Frigid winds descending the slopes of Mount Chappelle generated a steady current across the Plains of Amorgh called the Green River. Regardless of season, these winds consistently blustered in a known course northwest from Roespeye, all the way to the Black Deep Oceans.

Raven elected to travel by balloon to Reyk Zaliance. A service at the base of the mountain range provided personal travelling baskets with direct route to the Dream City, a one-way, one-destination trip. The method was expensive, as the traveler essentially purchased the whole balloon and burner mechanism to use it, but it was quicker than the Grand Highway, even by horseback, and Raven desired to save as much time as possible.

Thousands of spans high in the sky, Raven beheld the wide verdant expanse of the Plains of Amorgh, with snaking rivers winding blue cords through the greenery like a broken weave. In the distance, he spotted the Flying Dim Castle of the Seal Master. The gargantuan steel fortress sailed effortlessly across the sky, heading northwest. If Raven remembered the Seal Master’s infallible schedule correctly, he would be on his way to Saphioc and then Mune. He rested his arms on the edge of the basket, breathing deep as he drifted across the chilly skies in quiet isolation.

“It’s peaceful,” Rue said.

Raven hummed his agreement. He looked up at the big red balloon, reaching out to test the security of the ropes holding them aloft.

“You’re restless,” she said.

“You know me,” he replied, sitting down. “Always running against time. Always thinking about it. Thinking about the next move. The next scheme.”

“Is that what the big announcement was about after you saved that boy?”

Raven nodded. “It bothered me that Piper didn’t know who I was. I need to be famous. Or infamous. Whatever is required. The Titan must keep his eyes on Roespeye. It’s so important.”

“We still have time.”

Raven bowed his head. “I cannot fail them. Arkh… and Noelle. They need me.”

“We all need you, Raven. But our faith is not unfounded. Do you remember when you found my pandora?”

Raven sniffed in amusement. “Stole, you mean? Yes, I remember. It was quite difficult. That old codger kept you sealed up tight.”

“It should have been impossible. But you saved me anyway. I was alone in the dark for so long. Stashed away like gold in a bank. But then I heard your voice, and it was like waking up from a long sleep. You said you would rescue me. And you did. You were only eleven years old. I still don’t know you pulled it off. But my faith in you has only grown. You’re a man, now. A great man. I know you will save us all.”

Raven produced Rue from his robes and looked at her pandora. “You have been my guiding light since then, Rue. A whisper of reason among the clamor of madness. I don’t know if I would be here without you. And I don’t know what I’ll do once you are gone.”

“You would be just as successful had we never met. You always find the way. Arkh and Noelle believe this, too. And Van and Valentine and Fanny. All of us. Trust in yourself and the Holy One. We have not yet been led astray.”

“Thank you. You are right.” He stood back up. “I continue to march ahead with conviction. This must be done.”

After several days of guideless drifting, the faint outline of Reyk Zaliance finally appeared on the horizon on the expected morning. The reliable winds delivered Raven at the anticipated time, and he prepared for the arrival. Having flown by balloon many times, he timed the descent just right, landing on the grassy plains just outside the city limits.

Men on horses rode out to greet him as he climbed out of the basket. They purchased back the balloon from him for a small sum, which they would eventually load onto a boat and transport upriver, back to the balloon station for its next service.

From his vantage, Raven could behold the breadth of Reyk Zaliance, the Dream City. And such a dream it was. Marble walls surrounded a white metropolis of truly ancient design, unmatched by the other Reyks. The white rock shimmered in the early morning sun. Four immense ziggurats reached above the skyline of the city, each larger than the last. The highest of them all featured a towering white statue: an eagle posed in mid-flight with its head outstretched to overlook its wide domain. Waterfalls poured forth from each of its wing feathers, casting a cloud of mist all around the pyramid. The Soaring Bird of Zaliance offered warning to those who might trespass with evil intent. Within the mouth of Zaliance’s protector, the royal princess ruled on high, one of Fallowreyk’s only regalities. Noelle Sevalier governed the mighty peoples within her walls, and the people loved her.

