At the far end of the corridor a Gnoll sat, his back leant against the red stone wall, his eyes fixed on something he held in his hands. Near his head was a brass alarm bell. He leant backwards on a three legged stool, and didn't notice Gherad at first. He looked up, uninterested, probably thinking it was another guard. His small eyes opened wider as he saw the leather clad Algar before him. With a growl he dropped the piece of parchment, and his right hand went for the alarm bell. Then it dropped, coming to rest on the hilt of the sabre which had sliced through the air and sunk into his stomach. With a deathly hiss he fell backwards on the stool, his armour clattering as he did so.
Hettar strode forward along the corridor, cautiously in case the gnoll was not quite dead. But it did not stir, and he let his balde drop. He grasped the hilt of Gherad's sword and tugged it from the creatures body.
'Effective,' he said thoughtfully. 'Unusual, but effective.' A stream of language came from the other side of the door and he looked up quickly. The voice became more insistent as he stood there, listening,a nd even more insistent when he rammed the iron bolt home to keep the guard on the other side out. The smash of a minotaur's shoulder hitting the wooden door echoed down the passageway as Hettar led the Algars up the final staircase.
Adara stood as the door clattered open in front of her. The Gorgon strode in, afollowed by Kargath, his crossbow ready.
'We must move you somewhere safer,' THe Gorgon told her. 'It would appear your husband has caught my guards unawares.' Adara severly doubted this as she stepped forward. Her fears were given credence by the way Kargath stepped behind her and jabbed her in the back with the point of the bolt in his crossbow.
'Move, woman,' He said, and Adara thought she heard a hint of fear in his voice. 'We don't have all day.'
'You going to kill me aren't you?' She said. Neither of them said anything, and this solidified her fear into something heavy in her stomach. 'My mother was executed by the Murgos, at least i will go the same way as her.' She was totally unprepared for the Gorgon's response.
'What?' He demanded, stopping, Kargath stared at him, and Adara forgot her fear of her own death, replacing it with a fear of what might happen to her for a misplaced word.
'I said my mother was killed by the...'
'No, you said executed,' The Gorgon towered above her. 'Where?'
'I don't see why I should tell...'
'WHERE?' He demanded. She shrank back.
'The Baron's castle on the escarpment.' She replied, her voice shaky with the tears the thoughts of her mother had brought on.
'What was her name?' He asked, his voice resigned as though knowing, almost dreading the answer.
'Sir I don't think this is...' Kargath began.
'Shut up.' The gorgon answered, and turned back to Adara, his look demanding an answer.
Taranis...' She said quietly. With a sigh the Gorgon lay back against the wall, covering his face with his massive hands. A sob racked his chest, and Adara watched him with suprise. Kargath stared at his master also, his look incredulous.
'Gorgon!' Adara looked down the corridor to see her husband stood there, his sword ready, and behind him a band of other Algars. She recognised Gherad among them, and felt a double surge of relief. She took a step towards them.
She felt huge, stone fingers close on her pony tail, and suddenly her head was pulled back, and with a scrape of steel the Gorgon's huge sabre was there.
'One step further boy, and I will do it. Now back off.' The Grogons voice rumbled over her head like thunder. Hettar stood there, his eyes angry, not backing down.
'I said back off!' He threatened, putting the blade closer. 'Now!' Adara managed to think quickly, and dcided to take a risk.
'Father,' She said, and felt the sword waver back. 'You don't have to do this,' There was silence, but the sword stayed back - he was listening. 'Why not just let me go. There are other ways to sort this out.' The sword wavered again, then dropped. She felt the fingers release her hair, and the same deep sigh as the huge form once again leaned against the wall. She did not look back, instead walking towards her husband, who was staring at the monstrous form which lay against the wall behind her.
Gherad was bewildered. He had no idea what ahd happened here, as he watched the Lady Adara step unmolested towards them But then, out of the corner of his eye he saw something he knew Hettar had not. Beyond the towering form of the Gorgon, Kargath, resolute hwere his master had not been, was raising his crossbow. He aimed directly at Adara's abck. With a shout of warning he dived forward, shutting his eyes and waiting for the feeling of pain in his chest, and the outrushing of his life.
A few seconds later he let his eyes snap open. There was no pain, nothing in fact. A second later he saw why. The form of the Gorgon towered above him. His hands clutched at his barrel chest, a a look of agony twisted his bestial features. Kargath stared up at his master, a look of incomprehension on his face. It was still there a moment later when the sabre slashed down, and the Gorgon ended his underling's life. Throwing his head back, the form of the Gorgon seemed to shimmer, and change.
Before Gherad stood a man of about his height, clad in a long red robe, and a red beard covering his features. A tricor was perched atop his balding head, and his grey tunic was stained a deep red. THe bolt still protruded there. With a final sigh and a look at Adara, who, Gherad noticed, had gone paler than usual, and Hettar, who stood looking suprised next to her, he fell to the floor, dead.
Hettar left his wife's embrance and strode past Gherad to where the man lay on the floor. It was only as he came closer that he realised he recognised this man. He pulled the madallion out from beneath his clothing, rubbing at the surface of it. Everything suddenly was clear. The Gorgon had not been a Sha Dar at all, this was the man who had tried to save Taranis' life, and failed. He removed the medallion, gave it a last look, then laid on the baron's son's chest.
The Sendarian ships left the coast of Gorgon's Crown a few hours alter. All the Gorgon's armies, left leaderless, had fled out onto the heaths which surrounded the fortress, and their exit was uneventful. But they had done one last thing before they left.
On a tall cliff, which looked out towards the hook of Arendia beyond the horizon, a small cairn had been put together. Atop it was a single staff, and around the gnarled head of it was a silver medallion on a chain. Oe of the Algars had known a few prayers to Belar and had said them before they left. The son of Rikorsk, a baron of Sendaria from times long passed, had finally found rest.
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