XXI
A dark, fleet phantom burst forth from the ground before the silver dragon.
“Back, lizard! Back or I shall stamp your pretty face into the rock!”
Out of surprise more than anything else, the huge monsters stopped. The silver dragon hissed at Darkhorse and roared, “Awaaaay from ourrr frrriendsss, demon! Awaaay from our tenderrr little frrriends!”
“I think not!” The eternal struck the floor with his front hooves, sending lightning sparks at the foremost drakes. The silver one hissed again and backed away.
“Sharissa! Come to me! You and your companions! Hurry now!”
Their eyes on the leader of the horde, Sharissa and the others rushed to Darkhorse’s side. Gerrod had to lead his father, who simply stared at the dragons and muttered something that sounded like “Tezree” to Sharissa’s ears.
“Be ready!” the shadow steed whispered when they were by him. “If I cannot-”
He never finished. The silver dragon, eyes on the party, caught sight of the great form lying limp across the farmost part of the hall.
“Motherrr!” The outraged roar echoed throughout the citadel.
The silver dragon charged.
“Too late, my friend!” Darkhorse bellowed.
The great hall and its foul inhabitants winked out of existence-to be replaced by a lightly wooded land.
“Praise Dru!” The eternal sank to his knees in the high grass. Sharissa quickly looked around and saw that everyone else was accounted for. She exhaled and hugged Faunon, so relieved was she to find they were safe.
With some reluctance, the two of them finally separated. Gerrod, still guiding his oblivious father around, curtly asked, “And where are we now?”
The area they stood in the midst of was part of a fairly flat region. Far, far to the north, the sorceress thought she could make out a mountain chain, although whether it was the same mountains in which lay the caverns was impossible to tell from this distance. At the moment, she only cared to know if they were safe or not.
“I think I recognize this,” Faunon said, scanning the area again. “I think we may be south of the citadel.”
“Far south?” she asked.
“Far enough.”
“Unless they have the ability to track our magical trail,” the warlock interjected, eyeing the elf in a way that Sharissa did not like. “It was how I ended up in all this madness, tracking the trail he left behind.”
Looking at Darkhorse, Sharissa was horrified to see that he was becoming transparent. “Darkhorse! What’s happening to you?”
“I… fear that I have almost exhausted my… myself. My being. The drag-onlord… was… not lacking in his… his enthusiasm when he punished me!” He eyed Barakas, who stared at the trees without seeing them. “I cannot say I regret his present circumstances! I would wish him worse, but I know you would not care for such hate!”
“I can understand your bitterness, Darkhorse. Don’t think I can’t.”
“Perhaps. That does not matter now. Give me but a moment and I will send you on the final leg of your journey.” The ebony stallion slowly rose, and his form solidified a bit.
She was not certain she understood. “Where are you sending us?”
He snorted. “Where else? Home to your father and his mate!”
“But…” Her eyes met Faunon’s. “But what about you?”
“What about me?” the elf asked, moving closer. In the background, she saw Gerrod turn in open disgust.
“Can you make it back to your people?”
“If I was going there.” He gave her a weary smile. “I thought I was going with you.”
It was what she wanted to hear, but she still could not accept his decision.
“You probably won’t be able to return here! The ocean voyage is deadly!”
“I have no reason to return, Sharissa. The elders were hardly even interested in my expedition. As far as they were concerned, this was the latest in a series of new masters of the land, nothing unusual. They agreed to our going more because they knew we would go anyway than because they really cared.” He cut off any further objections with a long kiss.
Sharissa reluctantly broke away. “Then there’s nothing holding us back. Darkhorse can-”
Gerrod, buried so deep in his cloak that his features were almost indistinguishable, interrupted. “I have a boon to ask of you, Sharissa.”
“What?” Now that it had been decided that they were all leaving, she wanted to be done with the spell. To see her father and stepmother… to live a peaceful existence, at least for a time…
“Take care of my father. In his present state, he is useless to all, even himself. Someone needs to watch over him.”
“And what about you, Vraad?” Faunon asked, turning a critical eye on the warlock. “Where will you be that you cannot care for him?”
“Here. I am not going with you.”
Even the elf was stunned by the answer. Sharissa took a step toward Gerrod, but he retreated a like distance. Finally, she was able to ask, “But why? Why would you want to stay here?”
The sorceress had no way of knowing if he looked her in the eye or not, so dark were the shadows summoned up by the deep hood. “My interests lie here. My studies and such. Besides, my presence will only be a further strain on the powers of the demon horse.” He shrugged, trying to be nonchalant where Sharissa could see by his very posture he was the opposite. “I have nothing I need return to.”
Knowing Gerrod as she did, Sharissa understood the futility of trying to argue him out of his decision. Yet, she tried to come to him again, wanting to at least bid him a proper farewell and thank him for all he had suffered for her sake. The warlock would have none of her thanks, though. When she took another step, he shook his head.
“No time! He grows weaker and weaker, and all of us should be gone before the dragons or something else finds us.”
At mention of him, Darkhorse steadied himself. He did not look at the hooded Tezerenee, but rather at those who were going.
“Where will you go, Gerrod?” Sharissa asked, wanting, at the very least, that much from him.
He would not give her that satisfaction, only saying to her, “I have an idea.” The warlock raised a hand in farewell. “Good luck to you, Sharissa. I shall always remember you and your father.”
“The time has come!” the eternal announced. “This will be our only chance, so prepare yourselves!”
Sharissa slipped her hand into Faunon’s and drew the silent Barakas to them with her other. She met the elf’s smile with one of her own, but then turned to stare at Gerrod one last time.
The warlock was already gone.
“Ger-” she started.
The world winked out of existence-and winked back in the next moment.
“We are here,” announced a very weary voice. “I’m sorry. This is the best I can do.”
“Where are we?” Sharissa did not recognize the region, but there were many parts of the other continent, too many parts, that she had no knowledge of.
Faunon looked up. “The sun has shifted greatly. More than a third of a day.” His tone spoke of his admiration for the eternal’s efforts. “We have traveled quite a distance!”
“This… this is the continent on which… on which your folk make their colony, Sharissa. I regret that I… I could not bring you there, but it is probably for the best. I have no desire to see them again.” He rose, his very form wavering in the light wind. “Now it is time for me to take my leave.”
“Not you too!” Was she to lose everyone now that she was almost home?
“I am sorry to leave you in these straits, but I am at my end. I must go, Sharissa.” The shadow steed dipped his head in his equivalent of a bow. “I must replenish myself, and that cannot be done in your world.”
“When will you be back?”
