The Eternal Throne

Part 2 of The Wizard Of Whyr

Aldhyrwoode was troubled. He sat at the kitchen table in the crofter's house, holding a horn of untasted mead, thinking he might have made a terrible mistake. The cat-woman, Shadow, stood behind the wizard's chair, while two of the Skraaal guards patrolled the yard outside.

Is something wrong? The crofter asked.

Hmmm, said Aldhyrwoode, still deep in thought.

I'll pour you another, said the crofter.

But Aldhyrwoode waved him away, saying, You have horses?

Yes?

We need them, said the wizard. And he pushed his chair back to leap to his feet so suddenly, Shadow had to move aside just as nimbly.

Where will you go? Asked the crofter.

To Castellayne first. To speak with King Aldhyn. And then, said Aldhyrwoode, I will need to go to Qin Xa, and the Jade Temple.

What if the dragon returns? The village is in an uproar as it is. What with the forest burning and...

Her Imperial Highness will not be back, Aldhyrwoode told him. It was Eav she wanted, and Eav is not here.

Take me with you, said the crofter. If Eav is in danger, I want to help.

The child's life is not at risk, said Aldhyrwoode, but ours might be. All of human-kind. Oh, I'm a fool! A fool! Come if you will - And be quick about it!

In the century since Aldhyn's great-grandfather had founded the kingdom, Rhealmyrr had grown in power and influence to rival its much larger neighbour, Navarre. The two were now bound firmly together by blood, the Duke of Navarre being Aldhyn's cousin, Rafael, who was the son of Duke Rhowyn, who was the son of King Robin, who was the son of Rhealmyrr's first king, D'Arturian. And the wizard, Aldhyrwoode, after whom Aldhyn was named, had been there from the very beginning.

Where is my rug? Aldhyrwoode asked loudly, striding through the doors of the Great Hall at Castellayne.

Presumably where you left it, replied King Aldhyn, seemingly not the least bit surprised by the wizard's sudden appearance. But might I ask why you need it? And who is this with you?

This is the crofter, said Aldhyrwoode. His name is...

Colm, Your Majesty.

Comb? Asked Aldhyrwoode.

Not Comb. Colm.

That is what I said!

C o l m, spelled the crofter.

Whatever, said Aldhyrwoode. Where is my rug?

Do you mean my grandmother's flying carpet? Asked King Aldhyn.

That is exactly what I mean. Where is it?

You had it last, said the king. What did you do with it?

Aldhyrwoode threw his hands in the air. If I could remember, he said, I would not need to ask!

Take Shadow, Aldhyrwoode told the crofter, and go and find my rug. She knows what it looks like. I must speak to Aldhyn - Alone.

What is it? Asked the young king. Is it about the child?

Aldhyrwoode nodded. Eav is who I thought. She is The Dragon's Pearl.

And her mother?

The Empress of Qin Xa was there.

Did it go as badly as you feared?

It did not go well, said Aldhyrwoode. The De-Xian were there, as arranged. And I gave Eav over to her father. Or I thought I did. Only, now...

You have doubts?

I think The Dragon Emperor was someone else. An imposter. I did not recognize him in the confusion. It only came to me later. The Emperor's human form was a bit too human. And, if I'm right, then...

If it wasn't the real Emperor, said Aldhyn, who was it?

It was your father. The Snow Bear - Felix Ulveus.

There were a thousand questions. The crofter, Colm, asked most of them. Aldhyrwoode did his best to explain.

