clasped in its hands.
'You who have defiled this place and slain my guards, your end is nigh,' it said, and its voice filled the pit, shook the walls, and sent ripples dancing across the water. It drew its sword back to strike, and Myshik cowered.
A shadow passed over them.
The magnificent and terrible creature faltered and turned its gaze skyward. Myshik smiled to himself as the massive form of the storm dragon, Tekthyrios, slammed into the angel. The white-skinned creature went spinning backward, its sword lost. It struck hard against the wall of the pit and sagged downward.
The two guards, who had stepped back to give the solar room to mete out its justice, stood frozen in place, staring at their fallen savior.
Tekthyrios wheeled and settled into the middle of the pool. The storm dragon nearly filled the open area. The guards quavered before the beast. Terror filled their expressions.
Myshik hefted his axe and struck. He heard the familiar concussive thump as he connected, and the head of one of the guards tumbled away. Its body flopped down into the shallow water.
The dragon roared at the angel and slashed out with his claws. The keen appendages were as long and thick as Myshik's legs and as sharp as the finest swordmaster's blades. Blood spattered the entire grotto. The dragon struck again and again, and the solar screamed in pain.
Myshik ignored the battle. Though his rage and strength were waning, he had one last guard to deal with. The hound creature, his eyes filled with dread, backed away, then turned to run.
He managed three steps before Tekthyrios's tail slammed against him. The force of the blow sent the archon sailing across the open pit to crash against the far wall. As he slid down and settled onto the damp earth at the water's edge, his eyes rolled back in his head and his tongue lolled from his mouth.
'Well done, my friend,' Tekthyrios boomed. 'Well done, indeed.'
Myshik bowed in acknowledgment, and the act nearly made him faint. Woozy from injuries, he felt each gash and broken bone keenly as his rage faded. He sank down to his knees, panting.
'I fear I have spent myself,' he said. 'My strength is gone.'
The great dragon stepped close to him and reached a clawed foot out. Placing that appendage gently against Myshik's back, Tekthyrios muttered a prayer, not in Draconic but in a language the half-hobgoblin did not recognize.
Myshik felt energy flow into him, restoring his vigor and easing his injuries. When the dragon completed the spell, Myshik stood straight and tall again, refreshed.
'Now,' Tekthyrios said, 'let's see if we can retrieve my prize.'
Aliisza struggled to shift the stone block that trapped the young girl's foot, but she couldn't do it. Despite her magically enhanced strength, the alu could get very little leverage. The weight of other debris atop the stone compounded the difficulty.
'Hurry!' Kaanyr growled. 'Quickly, Aliisza!'
'I'm trying,' she answered, reaching for a thick length of wood to use to pry the stone upward. 'She's stuck under something.'
The girl stared fearfully at Aliisza as the alu wedged her makeshift lever under the rock. Beside her, a small child, a little boy of only a couple of summers, cried, his tears making glistening tracks in the dust on his face. Aliisza shoved on the lever and saw the stone budge the slightest bit, but she was at the wrong angle to bring her full weight to bear.
'Now, Aliisza! I'm losing it!' Kaanyr shouted, and she could see the crushing weight overhead beginning to sag.
She shifted position to try again. 'I can almost get her,' she said, but the shadow of the debris hanging over her head grew darker.
It was collapsing.
'Aliisza!' Kaanyr shouted, his voice muted. 'Get out!'
No time, the alu realized.
Reacting on instinct, Aliisza uttered an arcane phrase. A red, shimmering doorway appeared horizontally beneath the half-fiend and her two charges. As one, they fell through the portal just as the pile of ruined dwelling slammed down.
The other end of the magical doorway dumped the trio onto the grass a few paces behind Kaanyr. As she tell through, Aliisza flung herself to one side so as not to land atop the children. She hit the ground hard, knocking the wind from her lungs. She lay next to the girl and sobbing child for several moments, trying to suck in air.
At last, Aliisza caught her breath enough to sit up. Kael had joined Kaanyr and the two were attempting to hoist the pile of wreckage aloft once more, but the tilting ground was making the task more difficult. The slope caused more and more of the weight of the pile to lean forward, directly opposing their efforts.
The alu was mildly surprised to see the two of them working together, almost frantic to rescue her. It was strangely comforting.
'Kaanyr! Kael!' the alu called, rising to her feet. The duo stopped their efforts and turned toward her. Aliisza saw relief in both their faces.
Concern? she wondered, unused to such on her behalf. Where did that come from?
Beside her, the girl stood up and scooped up the younger boy. She appeared ready to bolt, but Aliisza took her hand. The squeezing grip that met hers was tight. She remembered another time and place, and a pair of children playing in a walled garden. She had helped, then.
'Where's your family?' the alu asked, looking down at the girl. 'Where can we find them?'
The girl didn't say anything, but she pointed in the direction of the open field beyond the village.
Kaanyr and Kael joined them, both panting heavily. 'You're quick,' Vhok said between gasps, a hint of admiration in his words. 'I thought we'd lost you.'
'It takes more than a falling building to stop me,' Aliisza answered.
Kael said nothing, but he eyed the two children that Aliisza had in tow and gave her an appraising stare. He nodded.
The ground rumbled beneath the group's feet and began to pitch and buck again. Aliisza fought the urge to assume her natural form and rise upon her wings to escape the unsteady ground. Instead, she grabbed hold of the girl's arm to help hold her steady.
'We have to get out of here,' she said, looking at both Kaanyr and Kael. 'Where's Tauran?'
Kael opened his mouth to answer her, but his eyes grew wide as he spotted something over Aliisza's shoulder. 'There!' he shouted, showing a hint of a smile.
All of them turned to look where Kael pointed. A handful of angelic creatures hovered over the open field. Tauran was among them, along with several of the larger, more silvery creatures who had sat in judgment at Aliisza's trial. It felt very long ago to the alu, but a feeling of dread still washed over her at the memory.
The angels had opened some kind of glowing, pearlescent portal and were motioning and guiding the villagers through. The folk crowded around the magical doorway, pushing to get through to safety as their island home shook and rocked, tilting farther and farther to one side.
The angle had grown sharp enough that Aliisza found herself digging her heels into the soil to keep from sliding. They didn't have much time left.
Tauran spotted them and flew over. 'Is this the last of them?' he asked, motioning toward the young girl and her smaller companion. 'Is anyone else still here?'
Aliisza shrugged, but beside her, Kael shook his head. 'We're the last,' he said. 'Everyone else is already over there.' He indicated the portal with a jerk of his head.
'Then let's go,' the angel said, grabbing the girl and boy in his arms and hugging them close. 'This whole place is falling apart.'
Even as he spoke, a series of horrific, ear-shattering pops and booms reverberated around them, and great crevices formed in the rock. Massive shards of stone sliced upward as other chunks crumbled and fell, leaving gaping fissures. The ground became a morass of fragmented, churning stone, some parts caving in as others surged skyward. The remaining buildings of the village shivered and crumpled.
The young girl screamed, and Tauran shoved himself into the air and fanned his wings wide. He carried his
