Pilgrim by Sara Douglas

And the sack transformed, and became a beautiful jewelled purse of gold links and

diamonds and rubies, and DragonStar smiled, and hung the purse on the matching belt that now

encircled his hips.

He dug his heels into the stallion‘s flanks, grabbing once again at his mane, and he

brandished the sword aloft.

― To this I was born! ‖ he screamed, and the stallion reared, and screamed with him.

And the Dark Tower smiled, and thought:

To this were you made.

They galloped into the circle of flagstones surrounding the Dark Tower, and the Star

Stallion skidded to a halt before its open door.

DragonStar sat his mount and studied the tower.

It was the precise twin of Spiredore in height and construction, save for its blackness.

DragonStar knew what it would contain. He slid from the stallion‘s back and walked over to the

door, housing his sword in the jewelled scabbard that hung from his belt.

Just before he stepped through the open chasm of the door, DragonStar stood

momentarily, revelling in the strength, and the strength of enchantment, that infused him.

Finally. Finally!

He smiled, and entered the Dark Tower.

If the Dark Tower was Spiredore‘s twin on the outside, then on the inside it was its

opposite. No stairways and crazily canted balconies cluttered this interior. Instead a great dome

of black marble reared a hundred and twenty paces into the air. Below the dome, similarly dark

and desolate marble columns crowded close as if they wanted nothing or no-one to escape. They

encircled a space some forty paces in diameter. The floor was of black marble.

This dark tower was a mausoleum, and empty save for a chest-high tomb that lay centred

under the dome. On the tomb rested a suit of black armour, and a frightful lance and a sword lay

over the armour, gripped in the as yet empty gloves.

The visor of the black, horned helmet was down, and over it lay a length of white linen.

DragonStar walked slowly over to the tomb and stopped by the visor. Slowly he reached

over the armour, taking care not to touch it, and lifted the length of linen from the visor.

It fluttered in a non-existent breeze, and the entire tower tensed in a deep, anticipatory

breath.

DragonStar smiled at the beautiful soft ripples of linen as they floated before him, and,

stepping back from the tomb, shook the cloth out and regarded it thoughtfully.

Then, in swift, economical movements, he girded it about his loins and between his legs,

hiding his nakedness.

Thus armoured, he whistled the Star Stallion to his side, took his sword in hand, and with

its blade of light, drew a doorway in the space before him and stepped through.

Without hesitation, the Star Stallion followed.

Urbeth and Caelum sat in the snowy, frozen wastes of Gorken Pass and talked of many

things. Urbeth had just reached into a tub of fish for a snack when a glowing rectangle of light

appeared in the snow before their fire.

From it stepped a man that Caelum had only ever dreamed about.

―DragonStar,‖ Caelum said, and stepped forward and embraced his brother.

―It is time,‖ DragonStar said. ―Are you ready?‖

70

The Rape of Tencendor

The Demons pushed their mounts until the black beasts‘ breathing rasped through their

throats and their flanks heaved in hungry effort for air. The Demons pounded their heels into

flanks, their fists into shoulders, and every so often they would lean down and bite as deeply as they could into the snake-like necks jerking and weaving before them.

The StarSon was at the Maze! They could feel him!

The Demons growled and hissed and spat. The StarSon thought to destroy them, but it

was he who would be destroyed.

Nothing would stop them now!

At least nothing once the StarSon had been destroyed.

They‘d not thought him this powerful, nor this resourceful. From where had he drawn his

power? He‘d emptied not only Carlon, but the entire land of good feeding, and taken the prey

into a cunning hiding place that the Demons could not yet espy.

The StarSon must be destroyed! The StarSon must be destroyed!

He must die…die…die!

It was all they could think of. Kill the StarSon before he discovered too many of the

Enemy‘s secrets. Kill him, and then nothing could ever seize this land from them. For a million years the TimeKeepers had been seeking a haven, a land they could truly call a home, and this

was it. This was home. This was their home, and no petty Icarii prince was going to deny them.

