by Dragon Lance
Kaz stepped back swiftly as the monster, ignoring the destruction raining down, stopped just before its master. The dark elf laughed at Kaz. “I would not recommend remaining down here, minotaur! If you leave now, you might just make it before everything crumbles!”
“You can’t be serious!”
Argaen’s unliving pet, its eyes focused on Kaz, lowered itself to the ground so that the elf could climb aboard. “I am so very serious!”
A Knight of Solamnia might have stayed and fought. Most minotaurs might have stayed and fought. Kaz knew better. He started running.
A small figure chose that moment to come crawling over the wreckage of the vault doorway. It was Delbin. Behind the kender, Kaz could see Lord Oswal. He cursed, knowing Darius and Tesela could not be far behind them. So much for his vague hope that they would do the intelligent thing and flee while they could. The Grand Master, haggard, spotted the minotaur first and started to speak.
Kaz waved them back. “Run!”
The elder knight took one look and, sizing up the situation, obeyed reluctantly, but Delbin, caught up in typical kender curiosity, remained where he was, trying to see what was going on beyond the minotaur. Snarling, Kaz tucked his battle-axe under one arm and, with the other, scooped up the small figure. Behind them, Argaen shouted something incomprehensible.
Lord Oswal and Tesela were already helping Darius up the steps. No one paused or even looked back. The walls and the steps vibrated as the party ascended. Kaz, in the rear, felt the step beneath his feet begin to give way. He said nothing, knowing that the others were moving as fast as they could. Tesela hadn’t had time to do anything for Darius’s sprain.
When the steps finally ended, the party’s relief at reaching the surface died quickly. The exit was barely passable; there was extensive damage.
“We must go outside,” the Grand Master decided for them. “We may have to abandon Vingaard entirely until the danger is over.”
Lord Oswal led them through crumbling halls. Darius was in definite pain but said nothing. Kaz, in his excitement, had forgotten to put Delbin down, likely a good idea, in retrospect. There was no way of telling whether the kender would stick by them or wander into further danger somehow.
The darkness of night welcomed them once more. Kaz, with a start, realized that only a short period of time had passed since he and the two humans had gone in search of Delbin and the elf. His encounter with Argaen Ravenshadow had seemed to last an eternity.
A few bewildered figures darted out of the darkness, the knights who were standing guard around the Grand Master’s stronghold. It was a bit of a surprise to discover that those knights were indeed real and not illusions. By now it wouldn’t surprise Kaz to discover that Oswal had been alone all this time.
The Grand Master instantly took charge of his meager force. As much as he admired the human, Kaz knew that Lord Oswal was weak and faltering. With each passing second, the moment drew nearer when he would collapse – this time for good. For now, though, he was still the one who must be obeyed, and for those who served him, only just emerging from the madness they had lived with for these past few years, he was a beacon of trust.
“Everyone out of the keep! Everyone out!”
The citadel of the Grand Master began to collapse. Columns cracked and tumbled down the steps. The outer walls of the building caved in. The roof, unsupported, came crashing down on the rest. In mere seconds, the stronghold was in ruins. Yet parts of the structure continued to shift, and those who had been in the vault knew that something massive was digging its way out.
Lord Oswal glanced at his men and noted their consternation. “We can do nothing at the moment! It’s nothing we can fight for now! When our strength is greater, then we shall hunt it down, but not before! No questions now! To the gates! Go!”
The shattered roof of the Grand Master’s devastated citadel shifted position and slid determinedly into the side of another building, caving in the wall.
“Kaz,” a muffled voice peeped. “I promise I’ll stay with you if you just let me down, even though it’s fun, but it’s kind of hard to breathe like this, and I know you must be tired.”
“All right, Delbin, but if you run off, you’ll wish you’d stayed down in the vaults!”
“Actually, they might still be kind of interesting, if they haven’t caved in com —”
“Come on!”
From the ruins of the collapsed building, a huge form arose. Some of the knights glanced back, then froze and stared in dismay. Worn to the point of breaking, a few even fell to their knees in resignation. The Grand Master paused in his own flight and returned to them.
“What are you doing?” he shouted in his most commanding voice. It was a strain to continue on as he did, but Lord Oswal refused to give in. He waved a fist at them. “Get up now! Whatever destruction that beast causes, it cannot destroy the knighthood so long as one of us believes! Do you understand?”
Chagrined, they began to move again. The light of the one moon visible was suddenly augmented by an unholy glow. Now it was Kaz who paused and gazed back at the center of the keep and the leviathan that was lit up by that horrible glow. The outline of the huge, winged form couldn’t be missed. Beneath the dragon, held tightly in its forepaws, was the shadow box containing the malevolent power of the emerald sphere.
Riding on the back of the stone creature, Argaen Ravenshadow laughed insanely. The elf’s unliving servant spread its wings. Kaz began to move again, but ponderously, his attention fixed with fascination on the great monster as it rose into the air. He marveled that such a creature, even magical, could lift its stone weight into the air.
The stone dragon lurched as its wings beat, causing it to lose altitude and crash into the roof of yet another building. The weight was too much. The roof caved in, and then the floor below it. The beast didn’t struggle, but instead seemed confused. Kaz wondered if Argaen Ravenshadow had lost control.
