Chapter 8- The Mad Tower of Cal
Rhiannan POV
The ship rocked gently beneath my feet, but my stomach? Not so gentle. We were close now. I could feel it.
The island loomed ahead, cloaked in mist and magic, like it had risen from the ocean pissed off and ready to throw hands. Trees with glowing leaves arched like cathedral pillars, and the cliffs sparkled with silver veins that pulsed like veins of a living thing.
"That's it?" I asked, crossing my arms as I stared at the shoreline. "That's where your wizard lives? Looks like the kind of place a villain keeps his horcruxes."
Arwen chuckled beside me. "Technically he is a villain. Or was. Depends who you ask."
"You really know how to pick friends."
"I'm charming like that."
I rolled my eyes, but my fingers twitched at my sides. Something about this place made the air taste wrong. Not dangerous exactly...just… old. Like it had memories. Regrets. Ghosts. As the ship slid into the cove, crew members scrambled to drop anchor. The sails furled with a snap of magic and wind, and the whole damn ship shuddered like it was exhaling.
"Land ho," Arock the quartermaster shouted from above, mostly just to be annoying.
"Tell him if he calls land 'ho' again, I'm kicking him overboard," I muttered.
Arwen grinned. "Duly noted."
The plank was lowered with a creak, and I stepped toward it, pausing to glance back at the crew. Some saluted. A few nodded. One guy kissed his crossbow. Fair. I nodded in return.
Arwen came up beside me, shoulder brushing mine. "You ready?"
"No," I said honestly. "But I'm going anyway."
We walked down the ramp together, stepping onto the island like it might swallow us whole. The sand was black, shimmering with bits of obsidian and bone. The trees bent slightly as if watching us. Even the birds were weird, too quiet, too big, too many fucking teeth.
"Nice welcoming committee," I muttered, cautiously taking note of my surroundings.
"They're just shy," Arwen said, already pulling a short blade from his belt.
"Shy my ass. That bird had fangs." I snapped back, eyes still scanning furiously.
As we moved toward the path leading inland, the air grew warmer, thicker, charged. My magic buzzed like it wanted out. Something was calling it, whispering in a language I didn't understand, but felt.
Arwen paused, looking down at me. "You feel that too?"
"Yeah." I clenched my fists. "This island's got some serious main character energy."
We shared a look. No jokes this time. Just understanding. And then we stepped off the beach, onto the path of stones that shimmered with runes, and headed straight toward the tower that could hold the key to everything.
Or nothing. Either way? I was ready to set it on fire.
The tower looked like a fever dream built during a magical bender.
Spiraling spires clawed at the sky like they were trying to punch a god. The stone walls moved, twitching like they had a pulse, and I swear one of the windows blinked at me, like it was pissed I was looking back. I stared up at it, arms crossed. "This thing's got attitude, and is definitely not normal." My eyes narrowed as I inspected the crazy tower warily.
Arwen snorted beside me, clearly unfazed. "That's just Cal's tower being… hospitable."
"Hospitable?" I arched a brow. "That thing looks like it eats tourists for brunch."
He just smiled, that calm pirate confidence making me want to both punch and kiss him. "Don't insult the architecture. It gets moody."
As we walked closer, the magical creatures who had been following me since the beach stopped near the forest's edge. My throat tightened immediately. They didn't say a word, didn't need to. The ferret nuzzled my boot. The fox gave a low grunt. Even the sassy pigeon cooed like he was saying goodbye.
"You guys aren't coming?" I asked, kneeling.
The air shimmered. No response, just soft eyes, gentle silence, and a sudden ache in my chest like I was being unstitched. "Fine," I whispered, blinking fast. "I'll see you again." I choked out, turning my head so they didn't see my tears.
They vanished into the trees, and I swear I felt part of myself go with them. I sighed, rising to my feet and brushing the dirt off my knees. A loud CREEEEAK split the silence, and the tower's massive wooden door opened on its own with a dramatic groan straight out of a horror movie.
"Well finally!" a croaky voice snapped from somewhere inside. "Get your divine ass in here before the weather gets bored and murders something."
I blinked. "Was that… the building?"
