The air was oppressive in the room, lifeless and still. Cybelline felt a heaviness in her chest as she walked in. A thin sheen of sweat covered her face, her hand closed over her tunic. It was as if she could never feel joy again.

She took a deep breath and surveyed the grey room. In the middle was a dais, on it was a very old looking throne. It would have been an opulent throne once upon a time, but now it was just a charred pile of twisted metal and wood. On top, the remnants of cracked jewels, burnt to black hinted at its former glory. Cybelline looked at it and frowned.

"What's the matter?" Killian asked, he glanced down. Cybelline looked suprised, "You...don't feel anything?" They shook their heads.

"The defensive magic is strong in here, only the strongest mages have been allowed into this place as their own magic protects them against it. Since you don't have any, it may have an effect on you." Kieran explained, he shook his head, "It was a mistake to bring you."

Cybelline looked at them, "You both have magic?"

Kieran smiled, "We have some power."

"Which was a secret." Killian said curtly. "One that you'll do well to keep after we get out of this place, page."

Kieran looked at his cousin with guilt, "Cousin...I"

"I pity your advisors. They must work so hard to keep state secrets with you around." Killian sighed.

They arrived into the center of the room, the oppressive feeling in Cybelline's mind intensified, her face paled in pain.

Killian frowned and addressed the room, "Guardian, enough games. Start the trial and get it over with."

It has been so long since anyone's entered. A voice whispered, I have been so hungry. Are you my sacrifices?

It seemed to come from the stones itself, softer than the rush of pages disturbed by a breeze and harsher than the howling wind through sea-side cliffs.

Killian held out the Light Crystal, "We came for the Ice Crystal."

The old, whispery voice chuckled mirthlessly, You are so confident for one so young. What makes you think I will give it?

"Because you are the servant to men." Killian answered, matter-of-factly. "You obey us."

The voice was silent.

"A little kindness wouldn't hurt." Cybelline said suddenly, through gritted teeth. The pain had not subsided.

"I see no reason to be kind to a thing." Killian said coolly. He looked at her, "Remember that the magical race who used to be in power slaughtered humans like chattel.

Cybelline looked down. Once again, she was reminded of the strange ways of this world. Mages were held to highest esteem but non-human magical creatures were slaves.

Not your problem, she reminded herself, stick your head in the sand. But feeling of disgust remained. Mixed in with the pain.

Cybelline looked around, in the corner, she spied a small, shapeless shadow. Just a shade off from the normal air. She looked at the two men, why haven't they noticed it?

She didn't point it out.

The whispery voice sounded again, Complete the trial and leave. I want you all gone.

Three gold bells appeared in front of them. Cybelline looked at the other two.

Kieran smiled at her reassuringly, "Watch what I do." He touched the floating bell, it grew until it was his height, suddenly it flew over him and covered him from head to toe.

Cybelline stared, wide eyed.

A cold stone was pressed into her hand, "If it's too much, use this to break the trial. Then go wait outside." He looked down at the little page, "Don't waste it."

Killian too, touched the bell and too was gone.

Cybelline looked at the light stone that was said to be one of two in existence.

Carefully, she placed it into her pouch. Maybe she could sell it for a good price later. She thought of all the things she had stolen tonight in the chaos and smiled. It was a pretty good haul. If she didn't die tonight, she was going to have a good life.

She looked at the two giant bells. On the surface of the bells, which had been clear and metal, now swirled with people, like a playback from the movies. On Killian's it showed a palace surrounded by snow and faces of people shying away in fear.

Cybelline touched the bell. It fell onto the floor with a clink. Unlike the other two bells it did not grow big and swallow her.

"Did I break it?" She asked the voice, "This is quite anticlimactic."

Impossible, this is the trial to obtain the Ice Crystal. The voice said. Another bell appeared. Cybelline touched that one. the same thing happened. Soon, there was a pile of bells at her feet.

You, how are you doing that? The voice demanded.

Cybelline shrugged,"Luck? Also, I'm not here for the Ice Crystal, that's probably why it's not working."

You mortals with your greed and your endless requests.The voice sighed, Tell me your desire. Then, I will devise a harder trial for you.

Cybelline began to walk towards the throne. She walked up to the charred remains of the throne on the dais and touched the cracked jeweled as if studying them. " Or, we could work something else out. I'm not really interested in going through trials. By the way, where are you in this room? Like your physical form."

It's no use, human. No matter how powerful you are, you will not be able to find me. Hundreds of mages have tried over the centuries..

"Found you."

Cybelline calmly walked down from the dais and stopped at the corner, the little grey shadow tensed as it sensed Cybelline's presence. She knelt down and reached into her pouch and brought out a bright blue flower, "Solara asked me to give you this."

Impossible. No one can see me. The voice said, for the first time there was hesitation in its voice. The surety had disappeared with the shock of being discovered.

