Listen check: 6+ roll 10 = 16, Spot check: 3+ roll 14 +17 - Your sharp ears pick up the sounds of surprised voices, deep and resonate, quietly (but panickedly) calling what seem to be warnings. You do not understand the tongue at all, but it is easy to tell that the speakers have been caught at unawares. You hear the hurried movements to and fro, the sounds of hooves on stone, and the unmistakable clacks of crossbow bolts being loaded into slots, quickly followed by the cranks of winches.
As you rise ever higher, you get a better look at exactly what Xerxes saw earlier: the large outcrop of rock hides a deep hollow into the body of the spire. What seems to be a deep cave or large tunnel winds its way into and down, which is lit by flickering torches. You see shadows, cast by flame, moving quickly about and it is plain that there are several draw bows and cocked crossbows already aimed in your direction. You can see the glitter of the shiny black points poking out of the crack between the boulder and the wall of the spire.