And so they rode, desperately, hatefully, and faster and faster until they were only a blur

over the landscape. With every stride they drew closer to the Maze, with every stride they drew

closer to the Dark Tower, and there lay their salvation, there lay Qeteb‘s soul, there lay their

destiny.

They were now so close to the Maze—a few leagues, no more—that they could draw

power to themselves, power to pull themselves forward, faster, faster, faster…

And all the time the Dark Tower sang to them.

Come to me! Come to me! Come to me!

The dark Demons came.

WolfStar thought this wild demonic ride would kill him. His internal injuries, constantly

worsened by successive rapes, were being pounded into a desperate state by the bounding and

jouncing of his mount. He was still slung on his belly over the beast‘s back, his wrists and ankles

tied underneath the beast‘s own belly, his wings bouncing and trailing through the air.

Blood dribbled from his mouth, staining both the beast‘s flank and the landscape through

which they passed.

StarLaughter rode her beast as a maniac. Excitement consumed her to the point where

she‘d lost all coherent thought. She sat bolt upright, her tattered and filthy gown snapping in the

wind of her passing, her hair tangling in her wings behind her, one hand buried in her beast‘s

mane, the other raised aloft as if in triumph.

A constant thin wail trailed from her open mouth.

StarLaughter was riding home.

The Qeteb-man and the Niah-woman sat their beast passively, although they swayed

rhythmically to the surge of its gait. The Qeteb-man‘s fingers still groped up and down the body

of the woman he held before him, and even though his thick tongue trailed wetly from a corner

of his mouth, his eyes were blank and, as yet, purposeless.

The Maze, now inextricably married to the blackened twisted streets and tenements of

Carlon, hove into view, and as one the Demons shrieked and screamed, beating their mounts into

further efforts until the foam that flew from the snake-headed mouths became thickened with

blood.

The Resurrection was nigh.

Nothing would stop them now!

Caelum and DragonStar stood atop Spiredore and watched the dreadful cloud roll closer.

Caelum felt ill, not only at the approaching horror, but also at the destruction about him.

Carlon—gone! And the land…the land was a desecration.

He dropped his eyes to the seething mass of animals about the Maze.

―Is there anything left?‖ he asked softly.

DragonStar shook his head. ―Tencendor is empty of coherent and cogent life, Caelum.

We,‖ his mouth smiled very slightly, ―are the only two left.‖

―Qeteb will destroy this land,‖ Caelum said. ―He will murder it!‖

―Yes,‖ DragonStar said. ―But you understand why that is necessary?‖

Caelum was quiet a long while before he finally nodded. ―And after I…after I…‖

He could not bring himself to complete the question.

―Then,‖ DragonStar said, ―satisfied the StarSon can no longer irritate their plans for utter

hegemony, Qeteb and his companions will rape and destroy this land until nothing remains. Not

even hope. They will make for themselves a world fit for their society. Caelum… do you

understand?‖

―Yes.‖ Caelum looked his brother full in the eye. ―They will not do that if they think you

are still alive. They need to think you dead.‖

Caelum‘s face took on an expression of utter despair. ―There are no words that can be

said at this moment, brother, but so many words that need to be said. I—‖

DragonStar took Caelum‘s face between his hands and smiled with exquisite loveliness

and gentleness. ―There are no words that need to be said, Caelum.‖

Caelum stared into DragonStar‘s deep violet eyes, and saw in their depths not only power

and surety, but something far, far lovelier.

The rich field of flowers.

―Will I—?‖ he began, and DragonStar leaned forward and kissed him softly on the

mouth.

―Yes,‖ he said. ―Yes, you will.‖

Caelum gripped DragonStar in a fierce hug, and tears flowed freely down both the

brothers‘ faces.

―I am glad,‖ Caelum whispered, ―that I have finally known my brother, DragonStar.‖

The cloud rolled closer.

―Where must I go?‖ Caelum asked.

―I will show you.‖

The Demons screamed and shrieked and wept in their overweening hysteria. For so long,

so very, very long they had been riding towards this…