The Spectators

Cafer and Baak watched from a safe distance at the top of a nearby building as the dragons approached. The former councilman and gnome king passed back and forth a magical object that, like Renat's spyglass, allowed them to see a great distance, but also allowed them to hear what they were viewing.

Having paid the owner of the dwelling well, they sat on two cushioned seats as they watched the show.

"How wonderful is this!" Baak gloated. "The dragons will do all the work for us. We will just pick up all the pieces of this broken Empire and they will have to thank us for it!"

"Do not get overconfident, Your Majesty," Cafer responded smoothly. He was not superstitious, but the old gnome knew that caution was necessary where humans were involved.

"I will not count my egg before it hatches," the king said glibly. "Ha! I made a joke. No one appreciates my wit."

"You are very funny, my king," Cafer answered mechanically. His full attention was focused on the tower where he could see the royal band of heroes forming on the sky bridge.

He spotted the Empress, her infuriating husband, the even more infuriating Zan and Gandr, and most importantly, he saw... "I have spotted Prince Alaron. It seems that he is safe and sound. I did not think that Aurora would put him to death. Not after all the trouble they went through to abduct him."

"Pass it to me." Baak snatched the spyglass and peered through. "Alaron looks healthier than the last time we saw him. I wonder what they have done to him? How was he able to break his addiction to the magic in such a short time?"

"It is impossible to overcome, Your Majesty," Cafer reassured him. "There must be some other explanation." The crafty gnome had noticed the change in the prince as well but was smart enough not to mention it himself. They would find out soon enough what happened as long as the prince found a way to escape the dragon's wrath.

As if reading his mind, Baak voiced his response. "The boy does know to get out and take cover, doesn't he? I mean if he stays up there, he will not last very long."

Cafer gave a huge smile as he dipped his head. "Prince Alaron is very resourceful. I am sure he will find a way to escape both from the Empress and the dragons. We will be crowning him Emperor in no time."

These words put a bad taste in Baak's mouth as he passed the spyglass back to his trusted advisor.

"As you have said, let us not get ahead of ourselves. We shall see how the situation goes."

The dragons drew near and hovered overhead to support their King and Queen. Cafer turned to the other gnome on the roof, Lukoss, who was cowering nearby. The mousey gnome was terrified of almost anything bigger than himself.

Cafer commanded the weakling. "Tell the other gnomes to move in and block the gates. We do not want anyone to escape."

Lukoss scurried off, glad to be heading down from the height and further from the beast's huge claws. He ducked into the nearest tavern and began spreading the news.

Within minutes, hundreds of gnomes came out from every nook and cranny to barricade the front gate and storm the secret tunnels. The trap was set.

Cafer watched with glee as the dragons did not believe a word the humans. Even when the former assassin Gandr swore of King Baak's treachery, the Dragon King ignored him. It was all too perfect.

At last, the King demolished the tower on which he sat with barely any effort.

"It has begun," Baak cackled with a gleam in his eye. He did not need to use the spyglass to see the tower be ripped to shreds. That destruction was obvious.

"Oh, it's getting better!" Cafer cheered as he watched the Dragon Queen snap at the bridge and empty the fire in her belly. The gnome was slightly upset that Deragona had missed eating Aurora, but seeing her, Zan and Gandr fall to their doom was the most satisfying sight. His three biggest enemies were dead in one fell swoop.

"It looks like the Empress is dead," the crafty gnome announced happily. "She has fallen from the bridge."

"Excellent!" Baak clapped like a child. Then his face became more serious. "Although I had hoped to make her pay for her sins myself. I guess you cannot have it all." He gave a dismissing motion with his hand, but his large eyes still showed the greed in his heart.

"The prince seems to have escaped the initial assault." Cafer commented with a hint of relief. Things would go smoother if Alaron was alive.

"Good for him. Perhaps he is more clever than I thought." The gnome king picked at his nails with his teeth. His disinterest in the topic was obvious.

Cafer lowered the glass to his side and regarded the all-out assault by the dragons. Around them in the streets, people had noticed the flying creatures and were fleeing Valiant at a rapid pace. It would not be long before the whole capital would be empty and ripe for the taking.

The Dragon Queen flung herself at the main entrance to the palace. Her body crushed the upper stories as she clawed the stone aside and burrowed her way into the middle of the structure.