"No," Arwen said. "That was Cal. The building just bites."
Of course it does. We stepped inside, and my brain nearly shit itself. Staircases floated sideways. Doors opened into oceans and shut before I could scream. A portrait of a goat winked at me. I swear one room was actively changing wallpaper themes. Everything smelled like peppermint and lightning. I gawked with my mouth hanging open.
And in the center of it all, sitting on a crooked throne made of books and broken teacups, was Cal.
He was old as fuck, glowing like a lightning bug, barefoot and wrapped in a robe that shimmered with constellations. His beard almost touched the floor. His eyes locked on me like he'd been expecting this moment since dinosaurs were a thing.
"Well, well, finally. Nythera's girl."
The name hit me like a brick to the soul. My breath caught. My knees buckled. The room swam. Nythera. My mother.
Memories slammed into me like a tidal wave. Her arms. Her voice. Her whisper..."You won't remember." The stars. The fall. The warmth. I had remembered. I did know her.
"I saw her," I breathed. "When I fell through the time rift. I...I remembered."
Cal rose slowly. "Then it's time you saw this."
With a flick of his fingers, a tome the size of a toddler floated to me, glowing with heat and humming with magic. It opened itself. Gold ink moved across the pages like it was alive. And there it was.
The MoonBlood Prophecy. Written like a fucking spell...
There once fell a spark through the fracture of skies,
Born of divine flame and earthbound cries.
With six fated bonds, a pentacle shall rise,
To shatter the veil where the darkness lies.
She'll dance through time, through death, through flame,
Till the ancient one sleeps with a forgotten name.
The words sank into me. My magic stirred like it was hearing an old lullaby. My hands trembled. "Six bonds… pentacle… darkness…"
"What the hell does it mean?" I asked, voice low and shaky.
Cal stared at me like I was both a weapon and a wish. "It means you're the stormbreaker, girl. You've already been set in motion. And some very old things just woke the fuck up."
I swallowed. "So this is why I was pulled through time?"
He smiled, sad and sharp. "No, sweet girl. You weren't pulled. You were launched. And now you have to decide whether to rise… or burn."
"Say that again," I snapped, fists clenched at my sides. "Slowly. Like I didn't just fall through time, get kraken jumped, accidentally bond with a pirate, and now live in a world where the fuckin' tower is breathing."
Cal blinked. "Well, when you put it like that…"
"Say. It. Again."
The old bastard didn't even flinch. Just lifted his crooked finger, flicked the page of that massive tome, and gestured at the glowing lines of prophecy like they weren't currently threatening to implode my brain.
"You, Rhiannan, are the Moonblood Child. The first born of Nythera. Chosen to complete the double pentacle, bond six divine threads, and face a sleeping evil that makes most demons piss themselves."
I stared at him, my mouth twitching. "You just made that up."
He grinned. "Swear on my last beard hair I didn't."
Arwen cleared his throat behind me. "He's not usually wrong, Rhi. Even when he's obnoxious."
"Oh, he's both," I muttered, turning back to the page. "But that doesn't mean I understand any of this."
The prophecy still shimmered in my mind like a memory that wouldn't settle:
There once fell a spark through the fracture of skies,
Born of divine flame and earthbound cries.
With six fated bonds, a pentacle shall rise,
To shatter the veil where the darkness lies.
She'll dance through time, through death, through flame,
Till the ancient one sleeps with a forgotten name.
The words pulsed. They knew me. Or maybe I knew them. Because as I stood there, dizzy and furious and terrified, something cracked open in my mind....and the memories poured in.
I staggered, clutching the table as the visions hit like waves. My brain was definitely going to explode. Screaming in a sand blasted hallway. My hands tied. A flash of light. Boots. Blood. Gunshots.
"Fuck," I whispered. "I was… I was looking for someone. I was in Iraq...I was a Marine...I was deployed. And then…"
Pain. Betrayal. More blood. Sadness. Despair.
"I do not want these memories!" I screeched, clutching my head.
"You remember," Cal said softly, no longer snarky. "Good. You'll need more of that."
