4) Crow's Tower

Among the northern islands of Mymir was an isle that was more like a giant rock than an island. No Palmen could make a living here. The place was barely big enough for a medium sized house, let alone a farm and the closest island was a good hour away by boat, too far for a fisherman to live comfortably.

 

Yes, no Palmen could live there comfortably, but a bird Amilas tribe could and did.

 

This isle was called Crow's Tower. It was the home of Grayson, king of the northern bird Amilas, elected Lord of Birds of all Mymir. The tower was twenty-five levels high, the lowest two carved out of the rock of the isle. It was by far the tallest building in all Mymir and was created five hundred years ago by a Balance of Powers before the Adept queen had been forced to stay in Kincur.

 

There were no doors in the tower and there were no stairs. This was a place made for birds, not for the wingless. No Palmen had ever been there and what few flightless guests that did visit had to be carried by Amilas birds.

 

Instead of doors and stairs Crow's Tower had balconies. Every floor had at least four balconies. Most of them were small, barely big enough for one or two people to stand on. The more heavily trafficked levels had large balconies that ten birds could spread their wings and still have plenty of room. Some of the larger balconies wrap halfway around the wide tower.

 

The largest balcony was on the top floor. It was a complete wrap-around balcony. The top level was the Lord of Birds' reception hall and private chambers. Lord Grayson was pacing in front of the door to his rooms on the balcony as night fell three days after Mirina entered the Wis jungle. His closest advisors, a falcon named Jink and a canary named Carmon, watched him.

 

“Maybe we should go inside, Gray,” Carmon said. She was a skinny woman with long, bright yellow hair and equally bright yellow wings. She was barely taller than the elbows of the men she was with. She loved sun dresses and wore them over skin tight body suits in the winter. “The wind is getting chill. You can pace and fume inside as well as out here.”

 

“She has a point,” Jink said softly. He was tall and dark and had a love for the color brown and all it's shades. His skin was as dark as his deep brown feathers and his hair was black. His eyes were a dark brown that looked black when he got worked up. He wore his usual outfit of light brown, button up shirt, dark brown pants and black leather boots. He was normally a silent man, but he tended to talk more around his closest friends. “It would also be nice to know what you are fuming about in the first place.”

 

The crow stopped in his tracks and looked up at the clear sky. He didn't really know why he was fuming. His black eyes searched the skies for something that could be bothering him. He pushed his blue-black hair out of his face, annoyance itched on his handsome face. His black wings flicked and twitched. His hands gripped the rail until his knuckles were white as bone. A few times before he had felt this agitation and not known why, and each time something big had happened.

 

His sharp eyes spotted something in the sky that was moving with all speed toward his tower. He moved back from the rail to let the huge finch land on the balcony. The bird was about ten times bigger than it's animal counterpart, but was much smaller than himself or Jink in bird form. The bird shifted and dropped to one knee.

 

“I am Mark, one of Nalin's scouts,” he said. Nalin was one of Carmon's intelligence agents who was in charge of spying on the Palmen emperor in the south. “She sent me to give you puzzling news, my lord.”

 

“Then quiet groveling and speak it,” Gray snapped.

 

The finch turned his confused gaze to Carmon.

 

She shrugged and said, “He's bugging out, so just do what he says and ignore his tone.”

 

The finch nodded and stood. “First of all, we have finally gotten close enough to the palace to hear the gossip.”

 

Gray smiled wickedly. After ten years of waiting and moving carefully he had ears in his enemy's palace.

 

“We have heard rumors that the emperor's daughter has gone missing. Again, according to our information.”

 

Gray looked surprised. “Hisdin would let his daughter go missing?”

 

“According to the gossip, she is a failure,” the scout told him. “She doesn't obey, doesn't listen, doesn't fall in line. The emperor has been trying for the last years to sire a new child so she would not inherit, but he is far beyond his prime and that is probably not going to happen. He has been trying to marry her off, but she keeps disappearing.”

 

Carmon giggled. “She sounds like fun.”

 

“The emperor's advisers have been thinking about killing her, but the emperor threatens them with a slow, painful death if they try anything,” the finch continued. “It seems, even though she is a great disappointment, that he wants her alive.”

 

“Smart,” Jink said quietly.

 

“Have you learned anything about the attack on Amilas?” Gray asked.