Ulveus is the bastard son of Don Matteo, the younger brother of Don Sebastian, who was the Duke of Navarre, with one of Bjern Bearskinner's three daughters. When Don Sebastian's son, Alejandro, died at the battle of The Isle Of Bones, against the Clan uprising, Sebastian adopted Prince Rhowyn as his grandson, and nominated him to be the next duke. The council of Navarre's most noble families agreed, but only after Rhowyn was betrothed to the daughter of Don Javier Des Santiago. The dukedom was never offered to Matteo when Sebastian died, even though he had as much right to be put forward as anyone. Ulveus and his father, Matteo, were frequent guests of King Robin and Queen Saavi at Castellayne, until Ulveus raped the Princess Marisanne. King Aldhyn is their son. But Felix Ulveus also could have become the Duke of Navarre, through his father's side, and would have if he could have, if the noble families had not concurred with Rhowyn's wish that his first born son, Rafael, succeed him. Rafael being half Des Santiago made all the difference. That and the fact that Ulveus has never been...

The full bale of straw? Suggested Colm.

Yes, said Aldhyrwoode. Exactly.

The "rug" was found rolled up and shoved under Aldhyrwoode's bed.

It's always the last place you look, grumbled the wizard.

Where are my spectacles? He asked Shadow. Have you seen them?

They are on your face, Master.

And my hat? I will need my hat.

You are wearing it.

Eh? Oh. Right. Spectacles. Hat. Staff. Magic carpet. We have everything we need!

Yes, Master.

Then what are we waiting for? Said Aldhyrwoode. Let us be off!

Shadow followed the wizard to the door of his chamber, where he suddenly stopped and, over his shoulder said, And bring my spectacles with you.

On the ground outside the wizard's tower, two of the castle guards unrolled the flying carpet for another eight to stand on its edges and corners until Colm, Shadow, and Aldhyrwoode were sitting comfortably. The guards were ready to step back and release the magic carpet when King Aldhyn appeared, dressed for an adventure in a pair of old boots, russet brown hose, and a forest green tunic that was belted at the waist. The short steel sword in its plain leather scabbard at his hip was plain and practical.

Is there room for one more? He asked.

The Stairs To The Eternal Throne formed a natural border between the lands surrounding the fortress city of Jal Naghrahar and the federation of nation states and their provinces ruled by the Qin. The mountains' snow-capped rugged peaks were higher than the clouds. The Jade Temple was exactly that; built using solid blocks and columns of the green stone that had been shaped and intricately carved by no human hand.

Must be a bugger to heat, said Colm.

It would be, Aldhyrwoode told him, if the mountain was not a volcano. The De-Xian use vented shafts inside the walls to circulate hot air, as well as thermal springs that flow through pipes under the floors, to regulate the temperature. And there are gardens, in raised beds watered by mountain streams, all under artificial lights powered by energy generated from underground rivers using pressure to turn turbines.

Like a mill-wheel grinds flour? Colm asked.

Yes and no, said Aldhyrwoode. The technology is a bit more complicated than that, but the theory... I can explain it to you later, in more detail, when we have time. And, perhaps, even show you. If the De-Xian allow it.

What kind of welcome are you expecting? Aldhyn asked the wizard.

Let us hope it is a warm one. replied Aldhyrwoode, but not too warm.

Is my father there, do you think?

Unlikely, said Aldhyrwoode. He would have known we would come here.

How did he manage to get one of the airships? Said Colm.

By force, said Aldhyrwoode. That is how Ulveus gets most things.

The evidence was there, scattered all around them, when they landed in a large paved courtyard behind a crenellated wall that was draped with the bodies of dozens of dead Imperial Guards.

The halls of the Jade Temple were silent and empty.

We are too late, said Shadow.

No one, it seemed, had been spared.

The dead lay piled, one on top of another, where they had fallen, in what must have been one last stand of desperate and savage hand to hand fighting.

Most were Qin, but more than a few were De-Xian, and among them lay the bodies of their attackers.

These are Horned Men, said Aldhyn, kneeling to inspect one of the corpses.

This one is Gir, said Shadow. But there are others with painted faces and feathers in their hair.

And there are Leopard Men here, said Aldhyrwoode, from the jungles of Zuul.

Mercenaries, said Aldhyn. They must be. Here is another from Navarre. And there a Petroan. And these two are raiders, from Greyshale.

