The Fifth Tower
The Earth of Eldridge: Chapter 6, Part 1
Alec overheard something he was never meant to hear—plans that implicate his own brother and threaten the future of the kingdom. The below picks up in the aftermath, as fear hardens into resolve and Alec realizes that doing nothing may be the greatest betrayal of all.
Alec’s heart pounded with every passing second as they scurried out through the passageways— head running rampant. But not a single word was passed along to Aeress until they were safe in the confines of his room—wedged in the fifth tower of the castle. Here they would have the privacy to speak freely once more. They both knew that no one should hear their soon-to-be conversation. Their soon-to-be treasonous conversation.
For so long, Alec had been forced to watch his family and kingdom collapse piece by piece. Tonight, the dam gave way, and everything he had held back came flooding through.
“Aeress… I—I can’t sit back anymore. I just can’t.” The words broke from him as he paced the edge of his red-and-gold bed, conviction trembling in his voice.
His room was stately, dressed in the trappings of royalty—deep reds, burnished golds, the dragon sigil of his family stamped into every corner. It was a reminder of everything a prince was meant to be.
Outside, a dark cloud crept in, swallowing the light and casting long shadows across the room. Alec stepped to the window and looked down from the tower’s edge. Fog smothered the rocky terrain and the wild ocean below, erasing any clear sense of depth. He couldn’t see how far the fall was—but he knew it would be unforgiving.
He couldn’t see what laid beyond the fog or the path he knew he must carve for himself. But the fear of walking into the unknown was gone. His hesitation was no more, and he was not afraid to risk it all or lose his place amongst his family and home.
“I know…” Aeress’s voice dragged in a whisper.
“I don’t care anymore.” Alec whispered in response. “I have to stop Kasmin. We both heard it ourselves… If Kasmin brings back her sister, the life we know of is over.”
Aeress interjected, “And the Andrasians will rule once again. I won’t let this happen either.” She crossed the room to where he stood at the window, and rested both of her hands atop his shoulders.
“This is my battle, Aeress.” He pulled away.
“It’s not.” She snapped, “It’s the battle of humans and the Andrasians once again. You’re not alone in this.”Alec paused.
He hated that she was right—but she was. This wasn’t something he could shoulder alone. With a quiet breath, he relented.
“Then we gather proof,” he said. “Kasmin’s true intentions. Draven’s betrayal. If we put it before the King, he’ll see that inviting those monsters into our realm isn’t worth any promise of glory or gold.” His jaw tightened. “And that necklace they’ve enchanted—the one that leads them to Vespera’s vessel—if it were to disappear, it might buy us time.”
“The necklace,” Aeress said, already nodding. “I’ll steal it.”
“No. It’s too dangerous.” Alec shook his head. “I’ll search Lamia’s chambers while everyone’s distracted by tonight’s summoning. Keep them off my trail—say I’m ill. Blame the fairy wine.”
“That next Andrasian they’re bringing back tonight—Amon—they said he is her brother…”
“Right… we’ll have to act fast. He is the imminent threat. But if the third sibling, Vespara slips though, it will be catastrophic.”
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! There is more to come in this serialized fantasy story. See below for the full story: