to resist the emperor’s rule. Find some of the others, join forces, and forge a resistance.”
“And you should go with him,” Marrinys said, speaking to the wizard. “Your part in all these actions will become known-the emperor will have you arrested, or worse, if you stay.”
“She’s right again,” Blayne said.
But Red Wallace demurred, shaking his head. “I believe, my lord and lady, that I should stay here in the city. I may be able to help if there are matters of occupation or… reprisal.”
“But he’ll be looking for you! Certainly his agents know of your importance to Clan Kerrigan. They’ll-”
“I have means of disguise that are not available to others,” said Red Wallace quietly. He made a quick, furtive gesture and before their eyes seemed to shrink, to age. His red robe faded to an ugly shade of brown, the silver threadwork vanishing entirely. When he peered at them from under his ragged cowl, he was an old man, withered and stooped and certainly no danger to anybody.
“Very well,” Blayne agreed, nodding with satisfaction. “I will ride alone, and I will contact you as soon as I can.” He held his sister close. “But you? How can I leave you to…”
“I will take care of myself. And I will bury Father with every honor he deserves, while you carry on the fight from far beyond here. You can send word to me, secretly, after you get away. Let me know where you are, and we will prepare to act together.”
Another explosion burst from the ridge across the creek. They could spy the ball flying lazily through the air, looking no more dangerous than a child’s toy. Then it struck the second tower thirty feet above the ground, punching through the masonry to smash and rumble through the interior rooms. Pieces of rubble rained down from the outer wall, which was immediately scored by a jagged crack. Many of the windows had been shattered by the concussion of the first shots; those few that remained shattered, adding jagged shards to the lethal chunks of falling stone.
Marrinys sobbed, and Blayne pulled his sister against his chest. It felt as though the weapon were aimed against him, and the missiles were striking his flesh, so deeply did the brutal onslaught against his beloved city wound him. And yet, he knew, there was nothing, absolutely nothing, he could do to halt the destruction.
“I’m going,” he said bitterly. “I hate it and it shames me, but you’re right; it would be futile for me to try to speak to the emperor, and stupid to remain here and fall into his hands.”
“Please be careful,” Marrinys said, hugging him one last time.
An hour later, Sir Blayne Kerrigan, dressed in a plain brown tunic and leading a horse unadorned with armor or precious metal, slipped out a narrow door on the north side of the keep. He waited to mount until he was on a country path used by hunters and herdsmen, which extended all the way to the foothills of the Vingaard Mountains. The steed was a loyal animal, one he had trained since it had been a colt, and it knew how to move stealthily.
The young lord rode into the night, hearing the steady boom of the big gun as the miles slipped behind. When the second tower fell, he couldn’t see it in the darkness, but he felt the tremor ripple through the very heart of Krynn.
Jaymes drifted off to sleep some time during the night but was awakened near dawn by a gentle but insistent nudging from Lord Templar, the Clerist. The emperor, who was resting in a chair on the headquarters’ balcony, pushed himself to his feet, shook his head once or twice, and very quickly was wide awake.
“What is it?” he asked before looking to the north. Dawn was pale in the sky, and he could make out the altered silhouette of the citadel. Where the three graceful spires had dominated the view just a day before, only one tower soared above the ancient fortress. There was a pervasive silence over the scene, and the darkness on the ground was given an eerie cast by a crimson glow emanating from deep within the piles of rubble around the castle walls.
“Why is it quiet? Why has the bombardment ceased?”
“Captain Trevor needed to cool down the bombard, so he had to interrupt the firing after the second tower came down. That was only a few hours ago, my lord. Trevor is down in the great room below and reports the cannon is nearly ready to resume.”
“Good. Then tell him-”
“Excuse me, my lord,” Templar said boldly. Jaymes stared at him in silence. “But there comes another mission from Vingaard. This time it is led by Lord Kerrigan’s daughter, Marrinys. She begs an audience with you. And, my lord, I sincerely hope-on my own, and by the grace of Kiri-Jolith-that you will meet with her.”
The emperor thought for a moment. Always a swift riser, he had no fog of sleep to shake away but instead reflected on the violent events of the previous day and the long night of bombardment. “Very well. Have her come up.”
A moment later a petite young woman, barely five feet tall, came through the door onto the balcony. In the growing daylight, Jaymes guessed her to be about sixteen years old; she had dark, curling hair and slightly swarthy skin, clearly inherited from her father. He noted, with passing interest, that she was extremely pretty.
He also noted that her jaw was set firmly. But she seemed determined to keep her composure; she curtsied politely before addressing him.
“I have come to offer our submission, my lord emperor,” she said, “and to plead for your mercy. Surely you can see that you have mastered us. What need is there to inflict more damage?”
“Where is your ne’er-do-well brother?” asked Jaymes. “I should have thought that such an offer would come from him.”
She lifted her chin proudly, looking him squarely in the eyes. “He has left the city, my lord. He has chosen to become an outlaw.”
“You didn’t try very hard to stop him, did you?”
“What could I do?” she asked innocently. “Besides, my desire-my sole desire-is to stop the destruction… and to bring my father’s body back home so that we may bury him properly.”
Jaymes winced at her comment. He didn’t want to recall the ignominious death of her father. Shaking his head as if to banish the thought from his memory, he looked down at the young woman. For some reason he wanted her to know the truth.
“My orders were to arrest Lord Kerrigan. His death was an accident; he charged onto the sword held by one of the guards. I did not order him killed.”
“But he is dead?”
“Yes. His body has been prepared for burial and is even now being carried respectfully in one of the wagons of my train.”
“What do you plan to do now?”
“The bombard is ready to commence a barrage against the third tower. It was my intention to smash them all, as a lesson to all that could not be mistaken by anyone in Solamnia.”
“Surely that lesson has already made its impression, great lord! I promise, we in Vingaard will remember this day forever!”
Jaymes looked away. He rubbed a hand across his eyes, feeling the beginnings of a headache. It was harder to deflect the arguments of the girl than it would have been to debate her foolish brother, or the fierce nobleman, her father.
“I will only cease the destruction when I am convinced that you understand something.”
“And what is that, Excellency? Please, tell me!”
“You need to understand that I did this for your own good!” he snapped, turning suddenly and looming over her.
Marrinys flinched but did not step away. Instead, she continued to meet his glare and spoke in a strangely different voice, with the real courage that was part of her heritage. “How can we understand that? Explain it- please, my lord!”
He sat down, gesturing to another chair. After a moment’s hesitation, she took the other chair, sitting straight, knees together, hands clasped in her lap. She continued to look at him, eyes shining.
For some reason, he found her youthfulness, the naivete of her expression, strangely compelling. He really did want her to understand his good intentions.
“Solamnia is a nation again-a single, united entity. It has not been such for more than a thousand years, and it will not remain so for long unless we all sacrifice, unless we all put our shoulders to the wheel of the common good.”
“I see,” Marrinys replied seriously. “I understand-it was a mistake to defy you. I know that my people