The defenders did not die easily, said Shadow.

I think this one might be Skraaal, said Colm, but I can't be sure. He could be De-Xian. How do you tell?

Their colour, said Aldhyrwoode. The Skraaal are always varying shades of green. The De-Xian are blue. Or silver.

Or gold, said Shadow, like the Empress.

No blade did this, said Aldhyn, who was crouched over the body of a Qin warrior. The throat has been torn out... By some kind of animal, it looks like. A wolf, maybe. Or a tygre. What do you think? He asked Aldhyrwoode.

But whatever the wizard was thinking, he kept to himself, saying only, We have no more time for the dead. Let us worry about the living.

The Dragon Emperor had been mortally wounded. They found him slumped at the base of the Imperial Throne, somehow, by some miracle or sheer strength of will, still alive.

In his true form, Ataam was more reptile than human, though no less noble, or handsome. Layer upon layer of irriedescent silver scales shimmered from the top of his ridged and crested skull to the very tip of his long sinuous tail.

Hearing the echo of footsteps, he stirred and called, Who is there?

It is King Aldhyn, answered Aldhyrwoode, of Rhealmyrr.

Aaaaah... A king has come to bury an emperor.

What happened here? Asked Aldhyrwoode.

I know you, said Ataam. You are the one they call Al Den Whyr.

It is a name I have not heard for a very long time, said the wizard.

What is a hundred years or so? It means no more to us than a single grain of sand in an hour-glass.

Who did this? Aldhyn asked. Was it Ulveus?

There was no reply.

The Dragon Emperor was fading.

Do something, said Aldhyn.

But Aldhyrwoode shook his head.

There is nothing he can do, said Ataam. I feel no pain. I am beyond that. Be quiet now and hear me. Ulveus supplied the temple with eunuchs. That was how he was able to come and go without suspicion. We never thought... We did not expect... He came for Eav. Xer Xia took our daughter and escaped. I did not know where until a raven came... It brought a message from the other side of the world. Ulveaus was still here then. Do not blame yourself, Al Den Whyr. You could not have known. You must find The Empress. Xer Xia is not of our race. Not De-Xian. She existed before... Before the world. Before the mountain. And, yet, Xer Xia is the mountain... Eav created the world. But Xer Xia is the world. The... Life... The Spirit of... Qi. Find her. There is a monastery. Tell the Abbot. The monks will care for the -

He is gone, said Aldhyrwoode.

There is something over here I think you should see, said Colm.

Aldhyn and Aldhyrwoode stepped over bodies to where the crofter had found the dead Skraaal. Or so he had thought.

The wedge-shaped head with its long lower jaw and prominent brow above the eye were the same, and so were the muscular torso and serpentine tail, but the forearms were shorter, the legs more like a bird than a lizard. And there was something else. The most obvious difference.

That is not green, said Colm, or blue.

How odd, mused Aldhyrwoode. Most peculiar. The scales are larger, and more coarse.

And black, said Colm.

And note the roughness of their edges. They are not uniformly curved.

And they are black, said Colm.

Note also, said Aldhyrwoode, the lack of a crest or ridges on top of the skull.

Black with a dull red at the throat, said Colm.

Look at the tongue, the wizard continued, see how it forks? Now, that is different!

There is more of the same red on his abdomen, said Colm, and the underside of his tail.

I wonder, said Aldhyrwoode, if he might be a separate species...

The tongue would make clear speech difficult, said Aldhyn.

As yet undiscovered, said Aldhyrwoode. Imagine that!

But mostly black, said Colm. Not green. Not even a deep blue.

Aldhyrwoode looked up the crofter - finally. What are you waffling on about?

Shadow had joined them. Who are the painted men, Master? She asked.

They have the same coloured skin as the Gir, said Aldhyn, a dark copper. And the same, or similar, hair. Shaved on both sides of the head, but with a braided top-knot, or stiffened like porcupine quills with... What is that?

