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ground one hundred feet away. A black point came up from the ground. The point shot upwards as fast as an arrow is released from a bow.
    He realized that it was a black tower that came up from the ground. The dust settled as he walked closer and he got a better look at it. It had one black door at the front of it. There were no windows and no other doors. Just a cylindrical black tower with a sharp pointed roof that was no more than fifty feet in diameter.
    Nick walked up to the door and opened it. There was a dark room on the other side of the door that was only graced with a few torches scattered along the walls. The torches led to a spiral staircase. He paused at the base for a moment, then proceeded to walk up the stairs. Step by step the halls in which the spiral staircase resided became colder and colder. The walls had become covered in a shiny frost and the stairs had become slippery as they were layered with a thin coat of ice.
    Nick had finally reached the top of the spiral staircase. In front of him there was a bright blue door with the etching of his name stretched across it as if it was dug in with a knife. He propped the door open by turning the blue handle.
    The room was covered in ice. There was not an inch of the floor, roof, or wall not covered in a thick layer of ice. The walls were riddled with torches that illuminated the room. The fire from the torches seemed to not have any effect on the ice whatsoever.
    The tower room was big and circular, and the roof was dome shaped. The walls stretched high above him.
    Nick heard a shriek from a woman’s voice. He looked up.
    There was a balcony and Penny was standing on it. Behind her there was a man in a black hooded robe holding a knife to her throat. The hood cloaked the man’s face in a shadow.
    “Penny!” screamed Nick.
    He looked around franticly for a way up to the balcony. It was ten feet above his head and the walls were slick with ice. There was no way he could make an effort to climb up. He looked left and right for a door that could have lead to a staircase to no avail.
    “Let her go,” said Nick. “Take me. I know you want me.”
    The man took off his hood to reveal his face. It was Poloski of the six.
    He smiled down at Nick.
    “Come get me, Poloski, she has nothing to do with this.”
    He inched the blade closer to her throat while his smile grew with joy.
    Nick’s face turned into a look of determination. He ran towards the wall and jumped up.
    There was no way a jump could suffice in getting to the balcony. But he tried to jump again and again.
    He jumped a fourth time and flapped his arms in the motion as if he was a bird.
    He stood still in the air. He flapped his arms again and he rose.
    He looked at his right arm to discover it had become a giant black-scaled wing that stretched six feet in length and four feet wide. His left arm had done the same. He flapped his scaly wings and he could feel the wind he created beneath him as he rose in the tower.
    He was now eye level with Poloski. His smile had completely faded.
    Nick kept flapping his wings and said, “Let her go.”
    “As you wish, Nick,” he said.
    Poloski pushed Penny off of the balcony.
    Nick quickly dove and caught her just a foot before her head landed on the hard icy ground.
    Nick set her down safely and flew back up to the balcony.
    Poloski took his knife and hurled it at Nick.
    Nick flapped his wings just once and he rose over the flying knife. He descended until he was eye level with Poloski and he opened his mouth. He felt heat but with no pain. A breath of fire came scorching out of Nick’s mouth and ignited Poloski.
    His black robe first caught on fire followed by every inch of his skin. He screamed in pain and fell on the balcony floor. Nick did not care to watch the man die so he flew back down to see Penny.
    He stood in front of her and he said, “I’m so glad you are safe, Penny. I love you.”
    The floor beneath Nick crumbled. He fell through a hole the size