"I won't harm you." Cybelline promised it and offered the flower with a smile. She looked at the little quivering shadow in the corner. Despite the pain and pressure she felt, a new feeling came into her heart. Pity. She pitied the shadow trapped in the tower.

The shadow hand reached out and swiftly grabbed the flower, like a hungry street urchin being offered food after starving for a long time. The flower disappeared into bright bits of light into the shadow. It sighed in contentment after the flower was gone.

Solara...it sounds familiar. It said, as if trying to remember.

"Yes. I'm a friend of hers. She sent me here." Cybelline studied the little shadow. She said she met you once upon a time.

And she told you how to find me? It asked,

Cybelline shook her head. Solara had told her that there was a chance that she would be lucky enough to meet the guardian of the tower, but even Solara had no idea of how to find the guardian.

The voice of the shadow had changed, softened as it now regarded Cybelline with curiousity rather than hostility.

Earlier, you asked the cold one to treat me with kindness...why? The shadow asked.

Cybelline looked at it with a sad smile, "No one deserves to live like this." Cybelline did not like caring about other people's business, but everything she felt in this tower, she was sure that this little shadow felt tenfold. And so, Cybelline, for the first time in a long time, felt pity.

"How long have you been trapped here?" Cybelline asked

I do not remember. The Shadow replied.

"Do you remember who you are?"

They told me that it wasn't important to remember.

Little Mortal, the voice asked, how did you find me?

"I don't know, luck?" Cybelline replied, "I just thought that the corner you were in looked darker than usual. Colder."

The voice was silent. What else can you feel? It asked.

Cybelline smiled with effort, "A lot more, if you stop trying to crush me into a cookie."

Suddenly the pressure was gone. Cybelline took a deep breathe.

It was nice to breathe, she decided. She was going to remember that the next time she decided to go on dangerous adventures and talk to...she wasn't even sure what she was talking to.

New rule, she told her self, stop talking to things.

The voice was pensive. It had been a very long time anyone had shown kindness. No one had ever realized that the guardian of the tower was more than just a voice. That is, until today. Could this be the person who could end the endless years of torture and servitude?

If I give you what you desire, will you help me? The voice had changed, it was more substantial now. Softer and more feminine.

Cybelline considered this, "What do you need me to do?"

There are 9 books in this library that once belonged to a friend of mine. If you can find them, I will give you anything you want.

Cybelline blinked, "That's it? What do you want me to do with the books?"

The tower was quiet again, and then it said, I want you to take them out of here and burn them. Burn them until nothing exists.

Perhaps this human could destroy me, the guardian of the tower thought. Perhaps this human could end this hell.

"So, I don't need to run across a room of flying arrows, endure some kind of psychological trial, or some other horrific kind of torture?" Cybelline asked.

Would you like to?

"Nope, thank you for offering." Cybelline said, "So find the books, come back to the chamber, and you'll give me what I ask for."

Yes.

"Can you tell me what the books look like?"

I don't know.

"Uh...Come again?" Cybelline blinked, "How am I suppose to find them?"

Luck.

A flash of bright light occurred. When Cybelline opened her eyes she was back at the bottom of the staircase. Then, as she looked up into the tower of books, it suddenly dawned on her the enormity of her task.

In the sea of millions of books she was supposed to find nine. Maybe it would be less painless to take the psychological torture the men were experiencing right now.

Cybelline walked around the first level. Scanning the thousands of books without a clue. What was she looking for?

She passed by a book that looked no different than any other book in the tower. But it felt different, like a cold spot. Cybelline knelt down and picked it up.

The words on it were scratched and illegible. She put it down again and pick up another. It didn't feel like the first book. Sighing, she took the first book and placed it into her satchel, not knowing if it was what she was looking for or not.

"Next time I'm going to steal things in really obvious places." She muttered to herself and walked up to the second floor, with the light crystal in her hand, she had no trouble getting past the magical barrier. She closed her eyes and felt for the cold spot. Nothing.

On the third floor, she found three. Then four on the sixth level. Now that she was halfway up the tower she was worried. If she got to the top, how was she going to explain to Ida why she was outside?

Leave that to me. The voice sounded

Above her, she heard a clank, a metal object fell from the highest level, followed by a much larger object.

Cybelline caught the sword and then the sleeping Ida who was blissfully plummeting to her death.

"You could have given me a warning." Cybelline grunted as she placed Ida on the stairs.

I didn't know you were going to catch her. The voice replied.

Cybelline sighed, she was arguing with a tower after all.

Cybelline continued to search the massive spiral of books. She could only find eight. Where was the last one? She must return to the chamber before the two completed the trial.

Finally she reached the top floor again. Should she go down and look through all the levels again?

You don't have much longer. The cold one is about to complete his trial. The whispering voice sounded.

Cybelline closed her eyes. Had she missed a spot somewhere? Where was the last book?

She opened her eyes, the light sparkling from within. She knew where the last one was.