Raven donned his hood and approached the open gates of the city. Guards stood at each post, ten-span spears always at the ready. Each soldier boasted the shining metal armor blocks floating directly behind their necks, the signature of their guardianship. Commerce passed to and fro, and Raven entered the city without trouble. Zaliance proffered no trouble to those who did not bring any. He was glad to enter quietly. For while he demanded all the attention he could attain in Roespeye, here in this city it was of the utmost importance the Titan did not know about it, if possible.

He chose to walk. Though the city extended up and down the seaside for a hundred thousand spans in each direction, the local rickshaw and carriage services were too risky. He possessed only one purpose in Zaliance, and the less who saw him, the better. He took the sideroads through the southside, where the common folk lived and worked. Memories flooded over him as he trekked across the cobbled lanes of old, where he had once played with friends and hatched schemes less nefarious than killing the Titan. Fine trees lined wide sidewalks, flowery gardens patched crisscross lanes, and aquatic channels worked myriad paths through the lower quarters, gushing with sparkling clean waters. Boatmen on long canoes oared their way up and down the runnels, expertly weaving their way back and forth from the coastal estuaries.

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Raven ignored the delicious smells wafting from the restaurants and cut across Midacre Park, and then up into the stone quarries, where the craftsmen and tradesmen of Zaliance fame worked. There among the hills and trenches, Raven found his destination.

In a far corner of the quarry mines, a dusty road wound through deserted dirt fields. Hundreds of unfinished spire towers littered the abandoned grounds. Some rose only a few spans, while others rose several dozen, each a single stone spire with a winding staircase around the outside. None of the structures were completed.

Raven came upon the largest of them all. To the naked eye, the structure appeared about three quarters finished, rising to cast a long morning shadow across the field. A colossal stack of stone blocks sat in a pile nearby. On the side of the road, a brick building faced the tower, with one door on the first floor and single darkened window on the second.

Raven entered the domicile. There were no other windows or doors and no stairs or path to the second floor. A cot sat in the corner, covered with a raggedy blanket marred by blood and dirt. An elderly man dressed in fine attire stood waiting with hands behind his back. His armor block was black as night, and an ominous aura seeped from the smooth lines running through it, cascading down his neck to his chest in wispy tendrils.

“So, you actually showed up?” he said. A curt nod accompanied an angry appearance.

“As if there was ever any doubt,” Raven replied, setting his pack down.

The white-haired man grumbled something unintelligible. “Let’s get this charade over with.”

“You’re in a particularly dour mood, Saxon. Am I to be the recipient of this honor the entire time?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. I expected no less, I suppose.” Raven removed his robes. Beneath, he wore a light tunic and strong corded pants along with a thick pair of boots. “I am ready.”

Saxon harrumphed. “State your covenant mantra.”

“A year upon the learners’ door. Asleep to bide the time. Release the Devil, take back her soul, and end the trickster’s chime. Thief of Life, yon Titan. Come claim your wicked prize. The soul I take, a different sort, concealed to greedy eyes. Beyond the grave, the Raven crows. Black Stare on Reyk Provote. Rare bird pursues your wretched life, to seize it by the throat. Rogue Puppet hides beneath your watch. Save for me, he dares not yield. The day draws near when you shall die by mind and sword and shield.”

Saxon produced a metallic object from his pocket, holding it up. The short rod was topped with a golden eye bedecked with eagle wings. “The covenant holds true. Now, I must test your soul. You still have one, correct?”

“I can’t tell if you are joking.”

The eye began to glow. Very quickly, however, smoke issued from the rod. Almost immediately, the metal began to bubble and melt. Saxon dropped the object in shock. The rod dissolved into a pile of gooey, steamy metal.

“I trust you are satisfied?” Raven said.

“Yes, well… I guess I have to be. That was my best ankh, too,” he grumbled. “You are charged with the Tasks of Yearning by our departed King Gervany and Queen Melody. I don’t know what possessed them to allow it, but they did it all the same. In order to fulfill the betrothal and accept the hand of our beloved princess in marriage, you must not fail. This is your last task. You must complete the task within the framework stipulated by the laws of our people. No pandora, seals, or any other tools may be used in any capacity. Do you understand everything I have said?”

