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      Copyright (c) 1992, 1993 Charles Tryon / All Rights Reserved
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			T h e   T o w e r s

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5:  The Tower

   They awoke some time later in total darkness.  The lanterns and torches
had all gone out while they had slept.
   "Well, are you folks going to get up and do something," Conrad muttered
impatiently.
   Trouble groaned.  Sleeping on the cold stone floor of the cave had left
him stiff and irritable.  "Just because you can see in here, that's no
reason to get obnoxious.  I can't see a thing."
   GreyEagle drew her sword and the glow from the magical blade cast a
gentle glow through the cavern.  There was no sign of the little creatures
from the night before.  Not a table or torch or crumb was left behind.  It
was as if the entire episode had been a crazy dream.  Sucaba stood up and
stretched, almost hitting his head on the low ceiling.
   "Could it have been a dream?"  GreyEagle asked.  "I cannot imagine
where they could be."
   "Dream or not, I am ready to get moving again," Sucaba said angrily.
"We cannot afford to be distracted any longer from our task."  He fumbled
in his things and finally produced a torch which he preceded to light.  He
headed towards the doorway.
   The doorway!  GreyEagle had not paid much attention to Ormec as he had
worked on the opening, but there it was before her, with the unmistakable
signs of dwarven stonework.
   "No, it was no dream," Conrad said softly.  He held up a small handful
of brightly colored stones.  "Just found these in my pocket.  Not worth
much by the look of them, but I suppose we can be thankful for the free
meal we got out of the deal."  He shrugged and stuffed the stones back
into his pocket.
   GreyEagle quickly checked in her pocket and found a small stash of the
bright stones.  She clenched them tightly in her fist and smiled, savoring
the memory.  She could almost still feel herself whirling and laughing to
the strange merry music of the tiny creatures.  She dropped the stones
back in her pocket.  While they were not much to look at, they were worth
more to her than many gold pieces, for they represented a time of peace
and laughter.  She would treasure these stones more than many treasures
she had seen others live and die over.
   "I suppose we should check our things in the other cave," Trouble
snorted, "just to be sure our little dream creatures didn't make off with
anything."  He stumbled to his feet and shuffled off after Sucaba.  The
silent one exited just behind him.
   Ormec paused a moment by the arch he had built before he left the
cave.  There was a smile on his face as he ran his fingers over the
stone.  "Well, I hope they appreciate this archway."  He turned and ducked
through the arch and down the tunnel.
   Conrad and GreyEagle followed after him.  GreyEagle paused a moment to
look back into the cavern.  Her sword flared brightly for a moment,
illuminating the entire room.  She could still see the countless
passageways which led off in all directions from the cave.  Then, the
light of the sword faded until it was almost dark, sealing off the cavern
in pitch blackness.  She sighed and turned to follow Conrad out to the
main cave.
   When she emerged, the daylight was streaming into the cave.  The mages
were there checking through their belongings.  GreyEagle went and quickly
checked through the things in her pack.  Nothing seemed to be missing or
out of place.
   "Well," Trouble said, sounding relieved, "nothing seems to be
disturbed.  I guess we got off lucky that time."
   The silent one ducked into the interior cave and from the sounds,
GreyEagle guessed that he was preparing a meal.  She suddenly realized
that, in spite of all that she had eaten the night before, she was quite
hungry now.
   She went over to check on the horses.  They looked like they were ok,
though they were a bit nervous and had eaten everything that they could
reach from where they were tied.  GreyEagle quickly got out a little food
for them, figuring that they would have to let then graze a bit on the
scarce grasses outside the cave before they were really ready to travel
much more.
   "It is a good thing that you returned when you did," Horton's voice
floated to her from some point not far from her ear.  She jumped as she
felt the warmth of his breath on her neck.  "I was starting to think about
one of those ponies for a little snack," the dragon chuckled, "but I
suppose that I'll leave them for you, now that you are back again."