Whatever it is, said Shadow, it smells!

Aldhyrwoode rubbed the greasy substance between his thumb and forefinger, and raised them to his nose, sniffing. It is some kind of animal fat.

What of the animal pelts? Asked Aldhyn. I know buckskin when I see it. And wolf. But what are those hanging from his shoulders? Beaver?

Or possibly otter,' said Aldhyrwoode.

Then this man, and the others like him, Aldhyn gestured, must come from...

Aldhyrwoode beat him to it. The New Worlde!

Eh? The crofter looked confused.

It is the only place where otters can be found, the wizard explained, and it may be where the odd looking fellow you showed us comes from.

Do you mean the black one?

Yes, said Aldhyrwoode. But why do you keep harping on about his colour? Shadow is black, and you are not obsessed by her... Much.

Returning to the magic carpet, they rolled away the dead guards they had used to hold it to the ground.

Colm said, We cannot leave them like that.

The monks will perform the proper funeral rites, Aldhyrwoode told him. And burn the bodies.

And Ataam?

Will lay at rest in a magnificent tomb, befitting The Dragon Emperor.

And what about us? What are we going to do? Look for the Empress?

Greyshale first, said Aldhyrwoode. To speak to Harald.

Do you think he might know something?

Aldhyrwoode shrugged. He is Bearskinner's grandson. And cousin to Ulveus. But that is not our reason for going there. We will need a small army, if we are to have any chance of rescuing Eav. And to move such an army, we are going to need ships.

The De-Xian have ships, said Aldhyn, Ships that are faster than longboats.

You are forgetting something, Aldhyrwoode said. We do not know how to fly them.

Aldhyn grinned. How hard can it be?

They separated to search for the airships. Aldhyn with Shadow. And Colm with Aldhyrwoode.

One thing still puzzles me, said the crofter.

Aldhyrwoode raised an eyebrow. Only one?

What Ataam said about Eav and Xer Xia. How could the Empress be the world before the world was created.

So, what you are struggling with, said Aldhyrwoode, is which came first: The dragon or the egg?

Well?

Well what?

Which is it?

Fortune favours those who procrastinate. They were still debating the advantages of airships, Aldhyrwoode arguing he had never seen a longboat fall out of the sky, when Colm spotted the saffron robes of monks approaching the Jade Temple.

We have company! He called.

Ascending the thousands of steps cut into the steep slope of the mountain, the monks were closely followed by as many as five score De-Xian, and the same number again of Qin. But these weren't warriors. They were farmers and herdsmen, armed with hoes and axes, and anything else that had been near to hand.

Someone must have gone for help, said the crofter.

The De-Xian, as many as half their number mounted on yaks, were very definitely not farmers. They wore moulded plates of armour, and carried what looked to be short spears, made of the same dull grey metal as the airships.

Maybe they were out on patrol, said Colm, and are just now returning.

Whoever they are, said Aldhyrwoode, we had better go and meet them. They will have a lot of questions... And we have a lot of explaining to do.

They were joined by Aldhyn and Shadow.

You did say we would need a small army, said Aldhyn, pointing toward the De-Xian. I think we may have found one.

The Qin stayed to gather the dead, before returning to their farms and herds.

The De-Xian paid their respects, bowing their heads as The Dragon Emperor's body was carried past them by the monks. There would be no tomb for Ataam. His corpse would be cremated with the others and the ashes scattered to the four winds. It was their way.

When it was done, the De-Xian commander, Draaal Vooor, appeared before Aldhyrwoode. Fully the height of two men, he towered over the wizard. who was taller than most.

Goodness, said Aldhyrwoode, craning his neck to meet the Draaal's gaze. You are a big fellow!

Althen-ood, Vooor rasped, sounding like two giant boulders grinding against each other in a landslide. Half go. Half stay.

Fifty will do very nicely, thank you, said Aldhyrwoode. If the other chaps are anything like you, they will be more than enough.

