Memori: Tower Shadow Sword (Volume Three)

By Matt Xell

Ves Asirin wins a trip to the Tower of Parlen Min. There, with 19 other children, he competes in the Sword Challenge; a series of puzzles and tasks, for $12 million. As fantastic and glorious as the tower seems to be, Ves finds that it keeps a dark and secret history that he has been connected to for over 150 years, a secret that will define his destiny ... if he can escape 'The shadow'.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matt Xell
• Release date: Jun 21, 2011

Matt Xell

This Matt Xell character is sometimes a writer, sometimes a crappy web designer, sometimes a video game addict. He annoyingly likes to talk about himself in the third person (kind of like right now) and abuses the ellipsis (...) a lot falsely believing it creates suspense. He writes mostly modern urban dark fantasy/ action adventure stories (if that makes any sense). His first novel ‘Tower of Parlen Min’ the first part of ‘The Narrow Escapes of Ves Asirin’ is out now on Smashwords.com and Lulu.com

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MEMORI: TOWER SHADOW SWORD

Volume Three

By Matt Xell

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, entities and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher

All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise without the proper prior permission of the author

Copyright 2012 Matt Xell

Cover art and illustrations from the original artwork by Randis Albion and The Red Plus

Edited by Samba Yonga and Megan Grant

The moral right of the author has been asserted

www.projectmemori.com

Reader Beware. This is a book about life and death and the reality of it all. It contains scenes of violence, gore, murder and themes that may not be suitable for readers under the age of 14.

Chapter 1

Canids versus Wikka

Ves paced up and down the bedroom floor; a pencil in one hand, his scrapbook in the other. He stopped and slumped onto his bed, but moments later he was up and pacing again … then, only moments later, back on the bed again. He’d been doing this all morning. He was tense and restless … for that night he and Tammi would be venturing into Meyr Woods.

The door opened and Jerod walked. Ves didn’t seem to notice. Jerod him watched pace up and down for a while before clearing his throat to speak.

Ves, are you okay? he asked sensing his friend’s distress.

Okay? Yes – yes I am, Ves replied.

He sat down on the edge of his bed, popped his scrapbook open, and pretended to be browsing through it. Then he let go of the book, letting it fall to the floor.

No … N-no, he laughed awkwardly. I’m not okay at all.

Jerod sat down next to him.

Ves, listen. You don’t have to go into the woods. The Sword Challenge isn’t worth your risking your life for, Jerod said.

No … I want to win the challenge … So, I’ll help Tammi get what she wants in the woods … Then she’s going to give me the Medagalia stone, Ves said reassuring himself.

Jerod sighed and shrugged.

What I don’t understand is what Tammi wants in Meyr Woods. What’s so important that she’d risk her own life as well as yours to get it? Jerod said rubbing the back of his head.

A tree … she’s looking for a special kind of tree, Ves told him.

A tree? You’re going into Meyr Woods for a tree? What’s it for?

I dunno,

You don’t know? You can’t die for something you do not know,

It’s okay. I’ll be careful … just like last—

Ves broke off as the images of his clothes and skin ripping off him on the night he’d gone to Lonely Cottage flashed through his mind.

… Just like last time, he finished.

Jerod’s eyes widened in disbelief.

So you did use that map to go into the forest … Jerod said gaping at Ves.

Ves was silent for a while.

Let’s go have breakfast. I’m hungry. Aren’t you? he asked.

Jerod shrugged.

Yeah, I guess.

Good, Ves said, getting up.

Once in the dining hall, the two boys sat down at the table and served themselves. Ves ate quickly and avoided looking up to the other side of the table where Tammi sat. When he was done, he got up and hurriedly walked out.

Ves, wait, a voice called from behind him.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Tammi walking towards him.

Morning, she greeted him.

Hello, he said reluctantly stopping and turning to face her.

How are you?

I’m … okay, I guess.

Right, okay then … Um, I was just wondering … how exactly are we getting out of the Tower and into the woods?

