Smoke hung heavy in the air, as did the smell of burnt flesh. The wounded and terrified cried and screamed and of course the flames crackled. It was a cacophony that assaulted my senses. It had had me retching more than once as I ran. I had to keep running. I couldn't run blindly though. I had to help whatever others I happened upon make their way out of this inferno.

For a little while things had been going so well when the dwarves of Gothol'gathrak surrendered. They had surrendered their weapons and allowed them into the city in hopes of receiving aid in return. Just determining where and how to provide said aid had kept them busy for a while as Keza descended deeper into the bowels of the city to help the dwarven princess confront her maddened father.

Providing them aid was a daunting task but it helped that most of the short, stout folk were pretty pragmatic. There had been those willing to leave their old homes. They were a minority by far but they had been quickly organized into a caravan heading west, accompanied by a group of harpy guides to see them to Caer'zoth. Hopefully they would be able to build a new life for themselves there.

Helping those who wanted to stay to get through the winter was a little more tricky but far from impossible. The farming community outside the city's gates might have lain in ruin but they still had functional underground facilities providing at least some food. Providing them with some of the provisions Keza's army would now not need for a prolonged siege would take some strain off of those. If they were able to reestablish trade, with the domains around Bleak Peak instead of the other realms of the Council of Kings, they would be golden.

The dwarves might have had some silly customs and they might have almost followed a crazed king to their doom but overall they weren't half bad. They would get back on their feet and hopefully move on to a brighter future. For a little while, just a few short hours at most, everything had looked like it would work out just fine.

Then everything had gone to hell in the blink of an eye. The clouds above had obscured their approaching doom until it was almost upon them. The first hint that something was not right had been the screech of one of the gryphons patrolling above the clouds, followed almost immediately by the mangled corpse of one of the majestic beasts falling and landing not far from the perimeter of the army's camp. Half of the gorgon woman riding it had still been stuck in the stirrups.

Calls of alarm had gone out almost immediately. It hadn't done them much good. Before they could muster any coordinated response the flying terror had broken through the clouds, its wings, as majestic as they were terrible, sending them swirling. I could see the glow of a terrible flame rise from its chest before it spewed forth from its gaping maw with teeth as long and sharp as swords.

Maybe I could have cast a Mage Shield large and powerful enough to deflect at least some of the terrible flame it rained down upon us. I couldn't though. I couldn't even begin to muster the strength to do it and I wasn't the only one. All around me others were as if paralyzed be fear while others ran in a headless panic. Only the scarce few giants left with us since my sister took Yath'zur and Gash'zur with her, seemed to have retained at least some of their mental capacity as death came calling on terrible wings.

As the dragon's flaming breath tore through our camp, leaving behind a wide swath of destruction and fiery death, the fear that had paralyzed me receded far enough for me to realize that I should run as well. If I stayed it would get me for sure on its next pass. As I ran I didn't even realize that there wouldn't be another pass. The dragon only circled once, bathing all and everything below it in fire before tucking its wings in to smash right through the city's massive gate as if it were made of mashed ashroot and not solid rock and steel.

I just kept running. I hardly even realized where I was heading, not until I reached the defensive installations along the road leading westward. Tortho and his detachment had taken these as intact as the ones in the east with barely a struggle put up by the crews manning the weapons and fortifications. I probably would have kept running anyway, if my sister's trusty captain of scouts hadn't spotted and stopped me.

He wasn't the only one either. He had his detached force, as well as the dwarves who left earlier, turn our panicked flight into something that was more of an organized retreat. His men and women were even handing out supplies. Probably liberated from the fortifications he took. It wouldn't be much but hopefully it would be enough to get us back home.

As I took it all in the panic that had kept me going so far finally faded, together with the last of my strength. I slumped against him, only now realizing that he was talking with me. It took what little strength I could still muster to make some sense of his words. I shook my head in response. “I don't know about Keza. I haven't seen anyone come out of the city after the dragon smashed through the gate. I was too busy running though.” Shame tinted my words. I had abandoned our people. The people Keza had entrusted into my care. I had abandoned my sister. At this point it became all too much and I fainted, the seasoned darkelf scout barely able to lower me to the ground gently as my consciousness faded.

Confusion clouded my mind as the nightmare of what had transpired faded and I regained consciousness. It wasn't the grief that had clouded my mind for some time now. No, this was different. I started in confusion as Keza made her way through the rest of the nobles assembled to mourn the passing of our king. That couldn't be Keza. Right? I was just seeing things. Or not? Where had she gotten that new war gear? Was that really all Titanium? My eyes widened even further as she placed the sparkling soul gem of a great dragon in her dead fathers hand. She was really back!

I cried again but for the first time in weeks I didn't mind the tears staining my cheeks, as they were happy tears. I barely took note of the words spoken around me. I just barely had the presence of mind to mimic the others as they sank to their knees. Their words rang in my ears. “The King is dead! Long live the Queen!” Only slowly did the meaning behind these words penetrate but I didn't care. All that mattered to me then and there was that my sister wasn't dead. I couldn't stop crying but I didn't mind, as for the first time in weeks I felt a glimmer of hope again.