June/July Prompt: A Journey to the Endless Spire

1. They have already been to, or plan to visit, the Spire.

No amount of begging, demanding, hinting at, or otherwise trying to convince her mentors or guardians to allow her to explore the Endless Spire had worked for Arianwyn. She was too young, they said. The tower was far too dangerous for an Order Mage as young as herself. Train more, wait until it’s been mapped out, or --Arianwyn’s favorite excuse of all of them—don’t worry about it, the tower will still be there next year. As though it hadn’t sprouted up overnight to begin with. Between both the thrill of discovery and the risk of missing her opportunity, Wyn couldn’t resist the temptation to explore the Spire herself.

So, she did—with a magic as mysterious as the Spire’s, sneaking out was difficult, but not impossible. After all, thee were reports from across Namarast that sometimes random doorways took one to its great heights, and Arianwyn was very determined. All she had to do was walk through every doorway she could find, and eventually one was bound to take her where she wanted to go, right? And so, for several weeks, the young mage fearlessly ventured through a myriad of places within the Order's headquarters—classrooms, closets, laboratories, storage rooms, offices, and even a few hidden passageways she stumbled upon during her dedicated exploration.

She made it.

It was a rarely-used passageway in the back of an old classroom in the Academy; the kind that led to old storage rooms of forgotten and outdated equipment, that took her to the Endless Spire. One moment, the appaloosa mare was silently mapping out her next doorways to try in her head; the next, she was almost walking off the edge of the raised terraces near the base of The Spire.

Quickly, she ducked behind a stone pillar, holding her breath and listening for the hoofbeats of any guards over the racing of her heart. Aside from the eerie sound of the wind rushing through the structure above her, it was silent. She had made it. Finally, it was her turn to explore The Endless Spire. She stepped out of the shadows and stared up at the impressive structure, practically salivating over the discoveries she would most certainly make in its heights. Perhaps this would bring her fame, or fortune, or, if she was lucky, power. With a prance in her step, she began the journey up the Spire’s height.