   "Sucaba," GreyEagle said, turning to the mage, "perhaps you should
attend to your dragon's needs."  Sucaba quickly jumped up and began to dig
through his things for something for the dragon.
   GreyEagle stepped to the opening of the cave.  The sun was still behind
the mountains, so she guessed that it was still fairly early in the
morning.  There was a cool breeze blowing off the peaks behind them, and
the ground was still damp and soft.  It felt good to be back out under the
open sky, though she had to admit that the cave had been better than
spending the time trying to sleep in the rain.
   She pulled out the new eye pieces and put them on.  It took her some
time before she got the hang of it, but she finally figured it out.
Looking to the North towards the area where the mountains jutted out into
the desert, she was amazed by how much clearer the peaks appeared to be
and the fine detail she could now pick out.  Still, she was disappointed
to see no trace of the tower as she scanned the horizon.  She looked up at
the sky.  It looked like it would be another clear day.  Satisfied, she
returned to the cave and carefully removed the eye pieces.
   "The storm has passed," she said, "and it appears that we will have a
clear day for travel.  The air is still cool enough that we should be able
to get a fair distance before we must stop."
   "Well, I'm ready to leave," Sucaba announced.  He began his hand waving
and muttering of odd words again, and GreyEagle could feel the hair on the
back of her neck begin to stand on end as the magic once again filled the
air.  Without a sound, Sucaba, Horton, and everything in the immediate
area around them vanished from sight.  She could tell that they were still
there as she heard the sound of the Dragon's wings beating the air.  With
a whoosh of wings, Horton and Sucaba took to the air ahead of them.  The
others quickly finished packing their things and they mounted up to resume
their travels.
   After their long sleep and a good breakfast, they felt refreshed and
eager to start.  It was slow going at first though, as the ground was
still damp and a little muddy in places.  Everything seemed to be alive
and refreshed after the storm and they found the feeling contagious.  By
late morning though, the heat had returned.  They had come down out of the
mountains and turned to the Northeast to cut along the edge of the
desert.  Waves of heat poured over them and their mounts, and the
morning's sense of refreshment was quickly forgotten.  To the west the
desert melted under the blistering force of the sun.  Calling an early
halt for lunch, they found a small amount of brush for shade and rested
for several hours.  No one felt particularly inclined to fix anything to
eat, though they drank plenty of water.  It was almost sundown before the
heat had dissipated enough to return to the trail.  They quickly decided
that they would have to travel at night once again in order to avoid the
heat.
   They continued North for days under the unrelenting heat, skirting the
edge of the desert.  During the night they cursed the cold and drew their
cloaks tight around them as the temperatures plummeted almost to the
freezing point.  During the day they attempted to find enough shade to
protect them from the relentless heat of the sun.  Water was a problem,
and they began to run dangerously low.  In the mornings as they were
setting up camp, Horton and Sucaba would sometimes go higher into the
mountains in search of water.  Although they had been looking as they
traveled, they had seen no sign of it along the way.
   GreyEagle felt drained.  The horses had a rough time of it at night,
and she could not see well.  The skies were always clear, and there was
enough moonlight left to see, but it was still tiring.  During the day,
she could not really rest due to the heat.  She wished that she could pour
water over her head to try and cool off, but she was afraid to squander
their short supply.  No one talked much as they rode, and the meals, while
filling in a physical sense, were quiet, almost to the point of being
sullen.
   GreyEagle began to worry about missing the tower as they traveled at
night, taking the chance of going right past without even seeing it.  She
figured that they had to be close to the position Schimray had indicated
on the map, but she also knew that the tower had been specifically placed
in this area to make it hard to find.  They were all beginning to feel a
sense of despair of ever finding the tower and wondering if Schimray had
sent them on a wild goose chase.  The scenery flowed by in an endless
stream of sand on one side, and rocks and hills on the other.
