Kalann sprinted up the stairs. He could sense the tower closing in around him, growing more claustrophobic at it climbed further and further up. *Maybe that's the final line of defense,* he thought dryly. *Make the path too tight to get through.*
He could feel a deep ache crawling up his legs, settling in his arms and chest. But he pressed on. The end of his journey was in sight. Xaran- and Geyron's fate- was waiting for him.
Abruptly, Laura grabbed his arm, yanking him to a stop. "Look!" she hissed. "There it is!"
Kalann followed her pointing finger upwards. And there it was, some twenty feet above them. The top of the tower. It evened out in a wooden ceiling, a perfect square. A rusty iron handle indicated that the entire ceiling was a trapdoor just large enough for someone to crawl through.
And waiting for them at the top of the staircase, sword raised, was the brown Urt that had stolen the amulet.
"Kalann Sefu!" it snarled. "Surrender now, and I shall be swift!"