a fairly large boat, about twice the size of a fishing boat.

We stretched a little, then raced at one another, fist slamming at the knuckles. I leapt over him, but Beowulf grabbed my leg, and I slammed face first into the wooden deck. Ignoring the pain and embarrassment, I used my hands to flip up right, and gain some distance between us. As he got close, I ducked under his fist, striking back with a heavy uppercut that sent him flipping and tumbling onto the floor. "Ow.. Quick reflexes. Nice." He stood, wiping his chin. "You're too slow though."