Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Eight - Towerhidden

The Beaver circled around the tower. Not just to bleed off some speed, but because it let us snoop at the big tower and its surroundings, in case some not-so-neighbourly sorts of people were waiting to ambush us.

That was mostly Bastion’s concern.

I was looking forward to meeting the cry living in the tower.

Or maybe it would be more accurate to say the cry that made up the tower.

The entire top was a mushrooming cap of angular, bluish crystal, growing out and over the upper edge of the cylindrical tower. Every few meters around there were some arrow slits, but they were filled with jutting bits of blue crystal.

“Looks clear,” Bastion said.

“Same from this side!” Joe called out from where he was hanging off the other deck.

Clive spun the wheel a little, then gently pushed one of the levers back up. The engine’s constant droning hum stilled, the Beaver slowing down a bunch. Finally, we started to rock a bit in the air. Without constant momentum pulling us ahead, and with the ship’s centre of gravity being somewhat high, we had a tendency to sway a bit.

“We’ll get him settled, then come down a little until we can drop anchor,” Clive said. “We’ll be keeping our nose south.”

I looked out ahead of the ship. “Isn’t that the direction we came from?” I asked the obvious.

“Yes, and it’s a direction in which we didn’t see any adversaries,” Bastion said. “Good thinking, Clive.”

“Not my idea,” the old harpy said. “Just some old common sense that’s been shared around.”

With a whud, the anchor dropped onto the sandy ground around the oasis, Clive tugged back on a lever and the Beaver lowered down until the keep was hovering just a couple of metres over the ground.

“Who wants to go down first?” I asked as I kicked the rope ladder down. It unfurled with a clatter and rattled against the hull before settling down.

“Go ahead,” Amaryllis said. “This isn’t some unexplored land, so I hardly see any great glory in being the first to set their talon down.”

I grinned and climbed down the ladder until I was a rung away from the earth. “That's one small step for a bun, one giant leap for bunkind.”

“Broccoli, what on Dirt are you talking about?” Amaryllis asked.

I looked up to see her half-contorted around to stare at me. “I’m having fun,” I said as I jumped back.

Soon, all of my friends were gathered in the shade cast by the airship and its big balloon. Moonie didn’t take the ladder, on account of having no hands or legs or limbs at all, and just floated down to hover next to us.

“Okay! Moonie, is there a proper way to greet a cry you haven’t met before?” I asked.

“It’s customary to trade one’s full name, guest first. Other than that, there aren’t any customs I can think of, no,” the cry said.

Just because Moonie couldn’t think of any customs, didn’t mean that there weren’t any. After spending so long on Dirt and meeting so many new people, I’d come to expect them to behave strangely compared to what I was used to.

“Let’s go say hi then,” I said after translating what Moonie had said. “And let’s try to remember to be polite!”

“Why were you looking at me when you said that?” Amaryllis asked.

“Coincidence?”

“You do know I’m the only one here with any sort of diplomatic training,” she said.

“Awa, I have some,” Awen said. “It’s part of being a lady.”

“As do I,” Bastion adds. “Paladins often escort diplomats, and royalty, for that matter.”

I tapped my chin. “Well, I don’t have an education in being diplomatic, but I have convinced dragons not to eat villages, made deals with nobles of different countries, befriended princesses, and I can be real convincing sometimes.”

Amaryllis pouted, which really didn’t suit her.

“But, uh, I’m sure you’re really good too, Amaryllis,” I said.

“Oh, stop it,” she mumbled. “Let’s go say hello to the sentient rock.”

I shared a look with Awen, and we both giggled quietly before following Amaryllis.

The tower was pretty impressive from the ground, an imposing brick pillar that rose up twice as tall as the Beaver, balloon and all. The bricks around it were shaved on the outside, giving the tower a smooth look, at least where they weren’t bulging out a little.

The closer I got, the more I noticed the cracks and broken sections of the tower. For all that it was very impressively built, it was less-impressively maintained.

“Where’s the door?” I asked.

“There’s an opening there,” Awen said as she pointed to the side. “I saw it on the way down.”

We walked around the base, giving the tower a fair amount of distance, in case some bit of it chose that moment to come tumbling down to bonk one of us on the head. When we reached the door, we all paused, no one taking the first step.

“Whelp, nothing for it!” I cheered as I bounced ahead. The door was a solid plank of wood, with some iron reinforcements across it giving it strength.

I knocked, of course.

“Hello! My name is Broccoli, and I’m here with some friends. Is anyone home?”

There was a long moment of silence before a bong like someone firing a rifle at a gong sounded out. “Who are you?”

I folded my bun ears way back, shielding them from the noise. “Uh, hi! I’m Broccoli, Broccoli Bunch. Captain of the Beaver Cleaver. These are my friends.” I gestured behind me, assuming that the cry that had spoken could see up somewhat.

Amaryllis caught on first and stepped up with a slight bow. She presented herself, then Awen did the same, and finally Bastion.

Moonie hovered closer to the tower, and even though the cry was expressionless, I could feel some trepidation bleeding off of it. “Greetings, great one. I am a Shard of Mountaintopper’s Growth, Fourth Shard, and not Yet Whole. We come in peace, to share our song.”

