“I think so. You know me, I believe, fair lady, but what should I call you?”
“Serene.” She glanced about the room. “This place makes me claustrophobic.”
As a cleric of a woodland god, Serene no doubt was more accustomed to the outdoors. Tyros sympathized but could do little for her. “I apologize. Would it help to open the window?”
She wrinkled her slightly upturned nose. “This entire city stinks of too many people with too little idea of cleanliness … but, yes, the window would probably help.”
Tyros gestured. The window flew open. “Yet you sat here in the dark all by yourself.”
“I could imagine it was night and I was in my home in the woods, enjoying my privacy.”
“I see.” The mage recalled the bundle of food held in the crook of his arm. “I’ve just come from an arduous journey and had planned to eat. Will you join me in a small meal while we talk?”
Again she considered long before reluctantly agreeing. “I would appreciate that. It’s been some time since I last ate.”
He set the food on the table, then pulled the latter around so that he could sit on the bed while Serene remained in the chair. She inspected his purchases with more disinterest than anything else but accepted whatever he offered her, including some wine.
Tyros took a sip of wine, only to grimace. “Best you don’t drink any of this. Tomorrow I will be having a few choice words with the man who sold it to me.”
“There’s no need for that. Hand it to me, please.”
She took the wine flask in one hand. From around her throat, she pulled a medallion upon which had been carved a harp such as a bard would have used. Murmuring what sounded like the first few lines of a song, she touched the flask with the edge of the medallion. The container briefly shimmered, but otherwise seemed no different.
Replacing her medallion, Serene poured wine for both of them. The wary spellcaster took a sip, then brightened as the nectar caressed his tongue. Serene’s jade eyes sparkled in amusement.
“This is the best wine I’ve ever tasted,” Tyros admitted.
“Surely with all your vaunted power you can conjure up something better!”
“Nothing like this.”
“Humility from a wizard. There’s hope for you yet!” She laughed, a sound like crystalline bells, then grew more serious. “Tell me what happened here, Tyros Red Robe. Tell me about Cadrio’s assault on Gwynned. I want to know everything you do.”
He told her, relating to Serene the shock of discovering the attack, the draconians falling from the sky, and the realization that not one but two castles floated above, raining death upon Gwynned. Serene listened in silence, her eyes narrowing when Tyros mentioned the flying citadels. She hung on his every word, leaning closer and closer as he proceeded. Mention of the gargoyles caused her to sit up straight, but when Tyros sought to question her, the cleric waved for him to continue.
Tyros felt both regret and guilt build up again as he told her about Leot. By the end, the mage found himself sweating and nearly in tears. Serene, though, made no comment about it.
“Gargoyles … there were gargoyles, then, too,” she muttered. To Tyros she asked, “Do you have any idea where Cadrio’s forces went? If you do, please tell me. He’s evaded me too long.”
The wizard shook his head. “I have told you quite enough. You owe me some information now.”
“My story wouldn’t interest you.”
“But it must be important for you to follow him so … or to try to enlist the aid of gold dragons.”
She flushed. “So you know of that, too.”
“I know that they turned you down.” Tyros chose not to mention his own failure.
“For the best of reasons. I’ll not risk some things even for army needs!”
“I understand the reason. Glisten’s reason.”
“Not even all my misery is worth endangering her and her eggs!” The cleric’s eyes grew misty.
“I understand.” Dragons regarded their young as very precious, even more than many humans did. “But dragons aside, I still want to know why you’re pursuing this general.”
Serene lowered her gaze. “I might as well tell you. I follow Cadrio because he’s stolen something very precious to me, someone I loved!”
Tyros felt a twinge of jealousy. Of course someone as beautiful as she would have suitors.
“I came upon the ruins of his home, destroyed by some terrible, violent force. We’d not seen each other for months, but I thought to visit him to see how he was doing.” Her hands tightened into fists. “They’d struck but days before my coming! I searched the ruins but found no trace of him. That was when I prayed to Branchala to grant me knowledge of what had happened and where I might find him. The Bard King sought fit to grant me my wish, although not as I might have liked. I received a vision, a collage of images. A castle that flew, winged creatures with horns-gargoyles, I came to realize-and my love’s home torn asunder like so much kindling, all his work laid to ruin or stolen.”
“And Cadrio?”
“And Cadrio. I saw his face, the vulture! I also saw a land I knew to be west of where I was, a land I later found the general had used for a temporary base. Unfortunately, Cadrio and his army had already departed.” For the first time, some hints of exhaustion showed. “I’ve chased him from the east of the continent to the west. I’ve seen his army and even looked the man in the eyes, from a distance, but not once did I ever have the chance to confront him.”
“I thought revenge was Sargonnas’s domain.”
“I don’t want revenge; I want only to rescue my beloved!”
Again Tyros felt a twinge of jealousy, which annoyed him. Why should it bother him that Serene loved another? “Did they conscript him into the army?”
She shook her head, sending locks of scarlet flying. “That would’ve been a waste. They must’ve wanted his work. You see, he was a mage like you.”
Tyros nearly dropped his wine. A flying citadel, gargoyles, and yet another missing wizard. How many had this Cadrio captured? “His work. Why would that be important?”
“He was studying the flying citadels.”
The mage stiffened. He knew that others had been attempting the same as him, but still it surprised Tyros to hear that someone else had been researching the devilish castles. Small wonder, then, that this other wizard’s work might have been of interest to Takhisis’s minions. “But how would they have known about him?”
She shrugged. “He wrote letters, corresponded with others. Word likely reached General Cadrio through one of your order. I’m sorry, but you Red Robes are not known for your undying loyalty to the cause of good, Tyros.”
The mage refrained from defending himself. He had nearly given his life to defeat the Dark Queen’s warriors, and so whatever slurs fell upon his order, they did not apply personally. Yet still it bothered him to hear it from her. “So you think Cadrio kidnapped him so that he could make use of his knowledge.”
The robed woman nodded. “I do, though I’ve no reason save that Cadrio might be hoping to raise another citadel. In fact, now that he’s lost one and his last is crippled, that could be urgent!”
“You may be right. It certainly gives one something to think about.” It didn’t explain why General Cadrio would need one of Leot’s order, though. Admittedly, another red wizard might have been swayed to help, but certainly not a follower of Solinari. Perhaps Leot had been taken by mistake.
Did that mean his friend was dead now?
“I’ve told you everything,” Serene commented, not noticing his darkening expression. “Now I ask you again: Do you know where Cadrio might have gone?”
He nodded. “I think they sailed to the New Sea, but it probably would be a waste of your time to go there now.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I believe that he’ll be back here before long. He won’t accept that Gwynned slipped from his grasp.”
“He’d be a fool! Sunfire would be even more eager to bring down his last castle!” The cleric hesitated. “Still, from what I’ve learned of Cadrio, you might be right. He might come back … this time stronger.” She frowned. “But I can’t wait for him to come back. It might be too late by then. It might already be too late. I have to go on and hunt him down!”