'Do you see the castle?' Safar asked Leiria. He didn't remember one being here.
'All I see,' Leiria replied, 'is a big damned volcano. Which just happens to be the way we're going!'
Not far away, in the shadow of a small uninhabited island, King Rhodes and his three ships were drawn up in a little bay protected on three sides by high cliffs.
The ships looked different than before. Their hulls and sails had been painted or dyed a grayish blue to match the seas. The figureheads had been removed from the prows and all bright metal objects had been daubed with tar so that they wouldn't glitter.
In short, Rhodesa€™ pirate captains had ransacked their brains for all the tricks of their criminal trade to obscure the ships from casual view.
Even more effective, however, was the spell Queen Clayre had cast with the powerful support of the Lady Lottyr. The spell made the ships completely invisible to prying eyes, such as those of the crew of the airship that had searched for them during the whole long voyage from Aroborus.
The goddess of the Hells had also aided them in other important ways, such as ferreting out the intended route of the Kyranians. And so it was, that when the Timura fleet drew up at the main island a few short sea miles away, King Rhodes and his ships were already hidden in the little bay.
Even now, the king's troops were camped on shore getting ready for the coming surprise attack. Grizzled sergeants strode among them as they cleaned and repaired their weapons and armor. Although their rations were necessarily cold so campfires wouldn't give away the army's presence, the food was plentiful and Rhodes encouraged them to eat their fill and build up their strength.
He'd also captured a native fishing vessel and had tortured the crew until they'd been emptied of every scrap of knowledge about Hadin that they contained. The four men had then been turned over to Clayre to feed her spellfires and keep Lottyr satiated.
Now, as the Kyranians marched in procession toward the mysterious Castle of the Two Kings, it was Rhodes who saw the edifice first.
In Clayre's cabin, the king leaned forward to study the living diorama of the main island that shimmered on his mother's spelltable. He could see the small figure of Queen Yorlain in her chariot, leading Safar and his people up off the beach toward the volcano.
A road began just beyond a thick grove of palm trees. It shot straight toward the volcano, then wound up its terraced sides-moving past tiny people working in the fields. The road continued through a series of small peaks, then dipped down into a wide, green valley cupped in the volcano's lap. A shallow blue lake filled one side, rippling along a rocky shore.
In the center of the valley-set on a peninsula that jutted into the lake-was a great golden castle surrounded by enormous walls. Within were several domed palaces, surrounding a massive keep that towered over all.
A second, lower wall ringed the castle's outer perimeter and Rhodes could clearly see the six gates that allowed traffic to pass to and from the castle. And a wide road leading past the domed palaces to the keep, where he knew Safar would take residence, since it was the greatest stronghold in the entire castle.
Looking through the king's eyes, Kalasariz examined the diorama with equal interest. Except for the castle, the valley reminded him slightly of Kyrania, which also featured a lake. The plant life was also different and Kyrania was set high in snowy mountains, instead of in the lap of a volcano. But those things aside, the number of similarities were surprising.
Clayre frowned at the scene. 'That castle is going to be troublesome,' she said. 'It may even make our job near impossible.'
'Why is that, mother?' Rhodes asked, mildly amused at Clayre's foray into his world-the world of tactics and strategy and fortifications.
She snorted in disgust at her son's imagined stupidity. 'Isn't it obvious?' she said. 'Once the Kyranians get inside those walls there'll be no getting them out!'
Rhodes chuckled. 'That's one way of looking at it, mother,' he replied.
'What other way is there of seeing it?' she demanded.
Another kingly chuckle. 'That once the Kyranians enter the castle,' he said, 'they'll have a hells of a time getting out.'
He pointed at several places, saying, 'We just have to put troops here … and here … and maybe a few siege engines over there … and we'll have them thoroughly trapped.'
Rhodes made a fist. 'Then all we have to do is squeeze.'
Clayre nodded, even smiling a little-pleased at his explanation. 'But what about the Queen and her people?' she asked. 'They certainly seem to be on Safar Timura's side. Surely she has more soldiers at her command then we possess.'
It was Rhodesa€™ turn to snort. 'They won't be any match for my boys,' he said. 'We'll swallow them up and spit them out in no time.'
Then he saw the tiny image of the airship rising toward the valley. He jabbed a finger at it.
'That's my main worry,' he said. 'That damned airship again! It can bombard the hells out of us during the siege while we're sitting helplessly in the open.'
Clayre turned to her son, smile broadening. 'I've been thinking about the airship,' she said. 'I even discussed the situation with our patroness, the Lady Lottyr.'
'What was the result, mother?' Rhodes asked, hopes growing.
'That we won't have to worry about the airship much longer,' Clayre replied.
'That's good news, indeed,' Rhodes said.
'I'll need a few days to get things set up,' Clayre cautioned. 'So don't move too swiftly and give yourself away before it's time to act.'
Rhodes shrugged. 'No bother there, mother,' he said. 'I need a few more days myself before
Clayre nodded understanding. 'You're waiting on Tabusir?' she asked.
'The very one,' Rhodes replied.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
On the surface it was a glorious procession. The beautiful queen, posing nobly in her ostrich chariot, led the way up the long winding road that climbed the volcano. Flower petals covered the road and they gave off a marvelous scent when crushed by the passing parade.
But the higher Palimak climbed the more worried he became. Some of his worries were natural-his father's blindness made him feel he'd once again had to shoulder a burden much too heavy for one so young.
Reason told him this wasn't the case-Safar's blindness in no way diminished his wizardly powers. Nor did his father seem to be affected physically apart from his sight problem. Actually, he seemed much stronger than before.
However, Palimak could not shake off the sensation that something was very wrong-both with his father and with the journey itself. He couldn't get a grip on what was troubling him.
Hadin's air was so full of wild bits and flashes of magic that he couldn't trace the source of what was troubling him. Some of it came from Safar, some from the queen and her courtiers, but most seemed to emanate from the road ahead, and from the towering volcano.
Stirring music still wafted down from the airship, as Biner followed the procession on high. There was more to Biner's choice of music than mere pomp and ceremony. It was also a signal that all was well as far as the lookouts aboard the airship could see. If any danger was spotted, Elgy and Rabix would begin playing fierce music full of trumpets and war drums.
As the procession moved along the road, farmers in the terraced fields stopped their work to see what all the noise was about. Clad in loin cloths and broad-brimmed straw hats to shield them from the sun, they all radiated a
