Chapter 301
Fog rolled in from the east, darkness of the early morning bestowing the festive, carnivalesque atmosphere of the tower with a decidedly creepy flair.
The tower was still up and running. As far as anyone could tell, it never closed, and even now there were four early risers decked out in system gear making their way through the empty queue. Ravens—or crows, though they seemed too big to be crows—flitted around the sticky, confetti-littered square, pecking at detritus, eyeing their fellows with jealousy as I tossed the small murder hopping around my feet bits of torn-up bread. They gobbled it down, sparing Talia fleeting glances where she'd curled up and dozed a few feet away.
I'd arrived a little after four in the morning, sleep already a distant fantasy. Most of the previous night had been spent messaging everyone I could, calling in favors, coordinating.
It still didn't feel like enough.
But as much as it felt like I should be doing something, there was nothing left to do now but wait.
Heavy footfalls scuffed concrete. Nick approached the tower from the front, looking half-awake and a little lost. From the looks of it, I wasn't the only one who’d used the recent lull to upgrade. Both the sword and gleaming silver armor looked entirely new. More unexpected was the small luminescent creature wiggling under his arm.
I whistled low. He started, a little, then made his way over to join me.
"Couldn't sleep?" I asked, as he took a seat on the stool beside me.
"Nah." Nick grunted as he hiked himself up on the adjoining stool, metal support beam groaning beneath the heft of his armor. "Too in my head. Got the yips, as the old folks say. Haven't felt like this since the night before my last game."