 

Mark shook his head. “I'm sorry, my lord. The emperor's heir is the only thing everyone at the palace is talking about. Everyone is too busy complaining about her bleeding heart and short comings to talk of the military.”

 

“What's she look like?” Carmon asked.

 

“No one knows. The only ones who know what she looks like are the emperor and his advisors. No one else seems to know what she looks like. All the gossips know about her is what they hear the advisor complain about.” He shrugged. “The only complement the advisors give her is that she's pretty.”

 

Gray tucked all the information into the back of his mind to go over later. He knew he could use the wayward princess somehow. “Is that all you have to report?”

 

“No, my lord,” the scout said. “A few days before the rumors of the princess' disappearance started, a woman in a black cloak was seen in a one man row boat heading for Wis Island. Nalin ordered me to follow her, and I did. The woman left her boat at Cliff McRenis' dock and left his home a little before noon. She entered the jungle and the next morning she was confronted by a cat Amilas patrol. She said her name was Mirina and that she was an Imperial Knight on vacation and heading north.”

 

“An Imperial Knight entered the Wis Tribe's jungle?” Gray asked. “She must be a fool.”

 

“The strange thing is that the patrol took her to their village. I was forced to stop following her when she entered, but I know they took her to King Dyson.”

 

“Really?” Gray's curiosity got the better of him again. “What else do you know about her?”

 

“She is only a little taller than Miss Carmon. Her hair is as red as fire and her skin is pure white. I didn't get a good look at her eyes but I think they are green. She carries with her a scythe. The weapon looks fearsome, a staff of black wood with a sharp, curved silver blade. A large diamond is embedded in the tip of the staff above the blade and she carries it expertly. She dresses plainly, but well. She moves easily even in the thick undergrowth of the jungle. She is also very honest and charming. In a matter of hours she had captured the trust and affection of her escort.”

 

“Who was her escort?” Jink asked, as curious as his king.

 

“That is one of the most amazing things,” the finch said. “The patrol was lead by Arim, one of the Lord of Beasts' most trusted advisors. His younger sister lives with the Wis Tribe and he is renowned for being suspicious and cautious. He was practically smitten with her before they even got to the village. A set of tiger twins, Bin and Fin, was with them and they like her ever much as well.”

 

Gray started to pace again. He knew that the emperor's daughter's disappearance was somehow connected to the Imperial Knight on Wis Island and that both would have some kind of large affect on his world. Since he couldn't find the princess without knowing what she looked like, he decided to concentrate on the knight. After all, they couldn't be the same woman. Hisdin's daughter would be just like him and would probably have inherited his hatred of the Amilas people.

 

“Carmon, I want you to go to Wis Island and follow her,” Gray ordered. “I don't care how yu do it, just do it. I want to know every little thing about her. Take Mark with you to bring reports back to me. Can you do that, Mark?”

 

The finch nodded earnestly. “Yes, my lord. It will be an honor.”

 

“I want you to be on your way by dawn.”

 

After the scout flew away, Gray relaxed a little. He had found the cause of his agitation and he was doing something about it. He looked to the south, in the direction the red haired knight was.

 

“Oh, dear,” Carmon whispered to Jink. “I've seen that look before.”

 

Jink sighed. “He's going to be obsessed with this Mirina.”

 

“Yup.” the canary nodded gravely. “I hope he doesn't do something he'll regret later.”

 

The falcon shrugged. “He'll probably just kidnap her when she gets close enough.”

 

Carmon gasped and punched his arm. “Shh! Don't give him any ideas!”

 

“He's not listening,” Jink said simply. “He is miles away, daydreaming of the pretty knight.”

 

Carmon giggled and followed her companion as he lead her to the lower levels. She was slightly worried about Gray, but she knew he would be alright. She hoped he wouldn't do anything drastic, but that was probably what the Lord of Birds was doing.

 

Both advisors were right. Gray was thinking of the Imperial Knight and he was trying to think of a way to meet her, to find out what sort of impact she will have on his life. He needed more information.

 

He wished he was the one following her, but he was needed here. The best he could do was send his best spy. He trusted Carmon to get him every piece of information about her that was possible.

 

He went inside an hour after the moon rose. He slept fitfully, plagued by strange dreams. The only things he remembered from his dreams were kind moss-colored eyes and silky flame-red hair.

Author's Note

Heehee. Poor Lordling. So tormented.
^_^