   In the evening, as the day started to cool but there was still some
sunlight, GreyEagle rose to ride to the top of a nearby hill to scan the
horizon.  She studied the mountains through the magical eyes.  The lack of
detail on the map frustrated her, though she was still thankful to have
it.  She knew they were near the point where the mountains stuck out into
the Anauroch, forcing them almost to the edge of the sands, but she could
not get much more of a bearing than that.  There were no obvious landmarks
that they had been told about, no roads to follow, no rivers, only sand
and rock.  Somewhere out there in the mountains stood a tower, which they
were supposed to find, clear of its occupants, and return with a map.  It
sounded so simple, yet the feeling haunted GreyEagle that there was more
there than met the eye.  So may questions still nagged her mind.  What was
Schimray's interest in all this mess?  Who was the mysterious master he
was working for, and who's identity he could not reveal?  There were no
answers coming, at least not until they reached the tower and discovered
what faced them there.
   On the fifth evening after they had left the cave, GreyEagle once again
rode a short distance away from the group, searching the mountains around
them for signs of the tower.  This time, she saw something different.
Looking to the East into the mountains, there was a flash of light -- the
suns last rays for a moment glinting off of a smooth surface.  At this
distance she could see that it had to be something quite large, perhaps
the very tower which they had been seeking after, but she could see no
other details.  She shouted excitedly in spite of her parched throat.  A
strange feeling grew in the pit of her stomach as she gazed in that
direction.  She had been both looking forward to, and at the same time,
fearing this moment for the entire journey.  This was at last what they
had been seeking after.  The reality of the tower could no longer be
avoided.
   GreyEagle estimated the distance and guessed that it will take them at
least a half a day's travel to reach whatever it was that she had seen.
She carefully studied the surrounding area in order to fix the landmarks
in her mind.  It was hilly where they were currently, but they would soon
be into the mountains, and the travel would become much slower as they
continued higher.  The light had already faded enough that she could no
longer see the tower as she hurried back to tell the others the news of
what she had seen.  Already her mind was racing, trying to think up a plan
of attack.
   "I have seen the tower," she said excitedly when she reached the camp.
The others were already up and around by this time, and Sucaba and Trouble
were busy studying and preparing their spells for the day.
   "You have seen it?"  Sucaba asked, looking up from his studies.
   "Well, I saw a bright light which looked like a reflection."
   Sucaba raised an eyebrow.  "You think it is the tower."  He didn't
sound like he believed her.
   "We are in the right area for it, right?"  GreyEagle became defensive.
"Have you seen any indication of where it might be?"
   "Well, I think we should check it out," Ormec added.  "Anything to give
us a break from this infernal heat."
   "I would like to cut around the tower and come in from what I would
guess was the back side," GreyEagle said.  "We are almost due east of it,
and by the looks of the map, we could cut north, circle around the tower,
and then come back down from behind.  By morning, we might be close enough
to take a look at the tower itself, hopefully from above, and then make
more detailed plans."
   "Why make things more difficult than they need to be?"  Trouble asked,
leaning back lazily.  "We will have Sucaba reconnoiter invisibly, and if
there aren't any defenses then we can just march right up there.  In any
case we need to find out what's there before we can make any useful
plans."
   "I agree we should head right for the tower," Conrad interjected,
"since it would be presumptuous of us to think that we are coming at the
tower from the front at this time, unless those eyes of GreyEagle's are
that good."
   "No," GreyEagle replied with a frown, "I didn't see that much.  I was
just guessing that the tower would most likely face down the side of the
mountain."
   "I will scout ahead invisibly on Horton and report back," Sucaba said
abruptly, rising from where he had been studying.  He carefully put away
his spell book and began to gather some things in preparation.
   "Might it be a good idea," GreyEagle began hesitantly, "if perhaps
there was some way you could take me along, since, with my `eyes', I might
be able to see details that could be important."
   "I fear that we cannot bear you with us GreyEagle," Sucaba answered.
"My mount is not large enough."  She had been afraid that the dragon would
not be big enough for the two of them, but it had been worth a try.  She
wanted to get a better look at the tower herself, but now she would have
to depend on what Sucaba was able to gather.  She figured too that he
probably had a few tricks of his own in his book.
