At last Taggi drew close. Tyros, a look of relief etched across his worn face, reached out.
The citadel tipped. Silence seemed to enshroud it. Serene’s eyes met Tyros’s. Both realized what was happening.
Castle Atriun began to plummet again.
The mage reacted instinctively, leaping for the outstretched talons of the griffon even as the fortress’s plunge began. Tyros missed, but Taggi dived with incredible speed, managing to get under the helpless wizard.
Tyros landed arms first across the shoulders of the griffon. Serene quickly seized the mage and dragged him aboard before he could become entangled in Taggi’s wings.
A final explosion rocked Atriun even as it plunged. Mage and cleric watched in awe as the central tower sank into the main building. Golden fire burned away what remained of the wooded garden.
Already dying, Valkyn’s flying citadel plummeted earthward.
* * * * *
In the depths of the collapsing edifice, Valkyn, pinned beneath the rubble, tried desperately to free himself. The magic had scored his face, leaving him a permanent, ghoulish smile. He heard the final explosion, felt the castle shudder, then watched as the cracking ceiling above finally collapsed under the weight of the upper floors.
Amidst the death throes of the flying citadel, the last scream of its creator went unnoticed.
* * * * *
Tyros, Serene, and Bakal flew after the plunging castle, hard-pressed to keep up with it.
“It’s going to land in the battlefield!” Serene shouted.
Tyros had already calculated that, but what he didn’t know was exactly where in the battlefield it would fall. Would Valkyn, in death, wreak still more havoc among the defenders of Gwynned?
They came within sight of the two warring forces. From this height, the wizard had trouble identifying which side was which. Tyros was completely turned around.
Then he saw the hilly landscape to his right and knew exactly what part of the battle the citadel had been flying over.
Atriun plummeted toward Valkyn’s own forces.
Tyros felt some regret for the soldiers below, whatever their allegiance. Still, nothing could be done.
Realizing just how terrible the impact would be, Tyros called, “Serene! Make Taggi fly higher again! Hurry!”
The griffon obeyed her command. Bakal’s mount and the rest of the griffons followed. Even then the mage wondered if they would manage to rise high enough.
The flying citadel-and the secrets of Valkyn’s spellwork that had made it such a menace-vanished the next moment in a catastrophic explosion of stone that ripped apart the former dragonarmy.
The explosion rocked the entire region. The wizard didn’t doubt that the entire island felt the citadel crash and that the reverberations were heard even on the nearby mainland.
A cloud of dust and debris rose higher than the nearby hills and continued rising, swelling at the same time. An incredible burst of wind tossed the griffons about, the riders barely able to hold on. Dust filled the air, making it nearly impossible to breathe.
Small fragments bombarded Tyros and the others, but fortunately that seemed the extent of their troubles. As Serene had the griffon begin to descend again, the wizard saw that, for the invaders, the horror had not yet ended.
Rubble still rained down on the enemy forces, deadly missiles tearing apart what little remained of their lines. Countless bodies lay scattered among the debris of the fallen citadel. Entire units had been wiped out by the hurtling fragments. A rout began among the survivors.
“Look there!” Serene pointed to the west.
A massive black form, wings outspread, lay on its back some distance into what had once been part of the enemy’s front. The dragon’s neck and back were kinked at painful, broken angles, and the body lay half buried in stone from the castle. It was hard to say whether the fall or the destruction had killed the dragon, but it gave Tyros satisfaction to see the black beast dead.
The dust began to settle, and as it did, the Ergothians advanced, clearing out what remained of their foe. Their own lines had hardly been touched by the disaster, yet the soldiers nonetheless moved cautiously. It would take time to cover the entire field, but Tyros doubted that the defenders would find much in the way of resistance.
“It’s over,” Serene whispered. “It’s finally over.”
He held her tight, both of them overwhelmed by the devastation and their part in its making.
* * * * *
The mage now wore a crisp, clean robe, but one of white, not crimson. He had considered his choices and felt that his path would ever be the opposite of that which Valkyn had taken. The decision felt like a good one and one of which both Bakal and the cleric had approved. Tyros felt like a different man.
He and Serene had built a small cairn in the midst of the deep forest near where Rapp had raised his griffons. The two stayed there for some time, silently honoring their tiny companion. The animals mourned alongside them.
“I’ll be staying with the griffons for a while, just to see them safe,” Serene commented.
“And after that?”
“I don’t know.”
He nodded. “I must report to the Conclave, but then I’ll be returning to Gwynned for a time. Bakal’s superiors have requested my aid on some projects.” Tyros considered. “Bakal must have spoken up for me.”
The Ergothian had been promoted to the staff of Gwynned’s senior general and apparently now had the ear of the commander. The promotion had required Bakal to immediately report for duty, which unfortunately had prevented him from being with Tyros and the cleric now. He had left a message saying that he hoped to see both of them before long.
“Considering what you’ve done for them, they should be happy to have you.” Serene hesitated. “Tyros, look!”
The griffons suddenly tensed, gazing upward. Tyros heard the flutter of wings and spotted several leathery forms descending toward them.
“Gargoyles.” he whispered. The creatures had disappeared before the destruction of Atriun, but Tyros had remained wary that they might yet try to fulfill their dead master’s commands.
A tall, sleek creature dropped into their midst. Taggi started forward, but Serene held him back. The gargoyle hissed once at the animal, then the pupilless eyes shifted to Tyros and the cleric.
“Humanssss …” He went down on one knee.
Serene squinted. “I saw you with Stone after he defeated Crag, didn’t I? You’re one of Stone’s people.”
“Stone is dead. I am new leader.” The gargoyle’s monstrous visage took on something approaching pride. “I am Stone now.…”
Evidently among this group of gargoyles, the leader took the name of his predecessor. Tyros could find little fault with the first Stone’s successor. He had already noted that this one spoke Common with even more fluency than their late comrade.
“You are welcome here,” Tyros replied. “We owe much to the other Stone.”
The horned creature shook his head. “Flock owes you, humansss. We are free.…”
He dropped to the ground, head bent forward. Behind him, other gargoyles descended from the trees and took up similar positions.
“I think they’re paying homage,” Serene finally whispered.
The new Stone lifted his head, then reached out with one clawed hand. He touched Tyros’s arm once, then the cleric’s. The leader even bowed his head to Taggi, then let out a short keening sound when his gaze touched upon the cairn.
“Flock friends,” Stone added, finally rising.
Before either human could reply, the gargoyle suddenly shot up into the air, the rest of his band quickly following him. The gargoyles disappeared to the east, perhaps toward the forgotten province of Atriun, perhaps farther.
“That was … interesting,” Serene finally said. “And will you be going now, too, Tyros?”