I have a new mare that is dark as the night and fast as the wind. She doesn’t spook at shadows, thank God, because the path to the dark tower is riddled with them. Giant conifers line my path, black as pitch in the twilight. I’m riding to the dark tower to bring a message. I was offered good coin to do so. I have a lantern strapped to my saddle and a sword on my thigh.

Suddenly, my mare stops in her tracks. She begins to back up. I squeeze into her sides with my heels. I look up and see the architectural monstrosity of the dark tower rising above the tree line into the glowing sky. Mist is rolling in from a distance. The lights in the windows are warm and welcoming, at odds with the jagged rocks at the base of the tower.

“Easy, girl, easy,” I soothe as I pat her shoulder. She snorts. I guide her to the base of the tower, where I spot rings fastened to the rock. I dismount and tie her to the ring, strangely reluctant to leave her.

As I walk up the jagged rock path to the door, I turn back once to check on her. She is standing still with her head raised high, looking right at me. Oddly, her eyes look blood red, but I dismiss it as a trick of the light.

I take a deep breath as I raise a hand and knock. The big door opens on its own with hardly a sound. I step inside. There are no candles burning in the lower part of the tower. By the light of the doorway and the stairwell, I see rough-hewn stone walls with unlit torches in holders. “Good day to you, Master of the tower! I have a message for you.”

The wind shrieks through the tower. The door slams shut. I can’t see anything but flickering in the open stairway as I hear a deep voice say: “Welcome, I have been expecting you for weeks.” The master’s shadowy figure comes into view from the stairs. He enters the room and begins lighting a couple of wall torches. He’s wearing a long robe with a hood that’s draped over his shoulders.

“Is that a fact,” I say, feeling defensive. “I just received the missive this morning. Been riding all day to get here.”

“Well, well, it only took you a day. That is impressive.” His voice has approval in it as he gestures for me to hand him the letter. I pull it out of my satchel and place it in his outstretched hand. He places it in his pocket as he brings the candle up to my face. He seems to read my eyes as he says: “Interesting. Yet, you bought my horse a full month ago. I wonder why he didn’t give you my message earlier.”

“She was _yours_? Why would you sell such a magnificent animal?”

He gives me a shark-toothed grin. “To bring you here. She is the reason you were able to find me. She’s made of magic, son. She drew you to her. She carried you over the dimensional gap and into my realm.”

I back toward the door, not wanting to take my eyes off him. My right hand goes to the hilt of my sword. I am a traveler unfamiliar with this area. I had stayed in the village for a month because I could afford to, and I was wooing a lass. “If no one can get to this place, how do they even know of it? What of the man who sent me here with the letter?”

“My servant, Verdin, paid you to come here. He should be arriving anytime now that his work in the village is done.” After a pause, he adds softly, “You will offer the coin back to me eventually.”

I try to open the door. It doesn’t budge. “My horse tried to shy away from this place,” I say, wanting to make sense of things.

“Hmm. She doesn’t want to go through the change again.” He nods, satisfied with his explanation.

“Will you let me leave, please?” I ask the master, wondering what kind of wizardry he’s up to.

“She is a _nightmare_, you know.” He ignores my request.

I feel insulted and forget my wariness. “She is no nightmare! She’s rides like a dream.”

Master laughs. “You’ll do nicely as my pupil.” I open my mouth to protest, but he waves me silent. “A master should have a student, a student a master.” His tone is congenial, but something about his regal bearing makes me think that if I say the wrong thing he will threaten me.

“Let us do this the easy way. Do not test me. Accept my invitation. You will not regret it. You were born for magic.”

I wonder if he is hypnotizing me, because I find myself nodding my head. The truth is, I feel like this is an adventure I can’t turn down.