“The libraries,” Lord Oswal muttered. Kaz nearly stumbled, not realizing that the Grand Master had come up behind him. “It’s destroyed the libraries as well. We will have much rebuilding to do. Come, Kaz. Odd as it sounds, we have to abandon the keep for the safety of the wastelands of Solamnia.”
The Grand Master had as yet truly not seen what lay outside, and Kaz hoped his mind would be able to stand the shock. The elder knight was a veteran campaigner who had faced some of the deadliest threats the Dragonqueen’s warlord had sent against him, but he was older now, and the past few years had taken an exceptional toll on him.
Behind them, they could hear the beating of the dragon’s wings as it forced itself up into the air again.
A rush of wind and a brief shower of emerald light told them that Ravenshadow and his pet had flown over them. The gates, wide open, stood just before them.
Kaz and the Grand Master found a small jumble of figures, including the minotaur’s companions, near the gates, where uncertainty reigned. Already the stone dragon was little more than a black blot framed in the moonlight of Solinari. Below the blot, like a dim beacon, the sphere continued to glow. Kaz stepped through the milling group and out of the keep, his eyes on the receding form until it left the brilliance of the moon and was swallowed up by the darkness of night.
Somehow his battle-axe was still in his hands. He raised it high in a brief but futile gesture at the magic thief.
“This isn’t over, Argaen Ravenshadow!” Kaz muttered darkly in the direction the elf had flown off. “Not at all. Somehow I’ll track you down. We’ve business left unfinished, you and I.”
Brave words, he thought bitterly as he returned his battle-axe to its harness. But where do you plan to start, Kaz? You have only all of Ansalon to search!
“It doesn’t matter,” he muttered aloud. “All of Ansalon won’t be able to hide that elf.” The minotaur smiled grimly at the night. “This is personal now.”
Chapter 16
Kaz sat brooding on the ground near the front gates, his eyes closed in cont
emplation of what he would do when – not if – he and Argaen Ravenshadow met again.
The flicker of a torch warned him of the knight’s approach.
“You are the minotaur called Kaz?” the knight asked. He was a middle-aged human whose most distinctive feature was his rapidly receding hairline.
“How many other minotaurs are there in Vingaard Keep, human?”
The man ignored the jibe. “We found two horses that apparently belong to your party.”
“Did you?”
“They are being kept in the east end of the keep until the stables can be cleared.”
Kaz looked up at the man. “The Grand Master didn’t send you here just to tell me about our animals, did he?”
The silence that followed spoke volumes. Like many humans, this knight had difficulty dealing with a minotaur. Here was a monster, an enemy, despite what had happened this very night, despite the part Kaz had played in the final days of the war – if that was even remembered anymore by more than a few.
“The Grand Master wishes to speak to you.” A tone of menace crept into the human’s voice. “He is very nearly exhausted. Do nothing to further the strain.”
The minotaur rose, allowing him to look down on the knight when he answered. “Lord Oswal is a comrade and a friend, human. I’ll do my best to ease his problems. You might help by being more respectful to those whom the knighthood and your Grand Master in particular have in the past called an ally.”
Kaz marched off to where he knew he would find the Grand Master. A bit more respectful now, the knight hurried after him with the torch. They had not made it more than a few dozen paces when a shout from the watch at the gates broke the silence of the keep.
“Riders approaching!”
“Paladine! What now?” Kaz whirled on the knight accompanying him. “Tell your lord that I’ll be with him shortly … I hope.”
“I’ll come with you, minotaur. If there is a danger to Vingaard, I may serve my liege best by —”
“Fine.” Kaz left the human in midspeech and, utilizing his long stride and powerful legs, raced toward the front gates, approaching so fast that he startled one of the guards. The knight jumped up and pulled his sword free, actually taking a slash at the minotaur before Kaz was able to convince him that he was a friend. He had forgotten momentarily that he was dealing with men whose minds had suffered for quite some time.
“Who called out?” Kaz asked the sentry.
“Ferril. Ferril called out.”
Kaz called out to the indicated sentry. “You! How many riders?”
It may be that, in the darkness, the one called Ferril could not tell it was a minotaur he spoke with. Certainly he was respectful enough. “Difficult to say from here, sir. A small army. More than a hundred.”
More than a hundred! They might be in for a full-scale assault! “Can you identify them?”
“Not yet.”
The knight who had followed Kaz joined him again. “What news?”
“More than a hundred riders. You’d best tell the Grand Master.”
“He’s in no condition! He couldn’t possibly take command.”
The minotaur’s eyes narrowed, and even by torchlight they glowed blood-red. “Do you mean you won’t inform your lord of a possible attack?”
The human opened his mouth, then clamped it tightly shut. Stiffly he replied, “I’ll inform him at once!”
“Good for you,” Kaz muttered under his breath as he watched the man practically vanish before his eyes. A horn sounded from somewhere out in the countryside. He looked up at where Ferril stood watch. “What was that?”
“Signal horn.” The man was anxious. “I think – the Triumvirate be praised! – I think they are brothers!”
“Knights of Solamnia?”
