She saw that the limbs of one tree still moved, yet no wind guided them. Serene held her breath, watching as the tree underwent a transformation. The ridges in the bark shifted, formed patterns … and then a face.
She recognized its avian features. Cadrio. He looked both pleased and envious. His eyes gazed skyward. The image made Serene shiver again.
Cadrio’s face vanished, the ridges altering. A new visage formed. Serene almost lost her concentration. It was her love’s face, but something looked different about it.
She leaned back, dismayed. He wore another’s features, and more and more that other grew dominant.
“What do you mean by this?” she whispered. “What are you trying to tell me?”
The cleric suddenly grew angry. She rose, and as she did, the face began to disappear. Serene rushed forward, reaching for it. She touched the bark just as the last vestiges vanished.
Serene beat her hand against the tree. “Don’t play games with me, Father Bran! You know the good of my quest! Tell me what you mean by showing me that face instead-”
“Serene?”
She whirled about to find Tyros. He couldn’t have picked a worse time. The cleric reached for her staff, scowling. “Do you think no one’s deserving of privacy but yourself? Go away! I’m not one of your court ladies, thrilled by your mysterious power!”
Her words struck him like barbs, sending the spellcaster back several steps. Serene advanced, using her staff as a weapon aimed at his chest.
“I only came to see if you were all right.”
“Well, I’m not! Now leave me alone!”
“As you wish.” He turned and left in silence, never looking back.
Serene’s energy suddenly flagged. What had she done? Her reaction had been uncalled for. Tyros had clearly followed her out of concern. She should go apologize, yet a part of her refused. Perhaps in the morning, if there was time.
The cleric gazed into the darkening woods. “Branchala, what should I do?”
The woods remained silent.
* * * * *
The next morning Tyros suggested that they fly to the mouth of the New Sea before heading east, a detour which, in the end, seemed of little value. He didn’t miss the glances of his companions, who had likely begun to doubt his knowledge. The mage, though, had wanted to verify that Cadrio’s forces had not yet departed the inland sea, and so he felt some justification.
“We have to land the griffons soon,” Serene called to Tyros, her attitude toward him still oddly distant. She acted as if she had to protect herself from the mage. He wondered what he had done.
The young wizard looked down, seeing only water. “There’s an island just beyond the horizon with a seaport called Norwych on the eastern side. There are hills and pastures on the west where we can land with little chance of being noticed. Maybe one or more of us could go to Norwych to find out if they know anything!”
Having no better plan, she acquiesced. Tyros still sensed the gap between them but was determined to pay it no mind. All that mattered was Leot … and the secrets of the citadel, of course.
The weather had been good, for the most part, but as they headed toward Norwych, the spellcaster noticed clouds forming on the horizon. At the same time, he felt a slight tingle, one both curious and slightly disturbing. It had the taste of magic to it, but nothing he saw hinted at such. Tyros grew more alert.
A shape materialized in the distance. The mage stiffened. “I think I see the island.”
Serene leaned forward. “I see it, but it looks as if there’s a storm brewing. We’d better ride with care.”
Tyros nodded, signaling Bakal. The captain muttered something to Rapp, who leaned forward to talk to his mount. The kender’s griffon slowed, followed immediately by the rest. Rapp had a knack with the creatures. Tyros decided it would be good for him to try to befriend the kender. Better to have the griffons in hand if trouble occurred than men who were clearly loyal to Bakal alone.
Closer and closer they flew. The crimson-clad mage noticed several plumes of smoke rising from the distant city, but at first thought nothing of them. Busy ports such as Norwych would have industry. Yet the nearer he flew, the more ominous the plumes seemed, as did the clouds above and around the island.
“Something doesn’t seem right,” Serene shouted in his ear.
At that moment a massive form flew up from the island, swiftly heading into the clouds. A black dragon.
Bakal called to Tyros, pointing at the darkened sky. The mage nodded. They had all seen the black leviathan and knew that his twin had to be near. Tyros tilted his head back to Serene and asked, “Can you get the griffons to fly just above the water?”
She nodded, then signaled Rapp. Moments later, they were skirting the sea, well below the sight of most observers.
“Cadrio’s here,” Tyros’s companion called, “but I don’t see any sign of the citadel!”
He noted a slight trembling in her voice. “It’s probably just out of sight, maybe where the dragon flew. We need to get nearer.” It would not do, though, for all of them to go flying over Norwych. It made sense for the cleric and him to do so, but the rest were better off waiting in safety. “Get me near enough to shout to Captain Bakal!”
Serene touched the griffon’s side gently, and the beast immediately veered toward the officer’s mount. From Bakal’s expression, he knew that Tyros had something in mind.
“We need to find a place to land!” the Red Robe cried. “Then Serene and I will fly over Norwych to look things over!”
The scarred warrior shook his head. “I should be the one going, mage! This is a battle situation!”
They had no time to argue, and Bakal did have a point. “All right. We go, but your men wait. Rapp! Can you make the griffons understand?”
“They’ll listen, Tyros. I’ll make them behave and not try to bite the men or drop them or-”
“Just make certain that they behave, please!”
As they neared the island, Tyros saw that the plumes of smoke were thicker than he had imagined. Much of Norwych must have been aflame at some point. He eyed the hills and woods coming up on the west coast. Would even those be safe?
Of the dragons, he could see nothing. Perhaps only one still lived, although Tyros doubted that he could be so fortunate.
The cleric tugged on his sleeve. “That spot looks good. We’ll land there.”
He stared at where she pointed, unable to see any difference between one wooded hill and another. “Why there?”
“I can sense its tranquility. Cadrio’s warriors haven’t intruded upon it. I would know!”
Still not quite certain he understood, Tyros nevertheless indicated to Rapp and Bakal where to land. If a cleric of Branchala thought a forest region safe, then he would trust her instinct.
The griffons dropped smoothly among the trees. For such large beasts, they moved with grace whether in the air or on the ground. Tyros would have admired them further, but he and the rest of the party had to remain wary of possible danger. Perhaps the invaders hadn’t intruded in this region, but that didn’t mean that the group could relax. The wizard looked up, seeking some sign of the dragons. It would take only one glance by either behemoth to turn this quest into a deadly disaster.
The moment the griffons came to a stop, the party immediately dismounted. Bakal’s men quickly searched the surrounding area, finding nothing of consequence. While Rapp led the animals to a nearby stream, the wizard and the captain at last went about the task of explaining their intention.
Trained soldiers they might be, but here at last Bakal faced some threat of insubordination. Fighting in battle was one thing; being left with a pride of massive carnivorous animals was another.
“You can’t leave us here with those man-eaters!” one snarled.
Returning with the griffons, Rapp immediately jumped to the defense of his flock. “They wouldn’t eat a man. At least I don’t think so, because I’ve never seen them do it, although they might have while I was away or sleeping-”