Richard Knaak - The Citadel

“They won’t cause any trouble.”

Valkyn chuckled. “Oh, I know they won’t.” Turning, the cloaked mage indicated the castle. “Come. Atriun awaits!”

With a rusty groan that set Cadrio’s teeth on edge, the drawbridge began to lower. The horses grew uneasy again. The commander immediately urged his mount forward, determined not to weaken himself in the eyes of the others. His personal guards followed reluctantly, more willing to fight sword to sword than against magic. Still, if Valkyn had meant them harm, he would have struck before now, not lured them into his sanctum.

Besides, Cadrio would have almost risked the Abyss for a second chance to conquer Gwynned.

The drawbridge creaked under the heavy hooves of the horses. The general finally exhaled when his mount touched solid ground, an exhalation that faltered as he noticed his surroundings.

Within the walls, the castle and its grounds proved no less imposing. A vast circular courtyard, made from carved gray stone, solemnly welcomed the newcomers. In the center of the floor, lighter stone formed the faded symbol of a glaring kingfisher. Wilted shrubs lined the edges of the courtyard, leading to two massive iron doors through which one could enter the castle.

Cadrio glanced left, where a small group of smoke-colored buildings stood, including a stable. The general started to give the command to dismount when a faint sound made him turn his gaze in the opposite direction. At first he saw nothing beyond the courtyard but the remnants of a once-beautiful sculptured garden with tall fruit trees, but then Cadrio noticed movement among the branches. Suspicious, he urged his steed toward the garden.

The horse snorted, not at all pleased by their nearness to the trees. Cadrio again noticed movement, then caught a glimpse of a winged form the size of a man. The leaves mostly obscured the shape, but the sharp eyes of the general noted an arm, a clawed hand, and the shadow of a muzzled head.

Glaring back at an unperturbed Valkyn, the lanky officer drew his blade. “Draconians, wizard? Thinking of an ambush?”

“I have no use for draconians,” the mage returned, his narrow blue eyes staring directly into the general’s. “I’ve seen them in combat too often.”

“Then what lurks in those trees?”

“The same thing that lurks all around you, hiding in plain sight atop the walls and roofs, my observant general!”

“What?” Sword ready, Cadrio looked around, studying the castle carefully. Suddenly he spotted stonelike figures perched in the corners, behind battlements, atop towers. They hadn’t been there before, despite Valkyn’s words. Cadrio and his men would have noticed them … and turned to flee for their lives.

There had to be a hundred or more of them, leather-winged terrors with horns and beaklike mouths filled with teeth. They stood as tall as draconians, but moved with a much more savage intensity. Fiery, pupilless eyes glared hungrily at the party below, clearly ready to swoop down and rend the throats of the armored figures upon a signal from their master.

Sesk, the youngest of Cadrio’s men, born among the rough mountains of the east, recognized them first. “Gargoyles,” he breathed.

“I’ve never seen gargoyles like those,” muttered an older guard.

“But that’s what they are!” Sesk insisted. “Bigger than most and a little different in look, but that’s-”

“That’ll be enough of that!” Cadrio barked. He fixed the point of his sword at Valkyn’s throat, ready to carve a second smile on the spellcaster. “Gargoyles or draconians, they may take us, but you’ll not live to enjoy it, traitor!”

“Oh, do stop the melodramatics.” The general’s sword dipped to the left, passing by Valkyn’s head despite Cadrio’s desires. The Black Robe snapped his fingers and most of the gargoyles faded into the background. “Stone! Crag!”

From the highest tower dived a huge gargoyle, darker than most and with not two but three thick horns. He had a longer snout and narrow eyes almost akin to those of his master. The creature landed scant steps from Valkyn, then fell to one knee in tribute.

At the same time, another, slightly smaller male burst from the nearest tree. Sleeker, grayer, with two sharp horns and watchful eyes, he, too, landed in a kneeling position. Both stared, untrusting, at the newcomers.

“Crag, Stone … these men are to be left unharmed. You understand?”

“As you wish …” the smaller of the two rumbled in an incredibly deep voice.

Cadrio drew back a little, not having expected to hear anything intelligible. Cautiously he looked the monsters over. Crag, the larger gargoyle, appeared eager for blood. Stone, on the other hand, did not strike Cadrio as entirely pleased with his servitude, as if he would have been as content to slaughter Valkyn as anyone else. The general even thought he saw Stone flash what seemed murderous glances toward Valkyn when he thought no one was looking.

“You know what punishment you will receive if you don’t.”

Both leathery furies folded their wings around their bodies, clearly cowed.

The mage chuckled. “Good. Now return to your places!”

As Crag and Stone soared off, Cadrio sheathed his blade. “Any more surprises, spellcaster?”

“Only another introduction, a simple one. Lemual! Open the doors for our visitors. Gentlemen, please stable your horses.”

The soldiers dismounted, General Cadrio passing the reins of his animal to the nearest man. He followed Valkyn toward the castle doors, which opened as they neared. A ragged bald figure in black cleric’s robes hurried out to greet them, looking more like a menial than one who served the Dark Queen.

“I’m sorry, Valkyn! You asked me to make the other preparations, so I couldn’t get to-”

“It’s quite all right, Lemual.”

Although he had only just met the man, Cadrio could hardly believe that this pig-faced groveler served the goddess Takhisis. How could such a thin, fearful soul ever become a wielder of Her Majesty’s infernal will? The robes had to belong to another.

Noticing the commander’s expression, Lemual’s gaze dropped in shame. If he was a true cleric of the Dark Queen, Cadrio couldn’t blame him for his embarrassment. What had happened to make him so? Takhisis’s failure to extend her will into the mortal plane had struck her priests hard, but could that have affected the man so much?

Determined not to pursue the troubling question any further, the general followed Valkyn into the castle. He had taken but a few steps within when the immensity of the interior struck him. The front hall opened so wide it could have served as a grand ballroom all by itself. The same faded kingfisher pattern appeared in the center of the marble floor.

Above it hung a great elaborate chain. Cadrio assumed the chain had once held a wide, multi-tiered chandelier, but at some point it had either fallen free or simply been removed.

Each side of the vast hall was flanked by three ridged columns. Near them, rising inward from both sides, were twin stairways. On both the ground level and the upper floor on which the stairways met, elegant wooden doors, now faded but still hinting of gilt and heraldic decoration, led to other chambers. High above, open windows allowed for ventilation and some light to enter, but half a dozen torches in wall sconces provided the principal illumination.

An impressive tableau … and yet at the same time not. The emptiness of the castle-so far Cadrio had not seen one stick of furniture nor even a tapestry on the walls-simply served to remind one that only memories lived here now.

Memories and Valkyn.

“Each of your men will have a room of his own, my general. You will find things a little austere, but better than you are used to on the battlefield.”