At long last Syemore's people were ready. Radu kept the spell that had hidden them over the whole group as they formed up and began to march. He had said it would simply cause confusion. Anyone who saw them would be unable to tell what they were seeing, and like a dream, after a few moments they would have forgotten that they had seen anything at all.

Radu rode at the front of the long column, on a blood bay mare. Next to him rode Seymore and Brianna and a handful of Seymore's people. Behind marched the newly-trained soldiers. They didn't march in step, but they did keep their formations relatively squared up. There were companies of swordsmen, companies of spearmen, and a company of archers. Behind them a small group of dwarves marched along, needing to take almost two steps to the humans' one, but not seeming to be bothered by the pace. Then another group of humans, walking in a loose cluster. These were shape-shifters and were-folk who had no weapons skills, but were willing to fight in their animal forms. Bringing up the rear were a few dozen horsemen. Human nobles and elven knights, they were not quite enough to call cavalry, but still enough that it would be felt when they charged. Flame Song probably should have walked with the shifters, but instead she walked with the horsemen, pacing by Lavasida's side in firecat form. Horses were sometimes spooked by her, but the war-trained animals that Lavasida and his fellows rode didn't flinch.

It had taken only two days to reach the monastery from the castle, but at the slower pace the army kept the return trip would take nearly four. It was late autumn, so many of the fields they passed were empty and barren, the harvest already past. They camped each night in such fields, and in the morning the puzzled farmers couldn't quite recall how things had gotten so trampled down.

On the second day they encountered a patrol of the Tyrant's soldiers. There was a brief skirmish, but they were hopelessly outnumbered, and none of them escaped.

On the fourth day they reached the great road that ran north to south, largely following the course of the Halcon River. A few miles further on they left farmlands and entered the forest around the castle. They were almost there, and Radu rode now with his eyes closed, all his effort going to keeping up the spell that hid them. The Tyrant Dragon had cast spells on these woods meant to counter any approach by stealth, and Radu was having to fight against them now. They reached a junction, where a narrower road turned towards the river. They turned onto it, and a few hundred yards later they came out of the forest and into the broad cleared meadow that surrounded the castle. As they left the trees Radu's spell broke at last, and there were shouts of alarm from the castle walls. The marching soldiers spread out into their battle order, spearmen in the center, swordsmen to both sides, with the mounted fighters on the far right flank and the shape-shifters on the far left. Flame stayed still with Lavasida and the horsemen. The archers formed up behind the other fighters, bows at ready. The aerians stayed in ranks with the foot soldiers for now, not willing to take to the sky yet when the Tyrant Dragon might appear at any moment.

Soldiers spilled out of the castle and formed up facing the attackers. Flame grinned. When the last of them emerged, the block of red uniforms was perhaps a third the size of the army that faced them. They might be better trained, but they served the Tyrant largely because she paid them to. Their courage went only as far as the size of their salaries, and though far less practiced, Seymore's soldiers were utterly dedicated to their cause.

Then there was a roaring, shrieking cry, and her grin faded. From the castle courtyard a long neck rose up, and a broad golden head crowed with a pair of twisted horns regarded the attackers over the wall. With a sound like thunder the Tyrant Dragon took to the sky, circling above the gathered armies. All the horses started dancing nervously, except for Radu's mare, who stood rock steady. The dragon wheeled over them, and then stooped, diving down on the attackers. As she swooped over them she breathed out a long stream of fire. Quite a few of the soldiers ducked, but they didn't need to. As the dragon dove, Radu simply raised one hand. The fire stopped as if it had hit a wall that arched over the army. With a shriek the dragon dived again, this time aiming to hit the troops with her massive claws as she passed, but she suddenly faltered and nearly fell from the sky as a beam of pure white light lanced out from Radu's hands, piercing one of her wings.

"Forget the dragon," shouted Syemore. He spurred his horse to the front of the lines and waved to his lieutenants. One of them sounded a horn and the soldiers began to move forward. The Tyrant's troops stayed where they were. The land sloped upwards from the field to the castle, which sat on a low rise. At the base of the rise the road forked, and one branch curved around the hill to vanish behind the castle. It led another mile on, to where a small town sat on the banks of the river. Seymore's soldiers advanced across the field, ignoring the road, and began to climb up the hill. The archers fired off a volley of arrows that buzzed through the air, and the first of the red-clad soldiers fell. There was a return volley, but it was much smaller. The Tyrant did not field many archers. Lavasida and the other horsemen fell back, letting the foot soldiers get ahead of them, then with a cry he spurred his horse forward into a full charge, and the rest followed. They arced around and hit the flank of the defending army only seconds after the front ranks of the foot soldiers closed with their opponents. Flame was immediately engulfed in chaos. While the main troops were in an orderly line of battle, here on the fringes the fighters intermingled, and she quickly found herself nearly surrounded. She stuck close to Lavasida's horse, and the pair of them watched each other's backs as they fought. He had lost his lance in the first charge and was now hacking at the attackers with a long sword. His horse was doing as much damage as he, the trained animal rearing and kicking. Flame's claws flew and her muzzle was soon stained red. She was dimly aware of the ongoing battle overhead, the wheeling dragon trying to get at her tiny attacker as Radu fending her off again and again.

The battle seemed to go on and on, a whirl of shouting and dust and blood, but suddenly there was a deafening shriek from overhead. The dragon, her wings tattered and torn, broke off and vanished down into the castle courtyard. There was a shout of triumph from the attackers. With their queen defeated and their numbers dwindling, only minutes later the defenders broke. Some retreated into the castle, but the gates closed swiftly, and most streamed around the castle walls, heading for the forest or for the town beyond. Another cheer went up from Seymore's army and they surged forward to the castle gates. Radu's horse raced through the ranks, somehow managing to nimbly pick her way amid the soldiers, and he reached the gate first. With a word and a gesture he shattered the heavy wooden doors and tore the portcullis loose to lie on the courtyard stones. Fighting started up again as the soldiers still within the castle tried to fend off the attackers who streamed in. But Flame had no care for that, her goal was not to kill soldiers. She needed to find the shard.

She glanced at Lavasida. He gave her a nod and turned his horse toward where she knew the prison cells lay. The castle was familiar to her, the layout very nearly identical to the castle she knew. So she raced to where the treasury should be. The Dark Lord was there just ahead of her. He was no equal to Radu, but he had some small skill with magic, and with a few words he had the door to the treasury open. But inside there was no sign of the crystal.

"Where else would she keep it?"

"If she really values it, it may be in the throne room, or in her personal chambers," said Lavasida.

Flame nodded and they threaded their way through deserted corridors. All the castle's inhabitants were either hiding, or had run out to join the fighting in the courtyard. The throne room was likewise deserted, and there was no sign of the crystal there either. Flame led the way across the room to where a narrow staircase, hidden behind the dais, climbed up to the queen's personal chambers. The large, high-ceilinged room with its opulent furnishings was empty also, but sitting against the far wall was the crystal. Flame ran forward, with Lavasida close on her heels.

And suddenly she was brought to an abrupt halt, frozen in mid-leap and utterly unable to move. She blinked, the only motion she could manage, and suddenly could see that the room was not empty after all. Brianna stood only a few feet away, likewise frozen in place, with Belak at her side. And in the center of the room stood Tara, watching her trapped prisoners with an amused smile.