Stepping back a bit, I shared Moonie’s words with the others.

“Can you understand the... tower as well?” Amaryllis asked.

“It’s a bit loud, but yeah,” I replied.

On cue, the tower chimed again. “I am Towerhidden.”

No elaborate name, and no mention of titles and shards. Maybe that was because it had a proper name?

Moonie seemed reluctant to speak, so I grinned up to the tower and tried to look as friendly as I could manage with my neck straining back. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Towerhidden. You have a very nice tower. Is it your home?”

“It is,” Towerhidden replied. The pride in its voice was obvious, and also very loud. I stumbled back a bit, then worked my jaw to stop the ringing.

“Cool, cool. Um. We came here to bring Moonie to safety. They’re a cry from the Crying Mountains who are being chased by other, much ruder cry.”

“And what crime did they commit?”

I glanced at Moonie, looking for a sign that the cry wanted me to answer that for them. Instead, they hovered closer. “We were born broken, too independent. I... I am me. Too much so.”

“I see. Not an uncommon thing. And the one who helped you escape?”

“Couldn’t Moonie escape on their own?” I asked.

“No. They are too weak.”

I frowned. That was rude. It might maybe have been right, but it was still rude.

“Shard of Waterwatches Compassion, Third Split and One Whole. They saw our plight, and nurtured us in the mountain. When it became clear that we would be unable to grow into a proper cry, they assisted us, bringing me to the Grey Wall, and hiring this soft one and her crew.”

“We know of Shard of Waterwatches Compassion, Third Split and One Whole. They have brought many to this island.”

“And no one is stopping them?” I asked.

Moonie shook from side to side. “It is their compassion that leads them to act that way. Though they are only just whole, they are acting upon their progenitor’s instinct to protect and save. No cry can fault them, even if they disagree.”

That was... well, it was weird. The cry really didn’t think the way a human would.

“I suppose I only have to welcome you to the Lonely Island then. It is a quiet place on most days. The Monocorn graze to the north, and to the north and west is a small settlement of soft ones. Perhaps, if you wish, you may station yourself there to grow. They can be quite agreeable.”

Moonie shifted. “I... I do like soft ones. Perhaps I will. Thank you for the welcome, Towerhidden.”

Was that it? Moonie didn’t need to eat, and they didn’t need clothes and such, so were we just going to leave them here?

“I must know. Were you followed on your way here?” Towerhidden asked.

“Just out of the Grey Wall,” I said. “Some cry in rocket-powered planes attacked us. Other than that, though, no, I don’t think we were followed.”

“You may want to reconsider that.”

I spun around and looked to the south, ears bouncing back up straight as I squinted at the horizon and looked for... anything, really. There were some clouds, but nothing visible. “I can’t see anything.”

“See what?” Bastion asked as he turned.

“Towerhidden implies that we were followed,” I said.

“My sight is greater than your own, soft one,” Towerhidden chimed in. “There are ships coming, three of them.”

“What do they look like?” I asked.

“I do not know much of the ships small ones use, but there are trailing great gouts of black smoke.”

“Rocket-powered airships?” I asked. That sounded... really terrible.

“We should go,” Bastion said.

“Right,” I said. “Uh, this feels wrong, just leaving.”

Moonie bobbed up and down, then paused. “Would... would I be asking too much to come with you? Only as far as the settlement to the north? Perhaps if I am seen leaving the ship, they will not chase you.”

“I can assist,” Towerhidden said. “I do not want my location being divulged, but I can still assist. Reach Mistrust, and you will find aid waiting for you.”

“Mistrust?” I asked.

“The town of soft ones to the north. Go. I don’t wish the shards from the Crying Mountains around my tower.”

I looked at my friends, then gestured to the Beaver. “We should get going,” I said.

“One moment,” Towerhidden said. “Shard of Mountaintopper’s Growth, Fourth Shard, and not Yet Whole, I have something which I wish to give you. A missive to be passed on.”

I gestured for my friends to go. I could catch up. And I sorta wanted to snoop into the tower while I was here.

I didn’t get to see much. The door opened, and within was a cavern-like space, lined with bluish crystals that reflected light from every direction like an unmoving kaleidoscope. Moonie moved in, and I heard the tower hum and chime, but I couldn’t understand anything for a moment. Just as quickly as they entered, Moonie was out with a scroll, of all things, hovering next to them.

“Got everything?” I asked.

“I do,” Moonie said.

“Neat! Bye, Towerhidden! I’d give you a goodbye hug, but I don’t have time to go all the way around and hug you equally.”

“I fail to understand.”

“That’s okay too,” I said. Poor Towerhidden. Didn’t know what he was missing. “Stay safe!”

I sprinted back to the Beaver. The crew, my friends, were already running around and getting the airship ready to take off.

Hopefully this next stretch of the adventure wouldn’t hurt our ship any more than it had been already. I hopped a few times, then bounced up and onto the deck. “Alright everyone! Let’s get ready to set sail!”

“That’s what we’re doing, you unobservant idiot,” Amaryllis said.

“Oh, right.”

***