   When Sucaba and Horton were ready, GreyEagle led the two of them back
up to the top of the hill where she had been, and pointed out, as best she
could in the fading light, where she had seen the sun reflecting off the
sides of the tower.  She described the nearby landmarks which she had been
able to pick out.  She stepped back a short distance as Sucaba waved his
hands and muttered his familiar incantation, and he and the dragon
vanished from sight.  With the sound of wings beating the air and a rising
cloud of dust, Sucaba rose into the air.
   "I will be back shortly with a report," he called down as he left.
   GreyEagle and the others finished packing up the camp, and then settled
down around the small fire to await Sucaba's return.  They spoke little as
each was absorbed in his or her own thoughts.  A few hours later, just as
the group was beginning to become anxious about him, they heard the
rushing sound of Horton's wings announcing Sucaba's return.
   "I have news of the tower," he said.  "The tower is a pentagon, about
twenty feet on a side, surrounded by a moat.  There are planks kept on the
tower side which I assume are used to cross the moat.  They looked
unsturdy, but the fact that they remain, and the fact that the tower is
occupied implies to me that they are usable.  The tower has windows at
three of its levels, though some levels have none.  The entire tower is
eighty feet tall.  The entrance faces north, and is an open archway which
has been covered by a makeshift barricade."
   "All was dark within the tower when I reached it, and I could see
nothing.  Although I knew it would risk alerting the minions of the tower,
I used magic to light up the inside of the very top level, and used my new
incantation to see within without the use of windows.  Six human occupied
that level.  They were startled by the light, but did not move around or
alert anyone.  They are badly hurt and mistreated -- probably prisoners of
whoever is in control of the tower.  There is no need to waste time
there.  A trap door in the floor seemed to be the only entrance to this
prison level."
   "We then landed in front of the first level tower window.  A slimy orc
was starting out.  He must have heard Horton's wings since he seemed
bewildered, but I am sure he could not see my through my magics."
   "Still seeking to see a worthy opponent, we flew to the top window.
Again I could see nothing.  I took a chance and used my magic to
illuminate the interior.  We then had to make passes by the window to see,
as I had already expended my other magics for seeing on the upper level.
I caught glimpses of many orcs, perhaps six, scurrying about, confused by
the light.  Nothing else seemed to be in the room.  I dispelled the light
once I had seen the orcs.  Hopefully if they report what they saw, their
master or masters will not take them seriously.  After all, they are
merely orcs."
   GreyEagle threw up her hands.  "Well, you have certainly let them know
that we are here!"
   "Before you complain about my alerting those in the tower of our
presence," Sucaba snapped back with an angry edge in his voice, "remember
that the knowledge that I have gained is clearly worth the small amount of
commotion that I have caused."
   "Well, we will hope so." replied GreyEagle.  She shut up for the time
being.  Sucaba was silent for a moment, and GreyEagle could feel the heat
of his glare, even though she could not see him.  After a moment, he
continued with the plan which he had already been formulating.
   "We will travel closer to the tower under cover of darkness, and then
set up camp for the rest of the night.  I have expended my magic scouting
and need rest and study.  In the morning, I will use magics to make all
with ten feet of GreyEagle invisible.  If you all gather close to her when
I cast the spell, then you too will be invisible, and all will be able to
travel unseen.  You must not wander away from GreyEagle until necessary
though, for once you leave the area, you will loose the benefit of the
spell and will be visible from then on.  Horton and I are still invisible,
so we will fly ahead and move the planks while no one is looking.  We will
then fly out of sight and I will dismount and rejoin you as quickly as I
can, leaving Horton visible but out of view.  Hopefully I can get back
before the planks are noticed.  Once we have crossed the planks, perhaps
we can entice the guards out of the tower and ambush them."
   Ormec nodded.  "I like your plan, Sucaba.  We should have little
trouble with the orcs, but I wonder what lies beyond.  It is not likely
that the orcs are guarding the tower for there own purposes."
   "I saw no other creatures there to indicate that the orcs were serving
a more powerful master."
