The maimed dragon could have done very little, anyway. Had he remained, Sunfire would have perished as surely as had Glisten.
All of which did nothing for Bakal’s present position. He could think of only one thing to do at this point. “Rapp! Land this beast in the castle, somewhere that isn’t swarming with gargoyles!”
The kender obeyed. The griffon soared around Atriun. One gargoyle managed to get close, but Bakal kicked the monster in the jaw, sending his attacker spinning away.
The griffon finally descended behind a building that appeared to have once been used for a smithy and a stable. Taggi released Bakal as soon as possible, the captain immediately racing through a back door of the building.
The remaining griffons landed just outside the entrance. Mirko and the rest of the surviving soldiers leaped off, swords ready, as the griffons quickly took up defensive positions. Rapp pulled out a sling. Several gargoyles hovered overhead, seeking to penetrate the griffons’ defenses.
Although the men immediately retreated to the doorway, the animals remained outside, clearly unwilling to enter the unknown structure. Rapp refused to leave them. Standing just behind his children, the kender let loose with the sling, striking a hard blow on the shoulder of one leathery monster. The gargoyles backed away.
Bakal glanced around the interior. “We’ve got to find a way out of here and into the castle itself!”
“They’re bringing nets!” Mirko called from just outside the doorway.
Sure enough, the gargoyles had brought forth great mesh nets. Bakal doubted that they had come up with the plan themselves. Whoever controlled them had likely set the creatures to the task, for Rapp’s pets were the only thing truly protecting the small band.
Rapp readied another missile in his sling. To his credit, the spry figure defended his griffons with vigor. Still, the captain believed that he needed the kender’s assistance more. “Rapp! Get back here!”
Rapp sent a second missile flying. Its target shifted position, allowing the stone to go past harmlessly.
“Kender!”
The gargoyles had most of their nets in position. Bakal had no certain estimation of a griffon’s strength, but judging by the nets, he doubted that the animals would be able to escape.
“They’re going to capture Taggi and the others!” Rapp burst out. “I can’t let them!”
“You’ll have to if you want to save your griffons later, boy! They wouldn’t be bothering with nets unless their master wanted the griffons alive. They’ll be all right, just caged. We’ll get them, I promise you, but right now I need you to come in here and find us a way out before they come after us!”
Rapp looked ready to protest, but at that moment the first of the nets descended upon the griffons. A female tried to rip the mesh, but even with her claws and strength, the net remained intact.
Swallowing, the kender nodded. “All right, Bakal. I’ll look around, but we’d better rescue the griffons later.”
“We will, boy.”
The tiny figure ran past him, disappearing into the shadowy interior. Captain Bakal didn’t know what he hoped Rapp would find, only that kender usually managed to locate some way into and out of every structure. If his party had any chance of escape, it relied on Rapp’s abilities.
“Corij preserve us,” he muttered, calling on Kiri-Jolith, the god of just causes.
Nets now ensnared all of the griffons save Taggi, whom Mirko and another man had managed to keep partially free. A gargoyle got too close to Mirko’s long blade, and the huge veteran cut deep into his wing. The other soldier thrust his sword, slaying the monster.
Unfortunately, in doing so, Mirko’s companion opened himself up to attack. A massive gargoyle pulled him forward and, with a single slash of his talons, tore open the soldier’s throat. With a cry, Mirko moved in and ran his sword through the attacker, but too late to save his comrade.
“Damnation!” Bakal glanced back again into the gloom. “Rapp, you find anything?”
“I found this old horseshoe, but no old horse for it. Do you think they might have flying horses? I’ve heard they exist, but I’ve never-”
“Rapp, we can’t wait any longer!”
“I’m looking. Honest I am!”
A winged form passed over the officer’s head, narrowly missing him. One of the gargoyles had made it inside. Bakal turned as the creature tried for him again, bringing his sword up just as the leathery form swooped down.
The blade sank into its chest. With a cry, the gargoyle crashed to the floor, wrenching the captain’s sword out of his hand. Bakal put a foot on the corpse and fought to remove the weapon.
“They’re dragging the griffons off, Captain!” Mirko warned.
Bakal pulled his sword free. “They’ll be coming for us next. Form a line of defense. Don’t let any more get inside!”
Moving to the entrance, he saw several of the gargoyles pulling the struggling griffons away. The animals would be of some use to those controlling this castle, but his small band only represented an obstacle. The gargoyles would not likely let any of them live.
And then, from within: “I found something, Bakal. At least I think I found something.”
The captain had no intention of abandoning the defenses without something more concrete. “Have you or haven’t you?”
“Oooh! I did find something! You’ll like it! It’s a shaft, and it’s dark and musty and cobwebby and goes down real deep!”
“Wonderful …” All he had to do now was stall the monsters while he and the others made their escape down Rapp’s dubious shaft. The captain looked around and saw a single oil lamp dangling from a post. Despite the age of the castle, he had already noticed evidence that both the smithy and the stable had been used in the recent past. Perhaps the lamp had some oil in it.
“Mirko! I’m backing away!”
“Aye, Captain!”
Racing over to the lamp, he pulled it free. Still some oil. Bakal studied the building, especially the entrance. Old wooden beams and planks. Very dry. Good.
After a quick search for tinder, Bakal lit the lamp, then headed back to the entrance. He would have only one chance. His aim would have to be perfect.
“Heads down! Prepare for orderly retreat … now!”
Bakal threw as hard as he could. Luck was with him, for the lamp flew unerringly toward the upper frame of the doorway, where it shattered. Flaming oil spread over the entire entrance.
The nearest gargoyle drew back, hands burning. The others darted into the sky, expecting more blazing missiles.
With Mirko and the captain covering the retreat, the surviving soldiers rushed back to where Rapp waited.
“This is it. I found it all by myself!” The kender had found a trapdoor and, beneath that, a web-covered hole.
“Looks like a refuse chute of some sort,” one man muttered.
“It’s not … look. It has handles so you can climb down.”
They had little choice. The handholds seemed to indicate a tunnel. “All right,” Bakal snarled. “Get down there! Which would you rather face, a few spiders or a gargoyle? Go!”
One by one they scrambled down the opening. Four men were inside the tunnel before the winged terrors had gotten over their surprise and darted past the fiery entrance.
“Rapp! You go next!”
As the kender vanished, the first gargoyles reached Captain Bakal and his remaining men. Bakal managed a good slash at one but nearly slipped. A clawed hand closed on his wrist, and a toothy beak snapped perilously close to his nose.
“I’ve got ’im, Captain!” Mirko brought his sword down, his massive strength enabling him to decapitate the gargoyle.
“Look out, man!”
Intent on saving his superior, Mirko didn’t see the savage maw that opened behind him. The soldier turned, but not soon enough to keep the strong jaws from clamping on his throat.