"A mother's instinct," the crafty gnome mumbled. "She will have to go deep to find her child, but it's a given that she can do it."

After a few tiny pops, a huge explosion drew the attention of the two gnomes lounging atop their perch. Smoke billowed from a corner of the palace grounds.

Baak sat up in his chair and squinted. "Do you suppose a dragon caused that?" He reached for the spyglass and peered down at the mayhem. The wall obstructed most of the view of the ground, but he could tell that the fire was not from part of the palace.

"Perhaps you should investigate, Cafer," the King said blandly. It was a command, but Baak preferred that his advisor do it willingly.

The crafty gnome bristled. "It was already time for me to go, Your Majesty. I look forward to greeting you from inside the palace." Cafer glanced toward the increasingly damaged structure. The gnomes had ventured under the palace wall and were now hidden from the advisor's sight.

"So much for waiting for their leader," Cafer sighed.

The rowdy bunch was not great at following orders, and Cafer was not surprised that they had jumped ahead. He would have to catch up with them.

"I see your pirate is in place," Baak called just as Cafer was leaving the roof. The King's spyglass was aimed in a different direction now, just outside the palace.

Cafer gave a wicked grin. "Good! What good is having a large river in the city if you cannot use it?"

-----

Cafer quickly tunneled under the wall. He noticed a large collection of unsprung traps along the top of the battlement and lining the walls. The humans had been unable to mount their defenses. Cafer hooked a smile at their foolishness.

Maneuvering through the hectic scene inside the walls, Cafer was careful not to be hit with the flying debris. Although the stone would not kill him, it could give him a bump or bruise, and the fire could certainly burn him.

He found the group of gnomes, led by Grisley, staring at an enormous wall of fire. "What are you doing?!" Cafer screamed at the pointy-headed gnome nearest to him.

The other male winced as he pointed upward. "The young dragon spewed her liquid in addition to her fire. The dirt is burning and we do not dare go under it. But the humans are inside."

Cafer tapped his foot impatiently. The fire only delayed the inevitable. Suddenly two quick explosions shook the stone wall on the other side of the flames. "We need to get in there!" the advisor shouted to Grisley.

The flat-nosed gnome was unwilling to risk his own skin to catch the others. He stared back defiantly at Cafer. A third blast in a different spot rang out and the fire at last dwindled.

Before them, the prince stood at the ready, and a distraught princess sat sobbing over a still figure.

"Don't move," Grisley called, which made Cafer roll his eyes. None of the three were planning on moving.

Cafer pushed his way through the crowd. "Stand down, Grisley," he said mildly. "You would do well to respect the future leader of Valiant," he added.

Grisley gave a reluctant bow. "Should we go after the escapees?"

Cafer glanced briefly through the hole, then at the prince and princess. The Empress was dead and he had both heirs. There was no reason to pursue the others.

"Let the pirates handle it," Cafer dismissed him with a flick of his hand.

The advisor smoothly approached Alaron and gave a deep bow. "I am so happy to see you are well. We came as quickly as we could."

Alaron relaxed the grip on his sword and embraced the gnome. "I am just glad to see you, Uncle."

The dragons over their heads suddenly subsided their attack and took off into the air. With a tiny creature flying between the Dragon King and Queen, the beasts left and headed north.

Cafer raised his eyebrows and pushed his lips together thoughtfully. "It seems the heir has been found. Secure the castle and put out the fires," he ordered Grisley. "No use in letting the damage spread."

All but a couple of the gnomes, who were assigned to block the hole in the wall, left with Grisley. Cafer turned back to Alaron as he cleared his throat.

The prince motioned to the girl on the ground. "My sister is under my protection. Princess Mairwen is not to be harmed."

Cafer nodded knowingly. "Of course. I am surprised that she did not decide to escape with the Emperor," he added, suddenly suspicious.

Brinn, having shape-shifted into Mairwen's form, looked up with daggers in her eyes.

"Father is dead," she cried out in despair. "Emperor Devrim died trying to save this man."

They all shifted their gaze to a battered, bruised, and barely breathing Renat. His head lay limp in the fake princess's lap.

Cafer hid his delight behind a mask of sympathy. "The Emperor died valiantly, and we will make sure the world knows it, Your Highness." Inwardly he added, 'Yes, we will proclaim his death from the rooftops. Alaron will be their only hope.'