Oh, um … just meet me on the ground floor in the right wing at 11 o’clock tonight,

Okay, I—

Tammi didn’t finish her sentence because Vikey suddenly bumped into her from behind and she was knocked to the floor.

Oh, sorry, said Vikey in flat tone. Are you alright?

Um, yes, Tammi said, rubbing her shoulder as she got up.

Well, careful not to stand in the middle of the hallway next time, Vikey said as she walked off.

She did that on purpose, said Trudy, who appeared behind Tammi with Aine.

Yeah, Aine said. She’s been mean to Tammi badly all week.

I wonder why? Trudy said.

Aine and Trudy turned to face Ves with narrowed eyes and smirks on their faces. Tammi glared at the girls, grabbed them by their arms. and walked off with them.

Bye, Ves. See you later, Tammi called over her shoulder.

Bye, Ves said.

****

By 11’ o’clock that night, the lights were out and everyone on the eighth floor was asleep … except for Ves, of course, who sat on the edge of his bed waiting for his memory to fail. When the time came, he felt his body become numb, his vision blur, and his hearing fade. He swayed on the spot and fell back onto the bed. He screwed up his eyes as the stinging in his head overwhelmed him … and in a moment, his memory was gone.

He opened his eyes a minute later, sat up, shook his head, and looked around dizzily.

Parlen … Parlen Min, 8th Floor, boy’s bedroom, were the first words that came to his mind; he’d been there long enough to recognise his surroundings almost instantly now.

He reached under his pillow and pulled out his scrapbook. He opened it and quickly browsed through it, rapidly filling his mind with some of the memories he’d recorded there. When he reached the last entry, he’d remembered just about everything he needed to.

The last entry was a comic strip of instructions that he’d illustrated earlier that night, which he quickly followed. He put on one of his hooded sweatshirts, a pair of jeans, his sneakers, and then his coat. Next he grabbed his backpack, where he put his scrapbook and a flashlight; then he bent down to the floor, crawled under his bed, and pulled out an object he hoped he wouldn’t have to use that night: a short sword he’d stolen from the armoury that morning. He buckled its sheath to his belt and turned off the lamp at the side of his bed. But just as he turned to leave the room he found Jerod standing in front of him.

Ves, let me come along. If the wolves or The Shadow or something else tries to attack, you’ll stand a better chance of fighting back or something if there are three of us, he whispered.

No. Tammi said only me and her.

Forget what she said. Look at the sense in what I’m saying.

I know you mean good, but let’s just do as she says. I swear I’ll be careful. We’ll get back safely.

Ves listen—

—Jerod, you can’t come along! Ves said a little too loud.

He looked around at the other sleeping boys to make sure none of them had woken up.

I’m sorry, but we have to do this Tammi’s way. We’ll get to the cemetery as fast as we can, get what’s there and come back, okay? he said to assure Jerod.

… Okay, Jerod said disappointedly.

Besides, I don’t think three kids can put up much of a fight with the wolves or The Shadow.

I guess you’re right.

But listen … if something bad does happen … if we’re not back by 1 o’clock, tell Jacobius or Cromweld or the guards to come looking for us.

Yeah, I will.

Ves nodded, walked past Jerod, and left the room.

Good luck … Jerod said in a whisper.

****

Tammi stood outside the room opposite the kitchen tapping her foot, impatiently waiting for Ves. She wondered what was taking him so long. She’d been there almost ten minutes past the time he’d told her to meet him. She hoped he hadn’t forgotten about their deal.

She suddenly heard a clicking sound from the ceiling. She looked up and heard several more clicks and then a square shaped hole appeared in the ceiling. A ladder slowly came down from it. A moment later Ves descended its steps. As soon as he stood on the floor, the ladder withdrew itself, up through the square-shaped hole which then closed.

You scared me for a second there. I was just about to scream, Tammi said, failing to hide how glad she was that he’d come.

