[Junior Jedi Knights] -05(9)

“He probably just wanted us to be extra careful,” Anakin said. “The stairs look pretty steep, Artoo,” he added. “Can you make it?”

ArtooDetoo warbled uncertainly.

“If he cannot, I will use the Force to help him over the rough parts,” Ikrit said Tahiri eyed the stairs warily. She spotted several broken steps with jagged edges.

“Glad I’m wearing my boots after all,” she muttered.

“What about you, Uldir?” Tionne asked. “Are you ready for the climb?”

The teenager shrugged and grinned.

“Hey, this kind of stuff is why I wanted to be a Jedi Knight. I came for adventure—and I’m ready for anything.”

Anakin wasn’t really surprised when it started raining again only a few minutes after they began their climb. Their protective clothing kept them dry for the most part. What surprised him was the cold. The rain was freezing. The stairs to the fortress led up in a spiral that began outside, tunneled into the rock, and then wound back to the outside again as the stairs led higher. In and out, in and out. The icy rain made the stone steps slippery, and Anakin was glad each time the stairway tunneled back into the rock. Even though they stopped several times to rest away from the wind and rain, Anakin found himself growing tired.

“How-how much-farther-do you-think - it is?” Tahiri asked, collapsing beside Anakin during one of their rest breaks. In spite of her rain hood, bedraggled clumps of wet, hair were plastered against her forehead and cheeks. Anakin had no idea how far they had come, and he was too out of breath even to attempt an answer. He merely shook his head.

“I think we are about halfway,” Tionne said. A healthy pink flush ran along the instructor’s high cheekbones. She didn’t seem to be breathing hard at all.

Uldir moved to the closest opening in the stairway, leaned out, and looked up to the top of the rock spire.

“She’s right,” he said. “We’ve got a long ways to go yet.”

Tahiri groaned. “These stairs are giving me a headache.”

Anakin closed his eyes and tried to convince himself that he felt much better after his brief rest.

“Among my people on the planet Kushibah,” Ikrit said, “we have a proverb: The path to success is seldom short.” Uldir pulled his head back inside and crouched next to Anakin and Tahiri.

“Yeah? I’ll bet your people always go the long way around instead of taking shortcuts when they see them.”

The teenager wiped a hand across his cheek and came away with a fingerful of slush. He grinned.

“I thought the rain outside felt awfully cold.” He held out his finger to show Anakin. “Sleet. The rain has turned to sleet.”

This time it was Anakin’s turn to groan. He was already tired of being cold and damp.

Tionne’s silvery brows drew together in a frown.

“That means we’ll all have to take extra care on the slippery steps outside,” she said.

“Especially Artoo.” Anakin pushed himself back to his feet and reached out a hand to help Tahiri up as well.

“The sooner we get up to the castle the sooner we can get warm and dry,” he said. “Ikrit and I will follow Artoo to make sure he doesn’t slip. “

ArtooDetoo whistled a halfhearted agreement and they all set off again.

It was late in the day when the companions finally stood on a broad ledge at the rear entrance to Bast Castle, all somewhat the worse for wear. Anakin had a bruised knee and chin from having slipped and fallen heavily on the stairs. At least twice, ArtooDetoo had teetered precariously at the edge of the steps before Ikrit had managed to use the Force to catch and lift him to safety. Tahiri had a scrape on one cheek from stumbling and falling against the rock wall. And so it had gone for all of them. Cold, bone-weary, and aching from their climb, they wanted nothing more than to get out of the wind and rain for a while. Tionne carefully raised one hand and waved it in front of the motion sensors beside the blast panel on the fortress door.

“No laser blasts,” she said. “That’s a good sign. Maybe Imperials turned the defenses off when they left. Artoo, we’ll need you to open the cyberlock on this door.”

Buzzing and twittering, ArtooDetoo rolled forward and put one of his probes into the computer-operated lock. The impressive double doors were five meters tall and almost as wide.

While waiting for the little droid to open the doors, Anakin and Tahiri backed up to get a better look at the fortress now that they were close enough to see it. Bast Castle looked to Anakin like an enormous armor-plated helmet with a large spiky tower rising from its center. Dark metallic blast shielding covered every wall and window. ArtooDetoo whistled in surprise and prodded the huge doors. They swung inward on noiseless hinges.