Free The Story of Evil: Volume I - Heroes of the Siege by Tony Johnson

wooden doors with his keys. A giant spiraling staircase was revealed to be on the other side.
    Steve knew where they were headed as soon as he looked up and saw how high the staircase reached. He had just entered the famous King’s Tower, the highest manmade building in the entire kingdom. From the top, it was said you could see for hundreds of miles on a clear day. The tower from base to tip was exactly 1000 feet.
    The second tallest man-made structure in the world was a tower in a city called Misengard. That tower was only 625 feet tall, so the King’s Tower was quite an architectural feat. That was the reason it was so notoriously popular. People came from far away to Celestial just to catch a glimpse of it.
    As he followed in an endless upward, circular motion, Steve noticed beautiful paintings on the stone walls. All along the inside of the tower were intricate drawings and paintings of the stories of legend told in chronological order. All of the tales Titus Thatcher had told him as a child were depicted here. He had forgotten that Thatcher had told him long ago about how the stories could be seen on the stones of the King’s Tower.
    “They’re amazing aren’t they?” Sir Lambert asked Steve. Again, he was not even facing Steve as he talked, but somehow he knew the warrior was in awe of the paintings. “It’s ironic isn’t it? The depictions of the heroes of legend form the base of the most iconic building in the world. If it wasn’t for their sacrifices and victories on the battlefield, who knows if this tower and this city would be here today?”
    “Yeah, it’s something isn’t it?” Steve responded. That was a stupid answer. I shouldn’t have even said anything. I wish I knew a fun fact or something about one of these stories, but I doubt there is anything I know that he doesn’t.
    Steve was very self-conscious about everything he said in front of (or behind, as he was) this man he admired. He wanted to make a good impression rather than embarrass himself. He turned his eyes back to the paintings. It was like watching the story play out of a hero against a villain. As soon as one ended, another began. The pictorials were just like how his mind imagined them as a child.
    Steve smiled as he saw some of his favorites: the first warrior, mighty Atomis; the first friendly monster, a dragon named Frostbite and her warrior rider, Sima; and the legend of the White-Armored Warrior.
    The Supreme Commander purposely did not strike up a conversation. He allowed the captivated, newly knighted warrior to marvel at the beautiful renditions of history. These were the men and women who paved the way for Steve to be in the position he was in today: a free Human, living in the greatest city on Element, who was allowed to choose whatever profession he wanted.
    The last painting was of King Zoran and his legendary battle against Draviakhan. Steve slowed down and ran his fingers along the wall. Out of all the legends, this was his favorite and by far the most important.
    After Oliver Zoran’s story, the paintings ended. Only the gray stones of the castle tower remained. Room for future legends, Steve thought.
    “We’re almost there,” Sir Lambert exhaled. He was past his seventieth name day, but was a man with the body of someone twenty years younger. Even if he were only fifty, he still would have been winded from the mountain of a staircase hike. Steve himself began to feel sore as each step was a repetition of the previous one, time and time again. His thighs and calves ached as he ascended further.
    How is Sir Lambert keeping up this pace at his age? The man’s body must be as strong as they say his mind is.
    To distract himself from the boring, repetitive steps, Steve began to count each of the steps before he reached a window. He had determined there were fifty steps between each of the windows. As he briefly looked out each one, he saw the buildings far below getting smaller and smaller with each pass. The wind