Hounds Rising
The New Floor

Lyla grabbed some food from the table and sat down. After an entire morning of trying to meditate and receive some guidance from Yla, her quori guide, she was tired of no response and could hear her stomach growling.

The Queen wants Leaf to study. What does that mean? She asked herself while grabbing a piece of bacon and chewing it slowly.

She watched as Leaf and Mr. Muffins left. A minute later, Gisela returned with her things from the room she had been staying in. She briefly looked at Rhokhishi, Myla, and Lyla before nodding and leaving.

So, she is staying with the carnival. What do you think? She asked Myla.

I honestly don’t know what we should do.

Myla looked across the table at her sister, and Lyla could tell she was trying to think of the right words.

We still don’t know what happened at the monastery, and seeing your old master… That he might have seen you raises more questions than answers. Myla stated.

I don’t know what to do here. We can go with the carnival for the winter, but if Master Elaro saw me or us, he’ll know we’re with them and can track us down. If we go with Leaf, we at least have some time. Lyla replied.

I’ve been trying to reach out to Yla for guidance…

Me too. She hasn’t given us anything since we came to Moonbright.

Lyla leaned back in her chair. She glanced around the room, seeing just the three of them here, and wasn’t sure what their next move should be. Bored of waiting around, she got up and walked towards the stairs.

What are you doing? Her sister asked.

I’m just looking around

She walked up the stairs, floor by floor. She could see that everything had been put back in place. The second floor was still mostly a greenhouse, the third floor contained multiple cages, the fourth… on and on she traveled upward until she reached the new sixth floor.

She thought about how a sixth floor didn’t exist until after the Archmage passed. Lyla remembered that Leaf mentioned to her yesterday that once an Archmage has been given the position, their room travels to the top floor. She wasn’t sure how it moved from the basement to here, but she assumed it was magic and didn’t feel like trying to figure that out.

The door looked like it was made of silver. Some markings and designs seemed too fancy for her taste, but it was still a standard door. She tried to turn the doorknob, but it was locked. She stood there for a moment before getting an idea. Running back down the stairs, she stopped on the third floor and called out to her sister.

Myla. Got a question for you.

This better not be a pun…

No, not a joke. Do you still have your lockpicking set?

She waited momentarily for her sister to answer, eyes wide with excitement.

It’s in the room with my other stuff in the pack. Why?

I’m bored… Come up and see what’s in the room with me.

She almost stopped breathing, waiting for her sister to answer back. Yes, they were professionals in their trades to some degree, but they were still young. Mischief never really leaves you.

Umm… Rhokhishi asked if she could come along.

What?

Rhokhishi asked what we were doing, and I told her ‘sister stuff.’ She asked if she could join us.

I mean… Is she gonna tell anyone what we’re doing? We could use a lookout for sure.

Okay, she’s coming up with me.

Lyla, Myla, and Rhokhishi stood on the sixth-floor stairway a minute later, staring at the door.

“Have you looked to see if it’s trapped?” Myla asked.

“Trapped?” Rhokhishi asked back.

“Well, yeah. It’s the Archmage’s Tower. We just dealt with traps that involved going to the Astral Sea. Have you checked for traps here, Lyla?”

“I checked through the stairway but didn’t check here yet.”

“Okay. I’ll start there.”

Lyla watched as her sister pulled out a small set of tools and checked the door and lock.

“I think there’s something here. A spring of some sort…” Myla stated, slowly moving her tool into the lock’s cylinder. “And… Got it!”

Lyla heard a small PING and smiled as Myla went to start unlocking the door.

“Ah, shit. That might have been something else,” Myla said. She pulled the tools out and placed them back in its pouch before looking at Lyla. “It won’t unlock. I think the spring was something else, and it’s too far back that I can’t even reach it now to try and fix it.”

“Well, we could just go with option 2,” Lyla stated matter-of-factly.

“Break it?”

“Yeah.”

“If we break it, though, Leaf would know we did it,” Rhokhishi said.

“Well,” Lyla answered back. “Why don’t we just break the doorknob? Myla could put it back together without an issue if we do it right.”

“My hammer is downstairs. I could go get it.”

“That’s okay, Rhokhishi. I have hands,” Lyla replied.

Lyla let her sister move out of the way and leaned against the door. She struck down at the doorknob and watched as the knob hit the ground and bounced away. Looking at where the doorknob was, she could see the other side had also fallen out. With some finesse, she managed to get her hand through and unlock the deadbolt above. The door swung open lazily, and the three of them walked inside.

The room was similar in size and shape to the rest of the tower, circular and roughly thirty feet wide at two ends. Inside, it felt pretty bare. A desk, a small dresser, and a desk and chair were near an extravagant fireplace. Myla and Rhokhishi walked around slowly, taking in the space they had never seen, while Lyla moved to the dresser first.

She opened the drawers, taking quick looks into each one, and found nothing but clothing. She looked around the bed and found nothing but blankets and pillows. The room seemed void of personal, sentimental items. She went over to the desk and looked inside the compartments. There was paper, ink, and quills available, but nothing else. On the desk, though, she saw a small box hidden between a stack of documents. Lyla reached over and picked it up. Opening the box, she saw a small necklace. It wasn’t pristine and didn’t look extraordinary, but it was the only sentimental-looking thing Leaf seemed to have. The amulet on the chain was made of a smooth stone with two runic letters

“Do you know what this is?” She asked Myla.

“It’s a necklace.”

“No, like, the design on it. Do you know what it is?”

“Why would I know that?” Myla looked at her sister, a confused look on her face.

“I don’t know! You’re the one who went to a fancy school. I thought you might know.”

“Lyla,” Myla replied. “I had art classes… I don’t know anything about random languages.”

“Well, I thought you might. My bad.”

Lyla watched Rhokhishi shake her head and start walking down the stairs. She put the necklace on, tucked it under her shirt, and then turned around to see Myla looking at her.

What are you doing?

I’m just wearing it. I have questions, and this might give us some answers.

We weren’t going to tell Leaf we were up here, and now you’re going to walk out with one of his things?

Just trust me.

Myla knelt at the door and started putting the doorknob back together. After a minute, she smiled at the door, let her sister pass through, and closed it. It clicked as the door stopped, and she checked to ensure it was locked correctly. Happy with her work, the two sisters returned downstairs, following Rhokhishi’s lead.

Upon landing on the first floor, Lyla moved back to her seat, grabbed her plate, and finished her pile of bacon and eggs. While it hadn’t been a long time that they were up there, maybe half an hour at most, her food had already started to turn cold. She still ate it happily. As she finished her plate, she heard the door open. Leaf and Mr. Muffins walked back inside, set their stuff down, and sat at the table with Myla and Rhokhishi.

With the afternoon spent, Lyla watched as the group moved about their daily activities. She could see the tension between the recent passing of Nix and the Archmage, Ramona’s betrayal, and the possibilities for their futures. Later, she noticed that Gisela’s door had disappeared from the wall. It clearly indicated the truth: Gisela would no longer be involved in what was next for them.