Tyro disguised as the mage pushed her off, wincing as if his back hurt. She hid another smile. Tyro was such a good actor. In fact, he seemed more comfortable acting a part than being himself.
'You must let Byren and Fyn know,' Piro told him.
He glared at her. 'If I let a little slip of a girl tell me what I must and must not do, I would be a sorry excuse for a mage. Now, leave me in peace.'
Delighted with the news, Piro went to find Isolt. She found her on the tower stairs with the wyvern.
'Guess what?' Piro beamed.
'Let me see.' Isolt put her finger to her chin, pantomiming deep thought. 'The new elector has agreed to an alliance with your brother.'
Piro had been about to tell her that she'd caught Tyro playing the mage, but thought better of it now. Isolt might worry if she believed the mage was too frail to protect her. 'You heard?'
Isolt laughed. 'What else would it be? Truly, this is good news for your family and Rolencia.'
But there was no good news for Isolt, who was still estranged from her father and lived in fear of Palatyne discovering her whereabouts and claiming her. Surely the mage could do something for her too?
'Piro? Day dreamer?' Isolt smiled as Piro focused on her face. 'I feel bad about neglecting Loyalty these last few days, so I'm taking her for a swim. Do you want to come?'
Deep below the tower was a grotto, which opened onto the Ring Sea. Sunlight filtered through a hole in the roof, bathing the white stone in rippling light, and a hot spring of fresh water fed the pool, making it warm enough to swim in. Since water was her natural element the wyvern liked to go there once a day.
'Another time,' Piro said. 'I just thought of something I must do.'
Isolt nodded and led the wyvern off. Piro suspected King Merofyn's daughter was happier living as an outcast on Mage Isle than she had been in her own palace. But Isolt had to go home eventually.
Piro glanced up the stairs, thinking of the mage lying up there in his bed, too sick to go out. Poor thing. She should make sure he understood that she was to blame for opening the gates, not Tyro.
She went past the war table chamber on the tower's third floor. The curving stairs followed the wall. At the next floor the door opened into the chamber housing the library. She'd seen this room when Tyro showed them about. According to him, this was as far as they were allowed to venture. Which meant the mage had to be on one of the next four floors.
He would probably enjoy a visitor.
Piro crossed the library, entering the next stairwell. When she reached the top, she thought she heard a scurrying noise. Rats. They should get the terriers in.
The door opened at her touch. This chamber contained an odd mix of treasures, reminding her of her father's trophy room, except these treasures were all covered in dust.
There was, however, a clear path across the dusty boards to the far door, so someone came up here regularly. No doubt to deliver the mage's food and bring him news.
Following the trodden path, she passed strange objects so powerful they made her teeth ache with Affinity build-up. These treasures were nothing like her father's trophies. Only the Mirror of Insight had set off her Affinity and it responded to power, rather than having any of its own.
Telling herself that if she wasn't meant to go further the door would be locked, Piro pressed on the handle. The door swung open and she went up the next set of stairs, heart pounding.
Mouth dry, she entered the sixth and second-to-last floor. This chamber contained ancient weapons, some beautiful in a terrible way. Again, a path had been trodden across the dusty boards. And, again, she felt the tug of power from some of the objects as she passed.
Again, the door was open, so she went up. But at the top of the last flight of stairs she found the door locked.
No one answered her tentative knock.
It had to be Tsulamyth's room. Perhaps the old man was lying sick in bed. She felt sorry for him, shut away all alone. He needn't worry, she wouldn't give his secret away. But she wanted to see the mage to explain. Suddenly, it was very important to make sure he wasn't angry with his agent.
How was she going to get to Tsulamyth?
Piro returned to the floor below. If she remembered correctly the balconies were directly under each other. She went through to the balcony doors, opening them wide and stepping out. Immediately the wind whipped at her, tugging at her hair and clothes.
The balconies were on the far side of the tower, facing away from Ostron Isle and the buildings on Mage Isle. From here she could see the terraced slopes of Ostron Ring. Below her the Ring Sea glistened a brilliant azure, with boats dotted on its surface.
Turning away from Ostron Ring, she faced the tower. As she had guessed, there was a balcony directly above this one. Could she… dare she climb onto the balcony rail, grasp the floor of the balcony above and swing her weight over? She'd always had a good head for heights.
Climbing onto the balustrade, she placed one hand on the tower wall and stood up, balancing. The bottom of the top-floor balcony was too high for her to reach.
Piro jumped down. She needed a rope and a grappling hook. The chambers were filled with weaponry. Surely, she would find something useful.
Avoiding the objects that gave off the tingle of Affinity, Piro searched the weapons, until she found a three- pronged hook. After making sure the rope was not frayed and the connection tight, she returned to the balcony.
Standing on the very edge, she put her back to the balustrade and swung the hook around and around, letting it build up momentum, before releasing it. The distance was so short the wind did not have a chance to spoil her aim. The hook clanged against the stone, loud enough to alert anyone in the room. She held her breath.
No one came out to investigate. Either Tsulamyth was so sick that he couldn't get out of the bed, or the mage was off in Merofynia spying on Palatyne and that was why Tyro was pretending to be him.
Emboldened by this thought, Piro slipped off her shoes, tied her skirts out of the way and climbed up onto the balustrade. She shimmied up the rope, grateful for three older brothers who'd teased her until she could do everything they could. The wind tore at her hair, pulling it free of its bindings and whipping it across her face. Tears stung her eyes.
The only tricky part was transferring her grip from the rope to the balustrade. She ignored the drop, swinging her leg over the balcony rail.
Leaving the rope dangling, Piro went to the balcony doors. Each of the glass panels reflected a different patch of clear blue sky or hillside, and she couldn't see in. Cupping her hands, she peered into the dim chamber. It did contain a bed, though from this angle she couldn't tell if anyone was in it.
Tentatively, she touched the balcony doors. If they were unlocked, she was meant to go in. They opened at her touch. Not surprising really — she was on the top floor of the tallest tower in the known world.
Feeling pleased with herself, Piro slipped into the room. She expected to be greeted by the stale smell of old age and illness. Instead, she smelled freshly laundered sheets and messenger birds. Fresh herbs lay on the polished wooden floor. They crushed under her bare feet, filling the air with their pungent scent. Hardly daring to breathe, she padded lightly across the floor to get a better view of the bed.
Empty… Piro's mental picture of a sad, lonely old man evaporated. The mage must be in Merofynia, or even Rolencia. Helping her brothers, she hoped.
Pica birds cooed. She turned to find a wall of cages. Gentle Affinity creatures generally liked her, so she went over. Most cages contained a pica pair. Only three of the birds were alone and she guessed their mates were off carrying messages. The remaining pairs perched on their rods, necks entwined, crooning to each other, a picture of devotion. She reached through the bars to stroke one bird's back, feeling her own Affinity build up and flow down her arm. Even though she kept her foenix nearby and petted him every day, her Affinity still built up. It had to be increasing. How would she ever control it? Would she have to join Sylion Abbey after all?
No point in worrying about that now. Byren still had to win back…
A presence grew behind her, making the space between her shoulder blades throb with a presentiment of danger. Piro swallowed. So the mage was here after all.
She turned slowly.
A dark figure stood in the shadows beside the fireplace. No, the figure exuded shadow. 'M-mage
