Richard Knaak - The Citadel

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.

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.