“I do.”

“You may begin. May the Holy One have mercy on you. You’re going to need it.”

“Despite the sarcasm, I will take it as good luck all the same.”

He stepped back outside, crossing the road. But then he stopped. A shiver ran up his spine as he felt her unmistakable presence.

Noelle was watching.

From the second floor, she would be seated in her chair to watch in silence. She would watch him… the whole time. The irrepressible desire to look up at her choked him. To see her beautiful face just once. To take her warm hand into his for but a moment.

“It’s just a little while, Raven,” Rue encouraged. “Just a little while more.”

Raven bowed his head. He nodded and continued crossing the road to face his tower. He stretched his arms and legs for several minutes, preparing his mind and body for the daunting job ahead. Then, without another word, he approached the large pile of rectangular stones. He wrapped his arms around one. With a heave, he lifted the massive rock and marched to the bottom of the spiraling staircase. Step by step, he climbed the flight as it wound around the tower. After just a couple minutes, Raven’s muscles began to scream in protest. The vivid reminder of the work he’d already done to get this far came roaring back. The long hours. The sweat and blood. All that lay behind him now once again stood before him, demanding all the more.

But he pressed on, step after step. Sweat poured from his face as he climbed under the exposure of the growing sun. One step preceded another until finally he reached the top. He reached a landing and shuffled to the nearest unfinished portion of the wall. Grunting, he carefully let down the stone. He stayed bent over, gasping for air. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he stood up, righting his back. He raised his head to the sky, breathing heavily.

One.

He came back down the stairs and retrieved another stone. And then he climbed again. Over. And over. And over. With each stone, the tower of his Yearning gained inches of completion. With each climb, he came one step closer. After ten stones were piled up, Raven clutched to a severe stitch in his side. He pressed on. After twenty, he tilted and swayed, dizzy from the heat. He pressed on. After forty stones, his knees buckled and he fell, racked with fatigue.

He pressed on.

In the midday, when it seemed like he might faint, Saxon provided him a brief respite. A lunch of plain bread and boiled leg of lamb accompanied by a jug of water. It was a truly welcome break, but he did not sit. He stood in the shade, eating quickly. When he was finished, he continued.

His progress slowed as the immense burden took its toll. Each step was its own obstacle, a taunting precipice for which new energy had to be mustered just to climb. Blood dribbled down his arms from scrapes, and his hands shook. Just when he was about to reach the landing, his hand slipped, and he dropped the stone. The brick cracked down the middle.

Gasping for air, Raven looked down at the broken stone angrily. He picked up the two pieces and heaved them over the side. With head bowed, he slowly descended the staircase, grasping to the wall to steady himself. He returned to the pile to take a new one. But his strength failed him, and he slumped over the pile in exhaustion.

“Get up, Raven,” Rue said. “Get up.”

“I… always forget… how hard this is,” he wheezed.

“Get up, Raven. The Titan suffers no weakness. And you are not weak. You can do this. You can do this!”

Raven weakly gasped for air. It would be so easy to cheat with pandora. He knew he could do it without anyone seeing. Why was he doing this again?

“It was your promise, Raven,” Rue said. It was like she knew his inner thoughts.

“Ah yes,” he said weakly.

“You promised them. Gervany and Melody. You promised you would complete the tasks.”

Queen Melody’s face came into Raven’s vision in that moment. A tear fell down his face as the memories surfaced.

“I wish… I could have saved her,” he said.

“You did save her.”

“Once. But saving her once wasn’t enough… the Titan killed them anyway. The damn Titan killed them anyway!”

“Yes… I remember. So… will their loss be in vain?”

Raven’s face screwed up with anger. “Never!”

With a shout, he stood up and grabbed the next stone. With shaking arms, he lifted it, bracing it on his thigh. He turned. And step by step, he made his renewed way up the tower.