My knees nearly buckled. "Why the fuck would I want more of that?"
"Because the truth is tied to power, child," he said. "And you're going to need every ounce of it."
I shook my head. "What about Nythera? She's real? Not just a dream?"
"She's as real as you are," Cal replied. "And twice as stubborn. She was a warrior. A goddess among gods. She bled for these realms and nearly broke them saving your sorry ass."
That hit hard. Too hard. "And my father?"
Silence. Even the tower stopped breathing. Cal's gaze darkened. "That's… complicated."
I stepped forward, heart racing. "Try me."
"He was a fae man. Brave, kind...and foolish as hell. He made a deal with something dark to protect you both. Sold his soul."
"And?"
"We lost track of him after that," Cal said softly. "Some think he's dead. Some think he's something else now. A vessel. A curse. A ghost. No one knows."
My throat burned. "So I've got a legendary goddess mom and a cursed, possibly dead soul sold dad. Perfect. Classic origin story."
"You're stronger than both of them," Arwen said quietly from beside me.
I looked up at him.
"Maybe," I whispered. "But I'm also alone in a world I don't understand, hunted by shit I can't name, and apparently destined to fight some kind of ancient evil with a pentagram of magical dick."
Cal burst out laughing. "Oh yes. You are her daughter."
I turned back to the book. The page was still glowing. Still waiting. I wasn't ready. Not even close. But I was done running.."I need to know everything," I said. "About the bonds. The prophecy. The enemy. All of it."
Cal nodded once. "Then sit down, Moonblood. Because the real story hasn't even started yet."
The tower shook like it had been struck by a god.
The floor beneath me groaned with the force of the impact, scrolls flying off shelves, glass vials exploding in a flash of rainbow sparks. My hand flew to the hilt of the dagger Cal had handed me, not that it would do much against what I felt coming.
The air, shit, the air, it was wrong. I choked in a breath. This was bad. I could feel the evil.
Too sharp. Too cold. Crackling with something ancient, entitled, and violent.
"Arwen?" I shouted, fear evident in my voice.
"I feel it too," he said, already in motion, blade drawn, magic rippling over his skin in that dangerously sexy way that made me want to slap him and kiss him in the same breath.
Cal didn't flinch. Just flicked his fingers and sent a cascade of shimmering runes to seal the windows.
"They found you faster than I thought," he muttered, grabbing a staff from the corner of the room. "Damn royals have bloodhounds in the sky now."
"Who's they?" I snapped, backing toward the nearest wall, heart racing. "Be more specific, Gandalf."
"The royal fucking guard," Cal spat. "And they brought a Seer. They wouldn't storm my tower unless they were sure you were here."
Another boom split the air. A bookshelf cracked and toppled.
"They're here for me?" I blinked hard. "What, they want to arrest me for existing?"
"No, sweetheart," Arwen said grimly. "They want to own you."
Fuck that. My eyes narrowed, already looking for a way out.
Cal waved us toward a spiraling stone staircase I swear hadn't been there five seconds ago. "Tunnels. Old magic. Follow it until you hit the river's edge. There's a boat hidden there. Don't stop. Don't speak. Don't think."
"What about you?" I asked, already grabbing Arwen's hand as we bolted.
"I've survived worse," Cal said, grinning like a lunatic. "Now GO!"
We ran. Down, down, down, the tunnel flickering with weird glowing moss and shifting stone walls like the place was thinking. Arwen was ahead of me, holding my hand like he'd never let go. My heart was beating out of my damn chest.
I should've kissed him again when I had the chance. The ground rumbled behind us, then exploded.
The tunnel collapsed in a blast of dark energy and smoke, and the world tipped sideways. Magic ripped through the air like a sonic scream, and I was thrown against the wall so hard I saw stars.
Hands grabbed me. Cold metal closed around my wrists.
"No!" I screamed, thrashing, but the spell hit me before I could summon a single drop of power. I growled visciously, kicking and biting and thrashing.
I watched helplessly as Arwen got slammed into the floor by three armored guards, blood pouring from a gash above his brow. His one good eye locked with mine, full of fury and helplessness.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't help him.
Then everything went dark.