“Yes!” The other knight on the wall and the one near Kaz began to cheer. The minotaur shouted them down.
“Quiet! They may not be what they seem! They might be some of the Dark Lady’s servants, or if they are your fellows, they might not be in their right minds!”
The knight next to Kaz looked up at him with an uneasy expression. “You think we should keep the gates closed?”
“If only until we are certain. It follows common sense, don’t you think?” He glanced upward. “If the Grand Master should come, I’ll be up on the battlements watching.”
Surprisingly, the knight saluted him.
When Kaz reached the top of the wall, Ferril was waiting for him. Judging by the expression on the human’s face, Ferril had only just discovered that he had been conversing with a minotaur.
Kaz gave him a casual look. “Something wrong?”
“No … sir.” Ferril, a Knight of the Sword, was uncertain how to address someone like Kaz.
“Good.” Leaning forward on the wall, Kaz peered out over the countryside of Solamnia. He had some difficulty making out the oncoming force. They looked like a black tide on a gray surface. Still, at the rate they were riding, they would be at the gates of Vingaard in an hour’s time. He suspected there were well over a hundred riders, likely closer to two hundred. Indistinct as they were, the group’s size as a whole gave some idea of the numbers.
“Could we hold them if they don’t turn out to be your brethren?” Kaz asked the knight.
“For a time … until they succeed in finding some way over the wall.”
“What’s happening, Kaz?” a familiar voice piped.
Both minotaur and human jumped. Kaz turned and snorted angrily at the figure who had somehow managed to sneak up next to them. “What’re you doing up here, Delbin?”
The kender smiled. “I heard people running around, and someone said that someone was coming with lots of horses, so when I heard the horn, I knew they were nearby, and I —”
“Take a breath, Delbin!” Just then the horn sounded again. “Why’re they doing that?”
“They want us to respond,” Ferril said excitedly. “They must be comrades.”
“Maybe you should respond.”
Shaking his head, the man replied, “I cannot. The horn that usually stands by the gates has vanished. No one is able to locate it.”
Delbin, meanwhile, was doing his best to peer over the wall, a difficult thing considering his height.
“Do you think they’ll attack?” he asked eagerly. “I’ve never seen an actual siege, though maybe it won’t be a very long one, since there are so few —”
“You up there! Kaz, is that you?”
“The Grand Master!” Ferril whispered reverently.
“Yes, Lord Oswal.” Kaz shushed the kender, who had been about to speak again.
“Can you see the riders?”
“They’ll be with us before long.”
“How many?”
Kaz looked at Ferril. “Somewhere between a hundred and two hundred. We can’t make them out any better.”
There was a pause as the Grand Master evidently digested this information. He was determined to be in command.
“You four will have to protect the gates alone, I’m afraid,” the elder knight decided.
“I’ll help real good, Grand Master,” Delbin began.
Instead of the consternation that the minotaur expected, the Grand Master chuckled. After a moment, Oswal said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh. Three knights, a minotaur, and a kender guarding the front gates of Vingaard Keep! A kender guarding Vingaard Keep from possible invasion! No offense is meant, Delbin, but I never thought to see the day!”
“I’ll be a good fighter, honest!”
“I’m certain you will.” To the defenders as a whole, he added, “Call out the moment you know whether they are friend or foe. May Paladine and his sons watch over you.” Lord Oswal turned and departed, undoubtedly to rally his few other stalwarts.
“How does he keep going?” muttered Kaz.
“He is the Grand Master,” Ferril answered simply, as if that explained everything.
*
Before very long, the newcomers were ne
ar enough to make out. The men were obviously armored well, but in the dim moonlight, it was still impossible to tell anything specific about their appearance. Kaz glanced up at Solinari. Over a third of the moon was gone, as if eaten up. Slowly it dawned on Kaz that another body was overwhelming Solinari. It was a moon that represented the darkness within men and other races – Nuitari, the black moon, whose presence, overshadowing its bright rival, could not be a good omen.
“There are sure a lot of them, Kaz.”
“I know, Delbin.”
“They’ve got banners and lances and everything.”
“We’d better pray they’re friends, then.”
The riders slowed a few hundred yards from Vingaard. A small group, maybe five or six, started forward.
“They’re Solamnic Knights, Kaz.”
“Let’s let them talk first.”
“Who guards the gates up there? I see someone!” the apparent leader shouted.
Kaz stiffened. Relief that these were true Solamnic Knights and not marauders in disguise washed over him, tempered a bit, however, by his personal feelings concerning the knight who had spoken.
Ferril responded to the call. “I am in charge of the gates!”
“Why did you not respond to our horn?”
“Ours cannot be located, milord, and the situation here has not warranted time for a thorough look.”
The company leader’s voice softened. “The Grand Master … how fares he?”
“All things considered, well, milord.” Ferril continued. “Forgive me, but I must ask you to identify yourselves before we dare open the gates.”
“Understandable. Know that I am Bennett, Lord of the Order of the Rose, nephew to Oswal, Grand Master of the knighthood. I have with me some two hundred fellow knights. How – how fares Vingaard Keep, man? Are there still enemies that must be rooted out?”
