Выбрать главу

“If not you, then perhaps one of them.” He pointed at the two remaining soldiers. Galan, the younger of the pair, leaned heavily against Korbius, a veteran like Bakal. As with Bakal, the two men had been released from their bonds, but their captors hardly feared that they would try anything. Korbius’s leg had been torn open by the gargoyles, leaving him unable to run. As for young Galan, he could barely stand and, if the captain were any judge of neck wounds, slipped nearer to death with each passing moment.

“We’ll not betray our home and our kin,” dark-skinned Korbius muttered. Galan nodded agreement, unable to say anything.

“Then we’ve no use for either of you,” the wizard suddenly announced. He had been quiet for the most part, letting Cadrio do the questioning. Now, despite his disinterested expression, he had evidently run out of patience. “Crag, eliminate them.”

The monstrous gargoyle turned toward Korbius and Galan.

“No! Wait!” Bakal started for the beast, but two sentries in black, men as nervous as Cadrio seemed, held him in place.

The winged beast hissed. Korbius put young Galan behind him, then brought up both fists, but Bakal knew how little good those hands would be against the hard hide of Crag.

The soldier swung, striking the gargoyle in the beak. Korbius grimaced at the pain, but Crag easily shrugged off the blow. With fiendish glee, the eager gargoyle fluttered high above the pair, then quickly dropped down on them, talons extended.

Korbius put his hands up, trying to hold the murderous creature off, but Crag’s sheer weight brought the humans to the ground. Galan struck his head and lay still. The older soldier struggled in vain to keep the toothy jaws from his throat.

Bakal turned his gaze away as Crag’s claws and teeth swiftly ended the horrible, one-sided struggle.

“That’ll be enough, Crag,” Valkyn finally commanded. To the human guards holding Bakal, he added, “Show him the price for not cooperating.”

They forced his gaze back to the mangled bodies. Bakal barely managed to keep the contents of his stomach down. Crag had clearly thrown himself into his task. Even now the horrific gargoyle perched nearby, licking his blood-soaked paws clean. The creature looked up at him and gave what seemed a macabre imitation of the wizard’s own mocking smile.

“This is what fate awaits your kin below,” Valkyn calmly stated. “I’d rather not see such bloodshed if we can do this properly. You could save lives by cutting short the battle. Tell us about the catapults, the intentions of the commanders, and where the weakest links in the lines likely are.”

Bakal couldn’t betray his people. “You must be joking. You’ll have to fight to win your prize, spellcaster.”

Cadrio reached for his knife. “Let me begin on him, Valkyn.”

Before the goateed wizard could decide, a noise from below caught the attention of everyone.

“What was that?” Valkyn demanded.

The general turned from Bakal, gazing over the edge. “It’s the Ergothians. They’ve decided not to wait. They’re on the move!”

Sure enough, the defenders had decided not to wait any longer for Valkyn’s forces. The noise those in Atriun had heard were the sounds of catapults launching their deadly missiles. Even as Bakal and the others watched, the first missiles struck.

Massive boulders flew through the sky. Simple but very deadly, they shot unerringly toward the enemy. With the catapults positioned on higher ground, the defenders gained even more distance on their shots. The stone missiles dropped into the first ranks of the invaders, wreaking havoc.

Even as the enemy struggled to maintain position, a huge form emerged from the hills, wending its way toward Gwynned’s foes.

Sunfire.

Initially cheered by the sight, Bakal realized quickly that the dragon had suffered greatly from his previous encounter with the citadel. Sunfire moved more slowly than usual and, with one wing in tatters, clearly would never fly again. Still, a dragon on the ground, especially a gold one, could spell disaster for the enemy soldiers.

“Our men will be decimated unless something is done!” Cadrio snapped.

“And do something we will, General.” Pulling out the crystal wand, Valkyn turned his gaze toward the central tower.

At that moment, an incredible force shook Atriun.

The fortress moved as if struck by an earthquake. Atriun tipped forward, forcing everyone to grab hold of whatever was handy or be tossed over the side. One of Bakal’s guards lost his grip and fell over the battlements, screaming. Crag abandoned his roost, opting for the safety of the sky.

All but forgotten in the chaos, Bakal saw his one chance. As the citadel began to right itself, he pushed his remaining guard at Cadrio. Bakal had hoped to send both of them over the wall, but the general threw himself to the side. As the second guard tumbled to his death, Captain Bakal raced to the inner edge of the walkway.

The steps were too far away, but not so the flat roof of the stables. Taking a deep breath, Bakal jumped.

The roof creaked ominously but held his weight. Bakal ran along the roof even as a shadow swept over him-Crag, come to reclaim the Ergothian for his master.

The boards beneath Bakal’s feet suddenly cracked. Before the captain knew what was happening, he fell through, dropping into the old building. Above him, he heard the flutter of wings and knew that Crag had just barely missed catching his prey.

Bakal landed on some old sacks, which split apart, spilling dried feed grain. Coughing from the dust, the soldier pushed himself up and looked around. A few rusted implements caught his expert eye, especially a hand scythe.

A manic force crashed against the doors. Bakal heard a roar that could only have come from Crag.

Both doors went flying as the huge gargoyle threw himself at them again. The captain took hold of the hand scythe.

With a savage roar, the gargoyle flew at Bakal.

The soldier brought the scythe around just as Crag fell upon him. The curved blade caught the monster across the muzzle. Only Captain Bakal’s experience and strength enabled the rusting blade to dig into the hard, leathery skin.

Dark blood splattered Bakal, and he had the satisfaction of hearing Crag howl in pain. The soldier kicked with all the force he could muster, sending the gargoyle falling backward into a pile of rotting bridles and wagon gear.

Knowing that the scythe wouldn’t serve him well enough to slay the monster, Captain Bakal dashed past the gargoyle and out the doors. Even though he knew that Crag would soon be on his trail again, Bakal had only one thing on his mind. With Valkyn occupied with the battle and most of the gargoyles in flight, the Wind Captain’s Chair would be less defended. This time Bakal would be ready for the traps on the stairs.

This time Bakal would make it to the top even if it killed him.

* * * * *

Cadrio glanced back and saw the desperate figure racing into the castle. “Your pet gargoyle hasn’t done a very good job, Valkyn. The Ergothian’s inside the castle!”

“He’s probably heading to the tower again.” To the wizard, one soldier meant nothing. He saw Bakal as no threat; what could the man do? Still, best not to leave anything to chance. “Deal with him, then, General. I prefer to keep matters tidy, which seems at the moment beyond Crag’s capabilities.”

Even as he said it, the gargoyle flew into sight, searching for his prey. He headed toward the castle, but at the last moment turned right, vanishing into the wooded garden.

“Fool of a beast!” the general said with some satisfaction. Cadrio drew his sword, then turned to the mage. “What about Crag? Will he attack me, too?”

“Crag knows I suffer you to live for now, General Cadrio. He’ll not touch a hair on your head if he knows what serves him best. If necessary, slay him. I’m growing less fond of gargoyles; they either turn incompetent or traitorous. Perhaps I could capture some kyrie next time and turn them to my purposes. For avians, they’ve always seemed an intelligent race.”