The Draaal nodded curtly and turned to stalk away, signalling to the yak riders to mount their shaggy beasts.

Did you ask him why the monastery is so heavily guarded? Said Aldhyn.

It would seem, replied the wizard, that the Draaal is tasked with protecting all the different peoples of the mountains, not just the monks, from a very large, very hairy, hominid.

A what-in-id? Asked Colm.

A creature that walks on two legs.

Like a man?

Like a man, yes, but not exactly. They call them Yeh Ti.

Aldhyn asked, Does the Abbot have any idea where Xer Xia might be?

We do not need the Abbot to tell us that. The Dragon Empress will be wherever Eav is.

But we do not know where the child is.

Oh, I don't know. I think we could hazard a guess.

West, said Shadow.

With the otters, said Colm.

And the painted men.

Draaal Vooor's second in command, Na Laaam, supervised the loading of the De-Xian and ten of their yaks onto a large airship designed and built to carry cargo. The magic carpet was rolled up and stowed onboard as well.

Do you know how to fly one of these? Aldhyn asked.

No, drawled Na Laaam, but the yaks do.

Is that a joke? Said Colm. That was a joke, right?

Na Laaam almost smiled. I will be your pilot.

A De-Xian smiling was a gruesome sight, and the crofter stepped back, away from the rows of crocodile-like teeth.

First things first, said Aldhyrwoode. We find the Empress. She will lead us to Ulveus. The bond between a mother and her child is a strong one. For all we know, Xer Xia may have already rescued Eav, and does not need our help. But we cannot be certain. We can be sure that Eav is still alive, and resisting whatever the Snow Bear has planned, because the world has not changed, and we are still here, in the world, and not toads, or mushrooms, or specks of dust. For Eav's powers to work, it must be a conscious thought made willingly by her. Not forced. Not some childish whim, or something in her dreams. He has to convince her, somehow, that the world would be a better place if she was to do what he asked of her.

Why does she not just zap him into oblivion? Asked Shadow. I would.

He must be keeping her drugged, Aldhyrwoode hypothesized. It is the only explanation I can think of.

But he would need Eav to be awake, said Colm, just to speak to her, if, as you say, he wants her on his side.

Not necessarily, said Aldhyrwoode. It is possible to communicate with someone who is in a state of unconsciousness. They do not stop hearing. Or understanding. Eav will be aware of what is happening to her, and around her, but she will not be able to do anything about it. Ulveus cannot, dares not, bring her out of her sleep state until he is certain she will do his bidding. And that buys us time.

The question, said King Aldhyn, is what does Ulveus want?

Simple, answered Aldhyrwoode. Everything. The world. The stars. The worlds beyond the stars. Eav's powers for his own. Ulveus does not just want to be a god. He wants to be the only "God".

They called themselves the Che De Naw. It meant "First People". Or "Only People". Every tribe had the same idea. But they were nothing more than animals. Savages. No better than the Gir nomads of the plains.

First People my arse! Ulveus shouted. Do you hear me? You are not even human!

There was a great roaring from outside the entrance of the sea-cliff cave, where the Che De Naw sheltered with Ulveus and his mercenaries.

If you want me, you scaly bitch, he roared back in reply, come and fucking get me!

There was nothing "new" about the New Wolde. The De-Xian had always known about it. The western continent had existed for as long as the Old Worlde of Rhealmyrr and Navarre, of Petros and the Darkelyn forest, of Qin and Jal Naghrahar, and Greyshale, the island stronghold of the Northmen. Others had reached its shores before Bjern Bearskinner. The ancestors of the many tribes who inhabited its verdant wilderness and sweeping prairies had made the perilous journey over the polar ice that linked the two worldes tens of centuries before. And were surprised to discover those who called themselves the Drooon, the Snake People, already there.

The Dragon Empress could have filled the cave with fire, roasting every living soul inside it like spitted spring lambs, or shook the earth itself to bring huge boulders crashing down - If Eav was not tied to a wooden stake at the cave's only entrance.

