The Undying God Read Online Free Page B

up her mind, she had already
reached the tower entrance.
    I’m just going to peek inside ,
she thought. The guards only glanced at the young woman as she
pushed open the great double doors to Tythoril. She stepped inside
the vacant tower and took in the melancholy chamber. The doors
groaned ominously and snapped shut, eclipsing the tower in
darkness. The bang echoed like a cacophony of thunder, stealing her
will to call out Arxu’s name.
    She approached the staircase awaiting
her. With each step, her eyes roamed across the interior design.
Alcoves in the walls cradled statues of robed women. She almost
lost her footing as she marveled at the sights. Immersed up to her
neck in darkness, the fragile light of evening peeped through the
windows and reflected in her eyes. Nishka walked through several
levels within the tower, but there was no sign of the elusive Arxu.
She was beginning to think the confused beggar sent her in the
wrong direction. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a figure in the
shadows.
    “Arxu!” Nishka called. Her legs
pumping, she burst into a small chamber jeweled with elaborate rose
windows. Dozens of figures were gathered in the room, each of them
made of stone. Nishka curiously wandered among the hooded statues
embracing swords in their hands. They resembled a secret order
forgotten in the recesses of Tythoril, no more than a memory in
stone now.
    It seemed as though an eternity had
passed by the time she reached the pinnacle. And within the opulent
room, she saw her bodyguard surveying the sky from a
balcony.
    “Arxu, what are you doing here?” Nishka
exclaimed. Arxu looked over his shoulder. “We have to
leave!”
    “You have come all this way. You won’t
even observe the city?”
    “I don’t have time, Arxu! The guards—”
Arxu turned his back to her, looking again at the view afforded to
him. Nishka approached the edge of the balcony and peered below.
She felt a little delirious as she looked down on the city. The
buildings below were miniscule, a mosaic of architecture splendid
in every aspect. She rested her hands on the balcony and devoured
the view with excitement. At last, she swayed away from the
sight.
    “We must go,” she whispered. Without
another word, Arxu turned away as twilight receded.
     
    * * *
     
    Nishka crawled into her bedroll and
settled against the warm blankets. After enduring hours of travel,
the only feeling she acknowledged was aching bones. Her pain seemed
to dissolve in a swathe of warm blankets as she nestled against the
covers. Her mind was exhausted from the events of the day and she
wanted nothing more than to lose herself in oblivion. She and Arxu
had set up camp by a lush forest.
    The sky above resembled dark satin,
beckoning Nishka to gaze into its infinite space. The stars were
few but they were beautifully inset in the darkness like precious
gems beyond mortal reach. She couldn’t help but imagine what lay
far beyond Riverwell as she admired the heavens.
    She wondered where her travels across
Eyegad would eventually take her. Would the city-states
fundamentally change her? Would she decide to leave Riverwell and
find a home in the cities?
    She admitted that she didn’t have any
plans for her future. She was still searching for her life’s
purpose. Living among the cities appealed to a small part of her
that hungered for a greater experience. Her opportunities were
limited in Riverwell; her father especially acknowledged this. She
would have weeks to decide where life would take her before she
returned home.
    Crickets chirped tranquilly in the
dark, their song lacking a distinct harmony. The requiem of sleep
lured Nishka to leave the world behind.
    She cast a final look at Arxu as he
lingered by the edge of the camp, gazing vacantly into space. He
seemed captivated by the sky above him, but there was also
something restless about his demeanor.
    “Aren’t you going to sleep?” Nishka
asked.
    Arxu looked at her blankly.
    “No.” Nishka shuddered