I followed Miera and Tollor, the Guard Captain and his small squadron of guards, muttering to myself darkly about "boys and their toys" and "boys being boys" and if I ever found out that one of the children I was having was gonna be a boy then he's better have his suitcase ready for shipping off to a boarding school of my choice. Boys good grief they're more headstrong than a herd of mules on a hot day, being stung by wasps. Caught up in my own thoughts I nearly knocked myself out when I walked into the Guard Captain's armored back. Everyone had stopped so suddenly, and I hadn't even noticed. There straight in front of us stood a dark grey tower. Not the same colour as the rest of the Palace which was slightly off to the right, but seemingly thick slabs of granite, piled haphazardly on top of each other as if waiting to fall down in a heap, but somehow defying gravity and staying upright. A black roof mad of some undefinable material topped it off and I noted a few windows down the sides and as my eyes reached the bottom, there was a huge door, blackened wood, solid. Everyone continued to stand there looking at it so, in my frustration and ire with my brother, I marched pasted Tollor and the others and knocked hard on the door. Surprisingly the door echoed my knock loudly and I jumped to hear it. After a few seconds, I turned to Tollor and said "Looks like there's no-one home, we'll have to come back later." Tollor blinking at me and grinned, "Yes ok Midgit, turn the handle." I did as I was bid and the door swung open with little or no effort from me. In shock I scooted back to Tollor, who laughed and caught my hand gently. "That'll teach you, my lady." he whispered whilst Miera smiled at me encouragingly. "I would never have done that." she said, and with that our friendship was sealed. Miera and Tollor went through the doors first followed by me and then the guards. They had their weaponry at the ready and we all walked slowly through the doors and waited whilst the guards checked out the open anti-room. They found nothing and as one we turned towards the staircase spiralling out of sight above us. Tollor went first this time, followed by Miera and then me. I'm sure that whomever was waiting for us knew we were on our way as the sound of my teeth chattering in the silence gave us away. My heart was pounding and I could feel my magic swirling and gathering, begging for release at our unknown tower squatter. I was excited, terrified, excited, nervous, but, mostly excited. I was beginning to pick up the energies of someone or something above us. It was agitated, the feeling of it ready to jump out of the shadows and pick us off one by one assaulted my senses, I knew though that it was not actually capable of this, it was projecting onto me. I smiled and pushed back tentatively, just to let whatever it was know I was not afraid of it. Tollor stopped and looked at me, "What did you do?" he demanded. I told him and he bent down beside me, looking grim but with a gentleness in his eyes to take away the sting. "It knows your power is new, it knows you are strong and it is weak, it is looking for a weakness in you, and so a way to get to us. Shut yourself off from it." "It doesn't feel threatening Tollor, its scared. It wants to go home." I replied. "You now this how, Midgit, it told you?" I nodded. He put his hand on my shoulder and said "Never believe what you can't see, and even then use rational thought to help you decide what it is you must do. These are all lessons I will teach you, but for now you must follow my lead." I nodded miserably, feeling foolish and stupid, just like my brother oft told me. Miera held my hand and whispered "Its ok, I believed in it too." As we neared the top of the staircase, my hair began to fizz out as if electricity was charging the air itself, which it was in a way. Whatever was behind the door was waiting and it hadn't prepared a tea party to welcome us with.....