Is there any way we can signal Xer Xia? Aldhyrwoode asked Na Laaam. We might never find Her Imperial Highness otherwise.

The Empress will know we are coming, said their De-Xian pilot.

Aldhyrwoode did not ask how.

Dragons move in mysterious ways.

They have powers no mortal can begin to contemplate.

Aldhyn could not have been more wrong about the straightforwardness of flying an airship, and yet he could not have been more right. There was no chair for the pilot, and no control panel of buttons, or levers, or blinking lights. A pulsing blue-lit globe floated, without any obvious means of suspension, at waist height for Na Laaam, who moved an open hand near the globe in whichever direction he wanted the airship to go, while speaking commands such as faster, slower, up, down, and hold, when he needed the airship to hover in place.

It looked a lot easier than it actually was; something Aldhyn discovered for himself when he grazed the tops of a giant redwood forest as they flew south, following the New Worlde's eastern shoreline. But Na Laaam only nodded for the young king to stay with the globe and continue, no matter how loudly Colm requested the pilot to take back control.

He will kill us all! Cried the panicked crofter.

I think it might be wise to remember whom you speak of, said Aldhyrwoode.

Sorry, said Colm. His Majesty will kill us all!

Relax, the wizard told him. There is no need to be "Alaaamed"

They were skimming over a rocky coast with sheer vertical cliffs when Na Laaam announced triumphantly, There! Do you see?

Soaring towards them came Xer Xia. The great golden dragon, clothed with the sun.

Where can we land? Asked Aldhyrwoode. I must speak to the Empress.

The word "Speak" rang through the interior of the airship.

A woman's voice said, Greetings, Al Den Whyr. For once your interfering is not unwelcome.

Greetings, Your Imperial Highness, replied Aldhyrwoode. We have fifty of your finest De-Xian warriors with us. How may we serve?

Na Laaam, said the Empress. There is a beach. You cannot miss it. The albino's ships are anchored there. Land and deploy your troops, and await my further instruction.

Understood, said Na Laaam.

Aldhyn, King.

Your Highness?

If I asked you to stay with the airship, could you fly straight and level toward the cliff face?

Yes, You Highness.

The defenders will pose no risk to you, their numbers are few, and their weapons are primitive. Do not alter your course until I say so.

Understood, Your Highness.

Now... Al Den Whyr. Make your way to the rear of the ship. Na Laaam will lower the loading hatch. I will be there. Climb onto my back. And, please, do not fall off.

As if I would! Huffed the wizard. Riding a dragon is no different to riding a horse!

What about me? Asked Shadow. I want to help.

And me, added Colm.

Ah, yes, Said the Empress Xer Xia. The cat and the crofter. My daughter remembers you fondly. And, because Eav trusts you, yours will be the most perilous mission of all.

There is a cave, the Empress explained. It cannot be seen from the beach. You must leave the airship with the De-Xian, and climb up to the cave's entrance. Eav is there. Untie her, and carry her to safety. Can you do that?

Yes, said Shadow.

You can rely on us, said Colm, Your Uhm... Holiness.

Standing behind two ranks of his De-Xian, with the yak riders positioned on the left flank, closest to a natural rampart of tumbled together rocks and boulders of varying shapes and sizes at the base of the cliff, Na Laaam told Colm and Shadow, My orders are to create a diversion. And to assist you in rescuing the Earth Mother with covering fire.

Good, said Colm. Because something tells me we are going to need all the help we can get. But what are you going to do after throwing your spears? I noticed your warriors only have one each.

They are not spears, said Na Laaam, unslinging the short length of dull grey metal tubing from his shoulder. This is a Sonic Disruptor. It uses high frequency sound waves to vibrate particles of carbon until they implode.

Eh?

Perhaps if you show us, suggested Shadow.

