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

grew fiercer, whipping through the open windows the higher they climbed. Eventually, they made it to the top floor.
    Steve followed Sir Lambert onto a strip of red carpet that led to a pair of golden doors. A guard stood to the side of each door. One wore a full suit of red armor, the other, a full suit of blue. Both bowed in unison at the sight of the Supreme Commander. The two warriors turned and walked towards each other and then grabbed the golden door handles at exactly the same time. Their movements mirrored each other perfectly.
    Steve smiled in impression, but the smile was more for what he anticipated to see once the two veterans opened the doors. Beyond them was the only room in the entire tower:
    The King’s Throne Room. At exactly the same speed the two warriors opened the doors and the room was revealed.
    “Sir Brightflame, welcome to the top of the King’s Tower, the King’s Throne Room,” Sir Lambert said with a hint of pride.
    They entered into a huge circular room. Inside the throne room stood eleven of the Guardian Knights. That number became the full twelve now that the Supreme Commander joined them. These respected men were the sworn protectors of the royalty. It was the highest rank a warrior could achieve. They all had moments of heroicness that were told throughout the kingdom to warriors and to children as bedtime stories. None of the stories were so impactful that they would become legends, but they were stories that would orally live on for the next couple of generations before eventually being forgotten; either that or they were reduced to outlandish tales that only children would believe plausible.
    These were the most honorable, trustworthy, and morally good men in all of Element. Two thirds of them had risen through the warrior ranks in Celestial itself. The rest had come as warriors from other cities, after their stories had reached the ears of the king, and he wanted to meet them face to face.
    Twelve knights and one honorable mention. Steve felt completely inadequate among these men and knew his small action to save the Giant and the Dwarf could not even begin to compare to the sacrifices and decisions these men had made in their moments of glory.
    The king’s Guardian Knights were all standing around in their full sets of armor featuring red, blue, and some gold pieces. Some were talking amongst themselves in small groups, similar to how Steve saw the warriors talking in the castle lobby.
    This attack has shocked them as much as everyone else.
    Four of the knights stood around a miniature replica model of Celestial. It was a perfectly accurate representation of Celestial on a smaller scale. Each one was pointing at different sections of the city with the tiny sticks they held in their hands. No doubt they are in the middle of planning strategies.
    Steve’s eyes went to the center of the room. A magnificent tall and golden chair sat in the center of the room facing away from him. The King’s Throne! There it is! Steve had seen paintings of it, but not even the finest color could match the perfect gold it was made out of. In the back of it, he could see a warped reflection of himself standing next to the Supreme Commander in the doorway.
    In front of the throne a man stood looking out an enormously wide observatory window. His back was to Steve, but Steve saw that he wore golden armor from neck to boot. He also wore a long red cape, the same color as Steve’s armor. Just as Steve knew he was entering the King’s Tower, and then the King’s Throne Room, he also knew right away who this man was.
    The window was the widest and largest Steve had ever seen. It took up more than half the circumference of the circular tower. The view to the north was amazing. He could see miles and miles away. Whitebark Woods. Evergreen Forest. I can even see the beginning of Lake Azure.
    Even though he didn’t want to, Steve could also see the entire north side of the city. Sadly, it was just as destroyed