   "Yet, you do not know that," GreyEagle added with some scepticism.
   "No, but there is no way to know until we are there."
   "I think Sucaba's plan is the best we have so far," Conrad agreed.
"Are there any magics that you know of that we could use to remove the
barricade?  I do not want to have to crawl through it with orcs poking at
me from the other side.  If we can get past it into the tower, I think we
would be well on our way.  I think we want to avoid a toe to toe battle
where their numbers would help them, since we are not overflowing with
fighters."
   "The barricade is small and flimsy," Sucaba answered.  "It will not be
a problem once we get to that point."
   "I can use the wand to create visual diversions if necessary," Trouble
added after thinking, trying to come up with some way that he could be
useful.
   GreyEagle still wondered more about what Sucaba had not seen than what
he had seen.  The tower seemed too small, and she wondered if there might
be more levels hidden below it, with the real occupants hidden there.  The
orcs could be no more than a decoy.  "Yes, that sounds like a good plan,"
she said finally, "though I can see some problems we will have to take
care of.  First, we should make a number of ten foot sections of rope that
we can hold on to in order to make sure that we don't wander outside by
accident.  If we just hold on to it, then we can break up quickly when the
need arises."  The others agreed to this, and Conrad went off to cut a few
lengths of rope for this purpose.
   GreyEagle thought for a moment.  "How much room is there between the
moat and the outside walls of the tower?  Would we have enough room to
cross over at a different point, and then walk around to the front door?"
   "Probably," Sucaba replied, "but I want to move the planks as little as
possible so as to not attract attention.  The planks will be visible as I
move them.  It will appear to the orcs as if they are floating in the air,
if they see them," Sucaba added with a mean smile.
   "Will they be strong enough to take the weight of more than one person
at a time, especially with armor on?"  GreyEagle had visions of getting
half way across and the planks giving way.  She was not good at swimming,
even when she didn't have a full suit of armor on.
   "I could not tell."
   GreyEagle frowned.  "Well, in any event, we should be sure to have
ropes just in case anyone falls in.  We're likely to sink like rocks if
the planks give way."
   "I will be with Horton," Sucaba reassured GreyEagle.  "You go ahead and
use rope if you like."
   "I know that it was dark," continued GreyEagle, pressing for details,
"but did you or your mount see any signs of guards or patrols outside the
tower?  Orcs are not known for their great strategic genius, and you would
think that they would be pretty confident of their safety, but I would
expect that they will make at least some feeble attempt to secure the
area."
   "I saw none outside."  Sucaba replied, becoming impatient by this point
with GreyEagle's stream of questions.  She bit her tongue and fell
silent.  The others were all satisfied with Sucaba's plan, and she did not
want to sound like a nagging woman.  They seemed to assume that it would
be an easy battle, that they would simply march in and clean up.  She was
not so sure.  This would be their first battle together, and she wondered
how they would coordinate their attack.  At this point though, she figured
that it would be best to hold her peace for a while.
   None of the others had any further comments, so they prepared to
leave.  Following Sucaba's occasional shouted command and GreyEagle's
memory of the direction of the tower, they stumbled along in the dark.
The trail grew much rougher as they climbed higher into the mountains.
Their first estimate of the time required to reach the tower proved to be
incorrect.  They had traveled for six hours before Sucaba estimated from
his position in the air that they would need to travel another hour or so
before setting up camp.  Eventually, he led them to a secluded valley with
a small stream trickling through it.  They set up camp, ate and fell
wearily asleep just as the first rays of dawn were creeping across the
sky.
   It was clear by that time that they would not be in any shape to attack
that day, so they decided to wait for another day.  GreyEagle also
suggested that, waiting another day, the orcs might be less cautious after
the stir that Sucaba had created.  They slept through the day and rose as
the sun was setting to share a meal around the campfire.  Little was said
as everyone pondered the events soon to take place.
