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Where gravity is defied
With a wry smile, the duchess Justina embraced the newcomer. Her eyes were distant, as her voice dropped to a whisper..
”Excuse us, dear.”
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Year after year
A dozen years ago. A castle popping and groaning as spiderwebs formed. Cracks in the wall come from nowhere as the strain of stone on stone breaks its essence. Things are settling.
Eleven years ago. There are no thatched roofs. Where the crows fly, the first hole appears. A tile is sent crashing down, becoming a hundred for the homes of the brownie. A frightened horse, a broken leg. One fewer to join the hunting party.
Ten years ago. A cause must be found. Thousands of leaves disturbed, each bound in tomes. Great thinkers and great opportunists visit and feed and theorize. Ideas are shaped and sharpened.
Nine years ago. Workmen run with ropes and lead. Pegs of wood and cogs of timber hammered and fit into the rock, invisibly. Labour stops when a second besieger joins the first.
Eight years ago. Fighting amidst the foes. The newcomer is thrashed and the roads open once more. The tower stands stable, completed.
Seven years ago. A sally, of unknown distance and infinite duration. None return from their crusade.
Nature besieges everything. The moors of Lesis surround the keep with no plans of ever departing. The army does not need nourishment, nor does it require pay. It does not mind if convoys break through and reinforce the defenders. Some are slain walking through camp. Most are not. There is no hurry. The outcome is certain already.
Sappers from the marsh work tirelessly. Digging under the man-shaped stone, drowning the soil, washing away the foundations. Work is slow, but unceasing. There is no hurry. The outcome is certain already.
The outcome is rushed.
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No longer
Under great protest, pebbles slide. With audible noise, bricks snap. Outside, a worried susurrus turns to shouts and keening. The leaning is nearing its end, but not before worsening gravely.
Thud after thud is heard as stones tumble down. A sickening sucking sound as the swamp claims its prizes. Then, they are no longer loose fragments dropping. The tower slides sideways and comes crashing down. Where it seemed small from ground level, now there lies a massive pile of rubble.
Concerned glances are shared, but none of the servants and guards waiting outside seem injured. The rest of the castle still stands. The wise men and engineers have done their work well.
Six flights of stairs protrude from the remains of the tall keep, roofless.
Five of the floors remain intact, barely, though the last is as littered as the earth.
Four minutes, the stunned silence lasts…
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