Na Laaam pointed the weapon at a longboat lying at anchor nearest to the shore. There was no thrum of a crossbow. And no visible projectile. But the hull began to shudder so violently, the caulked planks peeled away from the oak frame, bronze nails screeching as they were torn free of the timber. And then the entire longboat suddenly appeared to dissolve, until there was nothing left but sawdust and splinters floating on the rippling water.

The crofter swore.

Shadow looked impressed.

Your people know not to aim those things anywhere near us, right? Asked Colm.

Our weapons will be set to incapacitate, said Na Laaam. The effect will not be so... destructive.

Still, said Colm nervously. Better safe than sorry, eh?

The Dragon Empress glided behind the airship with occasional beats of her wings to maintain height. Anyone looking out to sea from inside the cave would only be able to see the large De-Xian cargo carrier, being piloted by Aldhyn, but that was enough to cause panic among the native tribesmen, and even more so for the Drooon, their sibilant hissing drowning out the voices of their human masters - The Horned Men of Darkelyn.

Never mind that bloody thing! Ulveus roared, trying to make himself heard above the panicked shouting and yelling that echoed off the walls of the cave. Worry about those scaly bastards down there! Go and chase them away from the boats! Go! GO! We need them! Do you want to be stranded here? In this shit-hole?

He hadn't forgotten The Dragon Empress. She would be out there, he knew, somewhere. But as long as he had Eav...

In his excitement, his staff held like a jouster's lance, Aldhyrwoode was digging his heels into Xer Xia's sides, crouched over her serpentine neck, flapping his elbows, and urging her on with clicks of his tongue.

Stop kicking me, you old fool. There is a ledge near the cave's entrance, the Empress told him. It is too narrow for me to land on, so you will need to be ready to jump. Keep Ulveus away from Eav until the others can reach you. But do not kill him. That pleasure is mine.

The Snow Bear was a bastard, by birth and by nature, but Aldhyrwoode knew in his heart he could never take Ulveus's life. He had known Felix since he was a boy. Nor could he allow the Empress to. And if he could not convince her, then he would find some way to stop Xer Xia from taking her revenge for a murdered Ataam.

But that would have to wait.

The airship veered to the left and up.

The great golden dragon swooped to the right and down.

Suddenly, the narrow ledge was there.

Aldhyrwoode clutched his staff tighter - And jumped.

Almost blinded by sand and grit blown into his face by the dragon's pounding wings, he stumbled and had to cling for life to a rocky outcrop. His wizard's staff was knocked out of his hand. And with it went all that was Aldhyrwoode.

The yak riders moved forward, slowly. In the middle of them, Shadow and Colm were screened from the Drooon, who were throwing rocks at the De-Xian. A yak went down on its forelegs, bellowing in pain. Its rider aimed his Sonic Disruptor and one of the black Skraaal fell to the ground, convulsing spastically, and foaming at the mouth.

Shadow didn't bother to ask Colm if he was ready, but took the more direct approach of grabbing him by the arm and yanking him out of the knot of snorting grumbling yaks, and onto the first of the many rocks they would have to scramble over.

Na Laaam to Aldhyn! Circle around and come back to the beach!

Understood!

Na Laaam to Mother! Activate and engage!

Mother? Who's Mother? And what did you just do?

It was just a stick, Aldhyrwoode told himself. I do not need it.

Ulveus snatched a handful of a Che De Naw child's braided hair.

There, boy! What do you see?

It... It is an old man.

The Snow Bear didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

You old bugger! What are you doing here?

Felix?

Yes, it's me. Who else would it be?

I have come for the child, said Aldhyrwoode.

Ulveus stepped in front of Eav with his arms folded. You cannot have her.

Holding his hand out toward Ulveus, Aldhyrwoode said, I was a fool. I should never have been so slow to see through your deception. Give her to me... It is the only way I can save you from the Empress.

You were a fool to follow me here, said Ulveus. And an even bigger fool if you think I would give up The Dragon's Pearl so easily.