   As early evening stretched into night the mages gathered close to the
campfire studying their spellbooks.  The others busied themselves with
getting ready for the next day's battle, each falling into his or her own
particular routine.  Ormec sat happily polishing his battle axe and
testing its edge.  "Tomorrow you will bite deep into the bodies of those
slimy orcs and drink deeply of their blood" he murmured to it with a glint
in his eyes.
   As they sat there, GreyEagle watched the silent one, still mystified by
him.  He sat by the fire in contemplation.  Suddenly, waving at gnats or
flies, he knocked his hat off and scrambled after it as it rolled away.
He retrieved it quickly, and returned to sit at the fire.  He seemed
somewhat annoyed with the hat as he firmly settled it on his head, but as
usual, he made no comment.  After a while he went to his things and pulled
out a heavily bound spell book.  So, he was a magic user after all she
thought.  Yet, she had still never heard him utter a word.  It seemed like
the others had always had always spoken their spells.  Perhaps, in the
battle that they were soon to engage, she would finally hear him speak.
   GreyEagle withdrew into herself, staring into the flames pensively.
Memories of previous battles replayed before her eyes, but they were not
as happy as Ormec's seemed to be.  Finally, she stood and announced that
she was retiring for the night.  One by one the others followed her, some
sleeping soundly, others restlessly.


   The night passed slowly, and everyone was grateful to see the first
streaks of dawn lighting the sky.  No one needed awakening -- all were up
and alert, preparing for the battle ahead.  The mages once more opened
their spell books to study as the others made breakfast, packed the
supplies, and checked on the horses.
   "You can travel on foot from here" Sucaba said, once they were done
eating.  "Is everyone ready?"
   As Greyeagle nodded her head she noticed once again the raven swoop
over her head and then fly away.  She wondered again who might be behind
the bird, and what its mission might be.  It drew her mind back to
Schimray, back to the evening she had spent with him.  This was to be the
moment of truth.  She remembered his words of encouragement.  This was not
to be the tower where the dark creature was to be fought, at least as long
as Schimray's information was accurate.  Things could have changed in the
mean time though.
   Her attention was yanked back to the group as the others gathered
around her.  They each grabbed on to the end of one of the sections of
rope which Conrad had cut and GreyEagle held to the knot in the middle.
When they were settled, Sucaba began to wave his hands, calling up the
magic of the invisibility spell.  As never before, the hair on the back of
her neck stood up as he spoke the incantation.  Then he was done.
GreyEagle suddenly noticed that she could now see Sucaba and Horton.
   "Humph!"  Conrad snorted.  "I don't see anything different."
   Sucaba rolled his eyes.  "Of course!  I have altered the spell so that
you can still see one another.  Believe me, you are invisible to the orcs,
until you attack.  At that point, the spell is broken and they will be
able to see you.  Remember too that you must stay within the length of
that rope from GreyEagle, or your portion of the spell will be lost."
Conrad didn't look like he was convinced, but they headed off towards the
tower, with each one firmly gripping their section of rope.
   As they crept along, GreyEagle wondered why Sucaba had chosen her to be
the center of the spell.  Since she was at the center of the spell, it
would mean that likely, she would be the last to become visible were the
party to be broken up.  Her thoughts went back to the meal at the inn, and
the way that he had looked at her.  Was he still scheming?  She looked up
to where she could now see him flying over head and wondered.
   The path they were on now was not as rough as it was the previous
night.  After less than an hour's time, Sucaba warned them that the tower
was just around the bend.  Each of them gripped the rope and quietly crept
forward.
   Before them stood the tower, black and harshly reflecting the rays of
the morning sun.  From this distance, GreyEagle could see how it had
reflected so brightly from afar.  It was made of stone, but the blocks
were highly polished and fitted together almost seamlessly.  There were no
decorations on the exterior walls of the tower, save one rune carved in
the stone above the entrance.  Where the heavily banded door should have
been, a crude barricade now stood.  Between their current position and the
tower, GreyEagle could also see the moat and planks, just as Sucaba had
described.
