Changeling (Illustrated) (30 page)

Pol stopped playing and dropped to his knees. Automatically, he lowered the guitar into its case. He began crawling toward Nora then, feeling a strong pull to his right as the building canted even more precipitously. When he reached her, he placed his hand upon her shoulder.

“I did try to save him,” he said.

“I know.”

She lowered her hands from her face and hugged him gently, looking away toward the rail.

“I know.”

Hurry, Pol! The building is going!

He looked upward, unbelieving. A vast, dark form was sliding through the smoke.

Moonbird
!

Mount as soon as I light. Only moments remaining . . . 

The great dragon settled beside them, enormous open wounds upon his sides and shoulders. Pol boosted Nora onto his back, slung his guitar case and followed.

How
—? Pol began.

The one called Mouseglove. I can talk with him,
Moonbird said as they rose.
He lies injured at Rondoval, attended by centaurs. Your ogre destroyed all the men but the two in the ships. Fortunately, he had a weapon that slays from a distance. He says that he will be your house-guest until he is whole again. He told me to come here.

As they climbed higher, Pol summoned strands, all that he could, and clutched them for a moment.

It is over,
he said.
We are going home.

From here and there, his surviving minions rose to follow.

He looked down, once, into the raging heart of the crater.

 . . . 
If I were to drop the seven figurines into it,
he wondered,
would I be free?

You
are a fool,
came a voice out of a sudden flame,
if you think that we
—
the most bound of all
—
are even as free as you.

The flame faded, and Pol turned and watched the smoking mountain grow smaller as Moonbird beat his way into the sky.

I am not finished learning,
he said.
But I’ve had enough lessons for today.

Nora had slumped before him, but her breathing was regular. He eased her into a more comfortable position. He felt older as he regarded the sinking sun, and very tired, though he knew he could not permit himself to sleep for a long while. He reached out and touched one of Moonbird’s wounds.

I am glad that someone I know won something,
he said.

Later, the stars came out and he watched them all the way to home and morning.