Читать «Centaur Aisle» онлайн - страница 188

She smiled sadly. “Never in her life did my daughter do what I wished her to. Sometimes subtlety is necessary.”

Dor stared at her. He tried to speak, but the thoughts stumbled over themselves before reaching his tongue. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

“Let’s get you on your feet,” the Queen said, helping him up. Dot found that he could stand, though he felt dizzy; the wound was not as critical as it had seemed, and already was magically healing.

King Trent appeared. “You did good work, men. Thanks to your diversion, I was able to get close to the majority of the Avar soldiers. I turned them into bats.”

So that was the origin of the bats Dor had seen! One bat had tried to warn the remaining Avars, without success.

“But the Avars are not the only enemies,” King Omen said. “We need to weed out the other collaborators, lest assassins remain among us.”

“Magic will help there,” Ying Trent said. “Iris and Dor will see to it.”

“We will?” Dor asked, surprised.

“Of course,” the Queen said. “Can you walk?”

“I don’t know,” Dor said. His feelings about Irene’s mother had just been severely shaken up, and it would take some time for them to settle into a new pattern. He stepped forward experimentally, and she gripped his arm and steadied him. He half wished it were Irene lending him support.

The Avars, however, had discovered that the dragon did not follow beyond the dungeon. They were not yet aware that their backup contingent had been eliminated. Now they charged back into the chamber.

“They’re catching on to the illusion,” Grundy said. “We’d better get out of here.”

True enough. The Avars were stopping just outside the magic aisle and nocking arrows to strings. They had found the way to fight magic.

Smash went back into action. He ripped a boulder out of the foundation and hurled it at the Avars. His strength existed only within the aisle, but the boulder, once hurled, was just as effective beyond it as the arrows were within it. The troops dived out of the way.

The party moved back up the tunnel, Dor limping. Dragons flew ahead and behind, a ferocious honor guard.

In due course they reached the main hall of Castle Ocna. A number of the castle personnel were there, huddled nervously at one end.

The Avars had spread out and used other routes, and now were ranged all around the hall. The castle staff were afraid of the Avars, and did not yet know King Omen lived. Thus the castle remained in King Oary’s power despite King Omen’s release.

“The ogre and I will guard King Omen,’ King Trent said. “Irene, grow a cherry tree; you and the golem win be in charge of defensive artillery. Magician Centaur, if you please, stand in the center of the hall and turn rapidly in place several times as soon as I give the signal. Iris and Dor, your powers reach farther than mine; you will rout out the lurking Avars.”

“You see, I know how my husband’s mind works,” Queen Iris murmured. “He’s a genius at tactics.”

“But the Avars are beyond the magic aisle!” Dor protested. “And they know about your illusions. They’re pretty smart, in their fashion. We can’t fool them much longer.”