   In spite of its awesome appearance though, the tower somehow seemed
like a lion without any teeth.  There were no signs of guards or patrols
outside, though the grounds surrounding the tower were strewn with garbage
and filth.  GreyEagle could almost smell the orcs from where they stood.
   Suddenly, the sounds of shouting erupted from within the tower.  They
exchanged quick glances and continued on.  Sucaba flew ahead and landed on
the narrow strip of land between the moat and tower and dragged the planks
across to the moat.  He motioned anxiously and the rest of the party
quickly headed towards him.  Ormec led the way across with Conrad behind
him.  GreyEagle followed behind Conrad, with Trouble and the silent one
behind her.  Looking down, GreyEagle could see that the water in the moat
was a murky grey.  It was impossible to tell how deep it might be, but she
could see small ripples suggesting movement just under the surface.  She
shivered as she thought about what might be in there waiting for them if
someone should slip and fall.
   Then they were across, and Sucaba pulled up the planks to put them back
where he had found them.  They crossed the short distance between the moat
and the tower wall swiftly.  Catching up, Sucaba motioned them on.
Trouble stopped to listen just outside the entrance to the shouting going
on inside.
   "I can understand them" he whispered, motioning the others to keep
silent.  "One seems to be very angry shouting things like `how could you
let this happen' and `what good are you?' There are others making excuses
for themselves.  Maybe they'll kill each other off for us!" he snickered.
They listened for a while to the shouting match going on inside.  A moment
later Trouble shook his head.
   "The leader is ordering them back to guard, I guess we'll just have to
kill them on our own."
   They positioned themselves on either side of the entrance, with Ormec
on one side and Greyeagle on the other, with Conrad next to her and
Trouble and the silent one just behind them.  Trouble pulled out his
wand.  On the other side of the moat, a pair of dancing lights suddenly
appeared and began to skip and dance around, making various obscene
gestures at the orcs within.
   "Let me do the fighting" Ormec whispered to the others as they waited
for the orcs.  "That way you all can remain invisible.  After all, these
are only orcs!"  GreyEagle and the others nodded their agreement.  They
waited for what seemed like a long time, not daring to make a sound.
Then, one of the orcs inside let out a shout.  Trouble smiled and nodded
to Ormec.  The dwarf raised his battle-ax high above his head waiting for
the first orc to emerge.
   As the first orc pushed aside the barricade and poked its head out,
Ormec brought the axe down in a mighty blow, killing the orc instantly.
Letting out an ear splitting dwarven war cry, he sprang to the doorway to
meet the next orc as it emerged.  It was caught off guard seeing Ormec
suddenly appear there, but not so much so that he couldn't bring his own
axe to bear.  The blow barely glanced off Ormec's armor though, and Ormec
returned quickly brought his battle-ax around, cleaving the orc through
the middle.  Wrenching his axe free, Ormec threw himself at the next orc,
cleaving it through the middle as well.  He jumped through the arched
doorway into the tower.  GreyEagle cautiously followed him through the
barrier into the tower, with Conrad, Trouble and the silent one close on
her heels.  Sucaba remained outside to watch for any other attacks.
   The room they entered took up the entire first level of the tower.  The
ceiling was forty feet above them.  The floor was barren except for some
scratch marks in it.  A narrow stairway was fixed to the wall, beginning
just to the right of the entrance and circling up four out of the five
sides to the next level.  It disappeared into an opening at the top.  It
was up this stairway that most of the remaining orcs had begun a howling
retreat.  One orc paused just long enough in its flight to cast what
looked like some sort of magical spell, but seeing that there was no
effect immediately apparent, it too followed the others dashing up the
stairs, all the time screaming curses at Ormec.  Another orc was a bit
slower than the others and stood staring at Ormec with its mouth hanging
open in surprise.  Ormec swung his battle-ax yet again and hit it in the
neck with a killing blow.  It dropped to the floor, its mouth still
hanging open.
   Ormec charged the stairs and one remaining orc turned to face him.