Sorry, Ves said rubbing his nose with his thumb. I couldn’t use the elevator because there was a guard standing in front of it. I had to use some secret passageways and parts of Beltry’s Way to get down. I had a look on some of the other floors as well. There are guards standing in front of every elevator. It must be the same on every floor. How did you get down without being caught?

The guards weren’t there when I came down, Tammi said, though she didn’t sound truthful.

Oh, okay. Well, let’s get going.

Tammi nodded.

Ves walked toward the door to the caretaker’s dining room and turned the knob. It did not open.

Oh, no … It’s locked. Cromweld must have done this, he said through gritted teeth.

Locked? Are you sure? she said.

Yeah.

Um, let me try.

Ves moved aside as Tammi stepped forward. She turned the knob and pushed. Still it didn’t open.

I guess we have to find some way to unlock it, he told her.

Tammi wasn’t listening to Ves. He heard her mutter something under her breath, turn the knob again, and the door opened.

How did you …?

The door wasn’t locked. You just didn’t turn the knob all the way to the end, she said with a small smile.

Oh …

Come on, then.

The two walked into the room, closing the door behind them. Just as he’d done the last time, Ves pulled a chair from the table, dragged it to the mantelpiece, and stood on it to reach the painting of the fat chef, whose canvas he hit three times. The floor beneath the fireplace shifted and revealed the secret set of stairs.

These stairs go down to a tunnel that’ll lead us right into the middle of the woods, he told Tammi.

He pulled his flashlight out of his backpack and turned it on. Tammi pulled hers out of the bag she was carrying and turned it on as well, and the two descended the steps into the tunnel.

About 15 minutes, later they came to the end of the tunnel, went up the old stone steps, threw open the trapdoor at the top, and came out into the heart of the woods.

Here we are … Meyr Woods, Ves said.

A strange, chilly wind blew at them as if the woods were giving a grave warning. Tammi shuddered. She reached into her bag, pulled out a black cloak, and put it on.

Do you have a map? she asked Ves.

I did, but Cromweld ripped it up when he caught me with it. What he didn’t know is that I’d copied the important parts of it into my scrapbook, he replied.

He pulled the scrapbook out of his backpack and opened it to the page where he’d sketched his map of Meyr Woods.

This way. There’s a path a little way in, he said pointing up ahead.

Tammi nodded and followed Ves. Sure enough, a little distance into the woods they found the path shown on the map and began to follow it.

The atmosphere in the woods was as eerie as ever. Ves felt just as uneasy as he had the last time he’d been there … just as scared. He wondered how Tammi felt. When he looked at her, he saw a calm and relaxed expression on her face. She must have been really determined to get to that tree.

The silence between them only seemed to make everything much worse. The only sounds were the usual creaking of tree branches, the rustling leaves, and the breaking twigs and crunching dead matter beneath their feet.

After ten minutes, they came to the fork in the path.

It’s this way, Ves said. The path to the right.

What’s down the other path? Tammi asked.

He glanced in that direction then quickly looked away … and started down the path to the right.

Is that the way to Lonely Cottage? she said as she followed after him.

Yeah …

Ves stopped and turned to face Tammi with a frown on his face.

How did you know? he asked her. How did you know that I knew about the secret way out of the Tower and into the woods? How did you know that I’d been to Lonely Cottage? I mean … I never told anyone about it.

Mr. Cromweld, she replied.

What?

I heard it from Mr. Cromweld.

He told you?

No. I went to see him in his office a few days ago about the tree. Just as I was about to knock on his door, I overheard him talking to someone on the phone. He told that person everything about you finding a way out of the Tower and into the woods … and about you being at Lonely Cottage.

Ves raised his brows.

… The person on the phone … did Cromweld mention their name?

No … I don’t remember hearing it, Tammi said shaking her head.

Are you sure?

Yes.

They continued down the path without another word to each other.

Ves knew that the person Mr. Cromweld had been speaking to was, of course, the one living at Lonely Cottage. He still wanted to find out who that person was but he never wanted to go to Lonely Cottage again.

Deeper and deeper into the woods they went past denser and darker