Jack stood fairly close to her, not from his own choice but from the sheer numbers of the mages walking through the halls. “We’re heading to the top floor,” he murmured under his breath.
She would hear him chuckle lightly before he continued. "The others are supposed to meet us a little deeper in. You okay?"
He sighed as they approached the stairway and they began to head up, trying to keep the proper pace. “I need to check the map,” he murmured. “Come with me?”
His head tilted towards her, but he said nothing as he headed off to a side room, his movements unsure.
They entered a room off to the side and Jack took down his hood, pulling a map out of his robes. "Hm... Let's see, here..."
The doorknob turned and Jack looked up as a hooded mage entered the room. The mage froze for a moment. "It's against our rules to take off-" he began in a deep voice before he stopped suddenly, his words caught in his throat. He gasped before falling down, dead. Jack's hand was outstretched and he hesitated before returning to the map.
He pursed his lips with a small sigh before returning to the map, taking her hand idly as his gaze swept over the yellowing parchment. "Okay. So, we're here," he said, laying the map out on the table and pointing at a small side room. In comparison, the tower was huge, with thin, long hallways that crossed over each other like cobwebs. Avice would be able to recognize Jack's handwriting in the black ink that marked out a path for them. He took a moment to study it before folding the map back up and slipping on his hood. "I think I've got it."
