Then I have created an excellent source of entertainment, Kanin said smugly.
Khollo shook his head, growling with frustration. Sermas sat up and looked at Khollo.
“Well, I can’t say that I appreciate being deliberately tangled and dangled and then dropped like a sack of potatoes, but who am I to argue with a dragon?”
Exactly, Kanin said, shuffling his wings.
Khollo shook his head and helped Sermas to his feet. The cadet staggered drunkenly, frowning in concentration.
“The world isn’t supposed to spin like this,” he muttered distractedly, reaching out a hand towards some invisible support. “Maybe I – whoops!”
Sermas fell again, having overbalanced and fallen face first to the ground. He lay there, groaning quietly. “Even the dirt is spinning,” he said, his voice muffled. Beside him, Hern giggled again and flapped his arms in the dirt.
Khollo finally understood what had happened. You made them so dizzy they can’t even stand up! He said to Kanin.
So it is not lasting?
I don’t think so, Khollo said finally, watching his two friends trying to get to their feet and falling repeatedly.
That is good, but I am enjoying this, Kanin said happily, sitting on his haunches and looking down at the two cadets.
Khollo glared at the dragon balefully. Have you considered that it might take me a long time to haul them back up to the fortress in this state?
Yes.
Khollo shook his head in disgust. Fine. You stay here and get some rest while I drag these two loons back up to the fortress. We can’t leave them here.
Kanin settled down on the rocky ground and watched as Khollo removed the rope harnesses from the two cadets. He then lifted Sermas to his feet, followed by Hern. The two cadets stumbled and staggered, leaning this way and that with each step. Khollo had one arm wrapped firmly around each to steady them, but every now and then they would lurch in opposite directions and all three would go down in a tangle of arms and legs. Khollo could feel Kanin’s eyes on them all the way to the north gate.
Once they had crossed the threshold into the underground portion of the fortress, Khollo stopped abruptly, then stumbled a few steps, dragged by Sermas and Hern.
Khollo had never seen the underground portion in its finished state. When he had left to rescue Kanin with Sermas and Hern, the underground levels were unfinished and the north gate was just being started. Now though, the construction was complete and the subterranean fortress looked incredible.
The gate was housed in a tunnel some three or four meters long, no doubt to accommodate archers standing above the gate. The tunnel widened to a passage with doors marching along to the left and right. Then, quite suddenly, came a circular chamber that ascended all the way to the ceiling of the topmost level in the underground fortress. Stairs ascended to Khollo’s right, following the curve of the central chamber. Around the perimeter of the room were several large doors, storerooms if Khollo remembered correctly. To the left and right, a few meters around the circle, two more hallways branched off and ran back the way Khollo had come. Torches and lanterns hung everywhere, suffusing the gloomy space with a warm, flickering light.
Khollo stumbled towards the stairs, still half dragging Sermas and Hern. The two cadets were slowly recovering their wits, but not fast enough in Khollo’s opinion. They fell multiple times on the stairs, Hern sliding a few steps, laughing all the while. Finally, three steps from the second level, Khollo looked up after yet another fall to see a squad of soldiers looking down at him, grinning.
“Need some help?” one asked, reaching out a hand to Khollo.
Khollo nodded, smiling wryly. “Yes.” He gestured to Hern and Sermas. “These two went flying with me and they got a little dizzy. Can’t even walk straight right now.”
The soldier nodded and hauled Khollo to his feet. “We’ll give you a hand. Lord Kurkan sent us to find you three. He has called a council in the keep tower, as soon as everyone can be assembled.”
Khollo sighed, realizing he was still a long way from being able to turn in for the night. “Well, if you’ll drag these two along I’ll come right on up.”
The soldier nodded and stepped forward with the other five members of his squad. Between them, they managed to haul Sermas and Hern upright and frog march them up the stairs. Two soldiers went ahead to clear the way, and the other four each had one of either Sermas’ or Hern’s arms. Khollo brought up the rear, groaning from exhaustion.
By the time they emerged into the courtyard of the West Bank, the sun was setting over the west wall. Khollo followed his escort up the steps to the keep and across the main hall. By the time they reached the spiraling stairs, Hern and Sermas had recovered somewhat and were able to move on their own, albeit cautiously and with much wobbling.
Khollo shoved open the door to the council room. He paused there a moment, and surveyed the room’s occupants. Janis was sitting in his usual place at the head of the table, and a man Khollo did not know sat three seats down on Janis’ left. Khollo crossed quickly to his chair at Janis’ left hand, sinking into it gratefully. The lord of the West Bank glanced over at him worriedly, then frowned at Sermas and Hern.
“What happened to you three?”
Sermas gave a weak little laugh and slid into a chair, assisted by one of the soldiers who had escorted him up the stairs. Hern merely smiled absently.
“They decided they needed to be flown around to make sure their traps at the north wall would work,” Khollo explained. “One of the traps is a stake trench filled
