A new explosion rocked the citadel, sending him sprawling and dousing the mage with rubble from the ceiling.
Struggling to his feet again, Tyros peered through the clouds of dust, trying to make out the stairs. Rubble blocked part of his view, forcing him to climb over it. The stairway had to be nearby.…
Tyros stared in dismay. Whether or not the stairway lay ahead no longer mattered. What remained of his path had collapsed under the weight of the falling ceiling. Tons of stone now blocked the fleeing wizard’s way, and Tyros had a suspicion that some of that rubble had once been part of the very steps he sought.
His path out of Castle Atriun had been destroyed, leaving him trapped in a flying citadel that would soon fly no more.
Chapter 20
On the Wings of Victory
Atriun shook violently, sending Serene sprawling. Taggi turned, sniffing in concern. Fragments of the ceiling showered them, causing the cleric to fear that the entire castle would collapse on her. Outside, the black dragon continued to try to claw his way inside. Only the fact that they obviously wanted her alive and whole had saved her from a shower of lethal acid.
The citadel shook again. More rock showered down on the pair. Taggi howled as a large piece caught his front right paw. Serene went to the griffon’s aid, freeing the paw and massaging it. The male griffon relaxed, gently licking at his bloody wound.
“Cleric!”
Zander again. Straightening, Serene went to the opening, careful to keep out of reach of the dragon’s probing claws.
“What is it?”
“You’ll die in there unless you surrender,” the arrogant young officer pointed out. “Do so and I promise that your animals and the soldier will come to no harm.”
She doubted that he would keep his word, but Zander seemed very anxious that she come out. Why became apparent a moment later as a new tremor rained down stone not only on her, but on the dragon rider and his mount as well. The great black shook his head as a particularly heavy piece struck him squarely. Zander clearly did not want to remain in this area any longer than he had to.
Serene refused to make his task any easier. “Since I doubt you’ll keep that promise, I think I’ll take my chances here.”
“You’ll die unless-” Another explosion shook the citadel, sending more rock falling. Through the dust, she saw Zander frown, then he seemed to consider something. “All right, then. Eclipse! Toss a little acid her way and see if that brings her around to surrendering.”
The dragon twisted his head around. “But I might kill her!”
“Then be sure that you take careful aim, you imbecile, or you’ll have the wizard to answer to!”
Eclipse inhaled, preparing to unleash a torrent of acid from which Serene knew she would not escape. She doubted that the leviathan could focus his stream so narrow that he would not burn her to death.
A quake far exceeding any previous one shook the damaged fortress. Part of the back end of the tunnel collapsed, forcing Taggi nearer to her. Serene held tight to the wall, not even daring to breathe until the shaking began to subside.
And then the flying citadel lurched.
Serene and Taggi tumbled toward the mouth of the corridor … and the open sky.
As she struggled to keep from falling out, the cleric saw that Zander and Eclipse also suffered. Man and monster were caught in the midst of an airborne avalanche. Great portions of both Atriun and its island poured down on the pair.
A massive rock caught Zander in the chest. The arrogant officer slipped from his seat, screaming as he futilely sought to grab hold of something. Eclipse tried to snatch him with one claw, but a section of Atriun’s outer wall battered the beast. The officer vanished from sight, still screaming.
“Zander!” the dragon roared, trying to search for his lost rider and avoid the torrent of debris. Part of the perimeter wall struck Eclipse at the shoulder near the wing, spinning the dragon around. More gigantic fragments, including what looked like the top of one of the towers, nearly buried Eclipse in the sky. The rain of rubble made short, terrible work of his wings, at last ripping the membrane of one in half.
Battered, his wings ruined, Eclipse spiraled earthward, unable to control his descent.
Castle Atriun continued to dip. For a moment Serene hung halfway out of the tunnel, her legs dangling hundreds of feet above Krynn.
Her grip at last failed her. Serene slipped out of the tunnel and into the open sky, praying to Branchala that her end would be swift.
A harsh squawk nearly deafened her. Talons suddenly sank into her shoulders.
Taggi pulled her up into the sky, managing to dodge falling debris until they finally rose to safety above the citadel.
The view she suddenly had of Atriun’s death overwhelmed Serene. Most of the outer wall had either collapsed inward or fallen into the sky. Only the central tower of the castle remained standing, but it suffered from so many great cracks that the cleric knew that soon it, too, would plunge toward Ansalon. Crevices had spread all across the castle grounds, and the entire structure crackled with raw magical energy.
The gargoyles, whatever their loyalties, had fled from the frightening tableau. Atriun looked deserted. There was no sign of either Tyros or Valkyn.
She could not, would not, abandon Tyros. Serene had Taggi land on one of the more level portions of the dying fortress just long enough for her to climb aboard the griffon, then she urged him into the sky so that they could continue the search for the mage.
The cleric had the griffon quickly circle the outer perimeter of the flying citadel, but still saw nothing. Tyros had to be trapped inside.
She managed to convince Taggi to enter the main castle but regretted that choice almost instantly. The immense front hall had already begun to cave in. Taggi had to back up as one column tumbled over right in front of them. Despite her desire, Serene knew that they couldn’t possibly stay inside the crumbling structure. She turned the griffon around. The animal seemed more than happy to be gone from this place.
Tyros had to be in there, possibly still alive. Serene thought hard. Perhaps she could find a better way in from below. Even though the one corridor had collapsed, there were other passages. One of those might even lead her more quickly to Tyros, who likely had descended deep in the castle in order to destroy Valkyn’s horrific device.
Once back below the citadel, the frantic cleric studied each opening as they passed, but most were unusable. Her hopes dwindled.
Suddenly she noticed something approaching fast. At first she thought that the dragon had recovered. Then she saw that the winged creature was not only several times smaller than a dragon, but had a rider aboard.
Captain Bakal waved her back. “Get away! It’s not safe here!”
“But Tyros is still in there!”
“He can’t possibly be alive!”
Serene urged Taggi on, ignoring Bakal. She had to find her way to Tyros, or else.
A flash caught her attention. Serene blinked, then saw a second flash. She steered the griffon toward it, hoping against hope.
Tyros stood at the edge of a shattered tunnel, waving feebly. The mage’s robe was in tatters, and he looked so emaciated and pale that he nearly resembled one of the shadow servants. The flashes she had seen had been the last vestiges of his power, simple spells to attract someone’s attention.
“Go, Taggi, go!” Only a few seconds more and Tyros would be safe.
Atriun began dropping from the sky.
Tyros seized the nearest hand hold, a jagged outcropping from the tunnel, and held on as best he could. The strain could be clearly read on his face.
The flying citadel paused again a short distance below its original elevation, but Serene knew that at any moment it might continue its death plunge, this time with no hesitations. She urged the griffon on, but although Taggi flew hard, the distance to Tyros seemed immeasurable.