The Tower

Chapter5:
The Tower

Set in the field of Nothingness,

No slave to passing hour,

Stands tall and silent, all alone,

The great Discordian Tower.

      Kriss found herself slowly climbing to her feet just to take it all in. The tower stretched high into the sky, taller than any tree she had ever seen. Even taller than the Great Willow that Father had shown her when she was around Elly's age. The structure was made out of a type of stone she had never seen before; it was black and shiny as if giant hands had spent the day polishing it to a near perfect sheen. Little slits of windows ran around the walls until about halfway up where they got much larger and ornate. Near top Kriss could make out balconies and sentry stations and on the very top, through the crenelations, she could just make out guards clad in dark blue mail; they shimmered in the sunlight like fish in a stream.

      Glancing around her, she stood in a lawn ringed with a low wall of stone. Off to one side of the tower stood wooden dummies for weapons training. Stretching around the wall of stone, forming a larger ring was a wall of trees, the beginning of a forest thick and dark. She did not remember walking through such dense underbrush. “And where”, she thought, looking up at the clear, blue sky, “did all the snow go to?” Like a shadow her sister slipped up to her and took her hand. The two of them stood silently for a while just taking it all in.

      “Welcome home,” Kem's voice startled both of them and they turned to find her standing there with the hood of her robe pulled up, hiding most of her face. Other than her they were alone on the carefully manicured lawn. Kem had two bundles of blue cloth in her hands which she held out to each of them. “These are yours now. Put them on.” A proud smile crept across her face. Kriss was about to object when her sister reached out and took one, admiring the rich texture with her hands. She looked silently up at Kriss who sighed once and took a robe of her own which she slipped quickly over her head. The fact that she had little choice in the matter grated on her nerves yet in spite of her inward objections the robe felt lovely, unlike anything she had ever worn before. Kem stepped close and helped adjust the cowl of the robe over her long, raven-black hair. Kriss felt a little uncomfortable with the attention and blushed slightly. Over Kem's shoulder she saw her sister slipping the hood of her robe over then off her head swiftly several times in a row. The soft fabric felt both strange and pleasant as it slid over her hairless head.

      Whatever levity there was in those moments was quickly sucked from the air as the large, wooden door to the tower opened swiftly and without warning. Nora stepped out silently, followed by Patawpha, then score after score of blue-robed figures who quickly filled the entire courtyard. Kriss felt the weight of their silence squarely upon her shoulders. Once again she was comforted by the presence of her sisters hand. She squeezed once, gently, and Elly squeezed right back.

Once the crowd was settled Nora faced them and began to speak. “Praise Eris!” she cried, her voice booming with power.

      The crowd shouted back with a unity that was strange and inhuman, “HAIL KALLISTI!”

After a moment's pause Nora continued, “Today we welcome two more into our midst. Mehumes no more, they are one of us and are to be welcomed and treated as if they had been here all along.” Her iron gaze fell to Kriss and Elly. “You will find no rituals or hazing here, no forced or artificial bonds to bind you to us. You were our lost sisters long before Eris called you. We are your brothers and your sisters, your family. We have been here all along waiting for you to arrive. In truth, we have missed you and longed for the day you would find your way back to us.”

      Kriss could feel Elly trembling beside her, crying silently. She gave Elly's hand a firm squeeze and tightened her jaw. Nora rambled on for a bit longer but Kriss's mind wandered back to her little home, saw her mother mending clothes on the porch and her father coming home from the hunt. It hurt to think of them but she vowed to herself never to forget. This cold tower would never be her home and when she was old enough to leave it she would.

      After what seemed like an eternity Nora stopped droning on about Eris and the Discordian way. Elly had stopped crying and let go of her hand and the two of them stood still, silent and nervous, as the crowd shuffled its way back into the tower. When the lawn was almost empty Kem turned to them and spoke. “Well then, let's get you inside. You must be exhausted. Sleeping in a proper bed will cure that. Elly, of course, will need to see a healer. We should take her there straight away.”

      Kriss looked perplexed and a bit put off. “There's nothing wrong with her. Her arms are fine...her hair will grow back.”

      A shadow of sadness passed over Kem's face. “You haven't noticed...”

      Kriss dropped to one knee to be at Elly's level. She brushed the cowl of Elly's robe back over her head and cupped her cheeks in her hands. “What...” Her eyes locked with her sister's. “There is nothing wrong...Elly? Tell her there is nothing wrong with you!”

      Elly simply cocked her head slightly to one side and stared sadly into Kriss's eyes. Kriss's mind raced back over the past couple of days, soaring like an eagle over the high trees, heading straight for their little house in the woods. Her mind circled over the grizzly scene and she shuddered inwardly at the sound of her sister's dreadful keening. She followed as their little party traveled through the forest, camped through the night, she watched herself argue with Patawpha then rush to her sister's side when she had awakened. There had been a fleeting thought as they marched off into the mysterious blizzard. She lost them there but captured the thought like a field mouse and brought it streaking back to her in an instant.

      Elly had not uttered a sound since her mournful cries back at their home. Now, as she stared back into her sister's despairing eyes she saw that something was missing. The spark of life that made her so uniquely Elly had been snuffed out.

      Kriss looked up at Kem, unable to find words herself. As if reading her mind Kem spoke softly, “I don't know what is wrong with her, Kriss, but there are no healers better than the ones here at our tower. She will be in good hands.”

      Kriss rose slowly to her feet and found her voice as she did so. It was quiet, husky, and full of danger. “If any further harm comes to her I swear upon your Eris and whatever gods there may be that I will tear this tower to the ground with my bare hands. She is all I have left. These healers should hope that they can fix her or they will have to contend with me.”

      Kem nodded slowly. “I promise you that no harm will come to her. She will be made well.”

      Kriss only huffed in response and pulled the cowl of her robe down low to conceal her face.

     “You are wrong about one thing, Kriss. She is not all that you have left.”

      Kem took Elly's hand and Kriss took the other. Together the three of them entered the tower and the massive wooden doors swung shut behind them.