Her wrists bound with leather cuffs, that in turn were chained to a tall thick wooden stake, the size of a small tree, hammered into the ground, the unconscious Eav hadn't stirred.

What have you been using on her? Aldhyrwoode asked Ulveus.

The seed of the poppy flower.

Ah... How large a dose? The wizard was familar with the properties of opiates.

No more than she can handle, replied Ulveus. Don't worry. I'm not stupid.

The airship hovered low over the small fleet anchored off the beach.

Target identified. Do you wish to proceed?

It took Aldhyn a moment to realize the voice had come from the floating blue orb.

Is this Mother? He asked.

Do you wish to proceed? The orb repeated.

Proceed with what?

Do you wish to proceed?

Through the viewing screen, Aldhyn could see a Petroan galley. Was that the target?

Do you wish to -

Proceed. Said Aldhyn.

Target engaged, said Mother. Activating.

The galley was there.

And then it wasn't.

The Drooon lay everywhere. Senseless. Helpless. Shadow and Colm picked their way between them, or simply stepped over them. There was a clattering above them, the sound of something bouncing off rock. Colm looked up just in time to catch it.

They must be out of stones, he said to Shadow. They're throwing sticks at us, now.

That is no stick, said the cat-woman. That is the Master's staff!

The airship turned.

Target identified.

Aldhyn could see a three masted Qin ship. Short and broad, with a tall forecastle and stern.

Do you wish to proceed?

Proceed.

Na Laaam to Aldhyn! How do you like our Mother?

She's full of surprises!

My Lord!

One of the Horned Men stood behind Ulveus.

The Snow Bear didn't bother to turn around. Fuck off!

But, My Lord! The ships! They are gone!

Gone? What do you mean gone? They can't just -

His albinism meant Ulveus always struggled to see long distances in bright sunlight. But he could see well enough.

He glowered at Aldhyrwoode. Who's out there? Is it her? The great golden snatch?

Before Aldhyrwoode could answer, Ulveus had spun around.

Don't just fucking stand there! He snarled at the faun. Go and tell those stupid savages to make themselves useful!

Useful? Asked Aldhyrwoode. How can they hope to -

Just wait, Ulveus told him. You'll see.

Eav opened her eyes and screamed.

What came leaping and bounding out of the cave to race and tumble down the steep and uneven side of the cliff were not human.

They were Che De Naw braves, yes, but they ran on all fours. Cloaked with wolf pelts. Snapping. Growling. Howling. Slavering.

The Sonic Disruptors had no effect on them.

They crashed into the De-Xian like an avalanche.

Eyes were gouged out with clawed fingers.

Throats were torn open with bare teeth.

Aldhyrwoode was still staring after them. What... What are those... things?

Those, smirked Ulveus, are Moqwaio.

Lycanthropes?

Ulveus shrugged. The Che De Naw call them Skinwalkers.

Na! Our Disruptors cannot stop them!

Increase the frequency!

Na! How high?

Shoot to kill!

The great golden dragon came out of nowhere. Sweeping the beach. The Skinwalkers erupted into flames. Others appeared to collapse within themselves, as if turned inside-out, to collapse in visceral piles of bone fragments and intestines, blood-splatter and liquefied brains.

Eav was wide awake. Shadow-cat!

Here! Called Shadow. And she and Colm clambered onto the ledge.

Eav!

Colm!

Master! Your staff!

Shadow threw it.

Aldhyrwoode caught it.

He was himself again.

Ulveus saw it.

Give me the child, snapped Aldhyrwoode. You are running out of time, Felix.

The Snow Bear looked from Aldhyrwoode to Eav, from Eav to Shadow, and then from Shadow to the enormous golden wings spread out behind her - As the Empress Xer Xia rose to hover, malevolently.

Spitting on the ground at Aldhyrwoode's feet, Ulveus sprinted for the edge of the precipice.

No one saw him fall.

His body was never found.