Ormec took one tentative swing, but missed as the orc backed up a couple
of steps, snarling and hissing.  It struck back at Ormec with its broad
sword, but Ormec deftly sidestepped the blow.  GreyEagle grabbed her bow
and arrow and started to take aim, but with Ormec so close, she was afraid
to risk a shot.  The orc continued to back up, one step at a time, holding
its broadsword menacingly before it.  It turned momentarily to glance up
at the opening at the top of the stair, trying to judge if it could make a
dash for it, but Ormec seized the opportunity and struck with his axe,
knocking the orc off the stairs.  It was dead even as it hit the floor.
   "Quickly," Ormec shouted, "before they have time to regroup, we must
follow them."
   Sucaba chose that moment to come back into the room, showing off the
coins which he had found on the dead orc kicked aside outside.  "See, we
have already begun to collect our treasure."
   "There will be time to check for treasure later," Ormec spat.  Sucaba
glared back at the dwarf, and stuffed the coins into a pocket.
   "Come!"  GreyEagle cried out.  "We must not stop here."  A change had
come over her now that the battle was joined.  Her eyes were cold and her
jaw was set.  Thoughts of fear and hesitancy had been pushed aside.  "We
have already lost the element of surprise.  Now we have to make the best
use of speed."  Her blood was boiling.
   "Yes!"  Sucaba urged.  "Charge ahead."  He headed for the stairs,
starting up them as the others were still talking.
   "Ormec," GreyEagle asked, turning to the dwarf.  "How many orcs did you
see going up the stairs?"
   "Not sure," said Ormec, catching his breath.  "A half dozen or so, with
two of their cowardly captains leading their screaming retreat."  He spat
in disgust and began up the stairs after the mage.
   "Who will cover the rear?"  GreyEagle asked.
   "If there were any orcs outside it might make a difference," Conrad
shot back, already heading for the foot of the stairs.  "We pulled the
planks back ourselves.  Where would they come from?"
   "I mean, once we are farther in, in case we have to go past any other
rooms, or if we miss a hidden door or something."
   "Look," shouted Conrad, by this time becoming impatient, "we have a
half dozen orcs in front of us.  Ormec will simply run up the steps and
kill them at the top of the stairs.  No one stays behind to cover our
backs because there are no orcs behind us.  Once we get to the next room
and kill all the orcs there, there will still be no orcs behind us.  So
let's all go up the stairs already.  Ormec in front, myself then you, and
the mages in the back.  Sucaba is already half way up.  We must not let
the orcs assemble.  They still think there is just Ormec running around in
here and we must use that to our advantage.  Quickly, up the stairs!  I
will flank when we encounter them, and you engage when Ormec seems to need
help."
   "Who is in charge here?"  GreyEagle asked, stamping her foot in
frustration.  Ormec and Conrad paid no attention to her and were already
heading up the stairs.  She threw up her hands in disgust.
   "We should have thought of this before," she muttered to herself as she
charged up the stairs after Conrad.  "If we ever get out of here alive, it
will be a miracle."


 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Greetings all!

  Thanks to Trent Fisher, you should now be able to find back chapters
  (via. ftp) in the directory /pub/frp/stories/towers on ftp.cs.pdx.edu.
  I will still honor Email requests for back chapters, as long as I don't
  get flooded with requests.  When I send out chapters, I WILL send out in
  compressed and uuencoded format unless you specificly request
  differently.  If I don't get back to you in 3~4 days, you can assume
  that either I'm deathly ill, or I can't get through to the address
  you've given me (which DOES happen sometimes :-/).

  If anyone is interested, I've been doing some B&W illustrations for the
  story which I have scanned in.  If anyone is interested, let me know and
  I can send GIF or other formats.

  As always, I welcome any comments, positive or negative.  I hope you
  enjoy reading this half as much as I have enjoyed writing it!


--
Chuck Tryon
    work: bilbo@kodak.com                                Your Servant,
    home: bilbo@Bah.Rochester.NY.US                      B. Baggins
 ______________________________________________________________________
   Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else.