The hobbled figures slowed their approach and the sound died away. I had frightened them. The tallest of them moved forward and I could see the razor-sharp claws clasped under robed hands. She spoke in a voice that chilled me to my core and sounded of death and decay.
"Daughter of She who tends the Gate, we have come to warn you."
"Stay away from me," I said, my voice shakier than I would have liked.
"Doom is at hand for you, and for this place," She croaked. "Death will not wait for you to make your peace. It comes whether it has been called or not. Your time is up. "
"Why are you doing this?" I screamed, trying to make the voice stop. It felt like my insides were being picked away, devoured by a scavenging bird.
They did not answer but instead began moving toward me, arms outstretched. I was not going to go gently into my own end. I scrambled towards the wall, looking desperately for a way out. I grabbed the only thing I could see, the stone above my head. The wall was uneven enough that I might be able to get a foothold. I began to climb. I wasn't sure, but I hoped the banshees would not be able to follow me.
The wall was even taller than it appeared from the ground. My arms strained with the effort of scaling the wall. I forced myself not to think of what was below. I let out a burst of magical fire, behind me, trying desperately to keep them off my trail. Physical feats of strength were different in the liminal world. I knew that my muscles could not truly grow fatigued, but habit and expectation were powerful forces as it turned out. By the time I reached the sentinel tower, my chest was heaving with exertion. I peered down below and saw that the banshees had not followed me, but they were circling below, perhaps planning their next move. This was bad. I looked around the tower and saw a large torch, positioned unlit in the center.
The huge iron torch was almost as tall as me. I used the power I still had saved up to fill the torch with a burst of flame. The fire took hold immediately, bursting to life. Down the line of the wall, I watched in awe as the other torches were filled with flame. The whole wall was suddenly lit up. It was brighter light than I'd ever seen in the liminal world. A piercing cry came from below and I leaned over the edge. It was dizzying to see how far I had climbed. The banshees were retreating to the forest. Their hoods were drawn as they fell back into the darkened forest. It was the same thing that had happened at the shrine. The light could hurt them.
The glow of the flame was strange. It was cool and silvery. It produced no heat, but it did give off an immensely bright light. I passed my hand across it. It seemed to throw a glimmer across my skin but caused no pain. I let myself grow distracted by the flame, so I was very confused when I felt the stones underneath me moving. Buckling over, I grasped onto the ledge. I could feel the weak stones crumbling underneath me. I cried out, letting my scream disappear into the forest. The hollow echo didn't travel far. I still wasn't sure what would happen if I got injured or died in the liminal world.
After a few miserable seconds, it felt as though the stone had settled. The area around the torch had sunken in and the stones had created a toppled heap. A black bird landed softly on the edge of the tower.
"Nox," I whispered. I could have cried because I was so happy to see him. His loud caw carried affection as he hopped around the rubble. He must have heard my screams.
I attempted slowly to stand, not sure if it was safe to move around. Nox began to jump from stone to stone, crossing to the other side of the tower.
"We have to get down from here," I sighed. Nox cocked his head and crowed insistently. "What?" I asked. He ruffled his feathers and hopped again. I peered down at where he was standing. An opening had appeared in the tower. He didn't give up easily, that was for sure. Tentatively I began to make my way over to him. The rocks shifted slightly under my feet but didn't seem on the verge of collapse. So that was a relief. When I got over to the opening I peered down. it was a set of ancient steps that descended into the building.
"There's no way I'm going in there." I laughed at how ridiculous it was to even consider, following the directions of a bird.
Nox puffed up his feathers and brooded, turning away from me. He flapped his wings, hovered for a moment, and then swooped into the opening. I looked down towards the ground. The stones were very unstable and I wasn't sure if I could make it down that way. Perhaps Nox was right. It might be the only way down. I pulled away several large stones at the opening. I had to sit at first to get myself all the way in, but after walking down a few steps I was able to stand. The stairs winded around a central
