Dretchroyaster was furious. His lair had been violated. His servants were gone. His powerful elven relic was stolen. Without it, he would have a much harder time unlocking the secrets of the Earth Node. As he circled Blackpeake he considered, the teleport wasn't fixed to a permanent circle, which meant that they couldn't have gone far. He would find them and make them pay for their effrontery.
Then he spotted movement on the ground, and if he still had lips, he would have smiled. He dove out of the sky, landing amongst the group of little screaming people he rended them with tooth and claw.
* * *
Corrah watched as the dracolich circled toward them, moving around the black mountain and over the Watchtower. Suddenly, something caught it's glowing eye and it dove out of the sky. It flew over the waterfall and out of sight, heading down the road to the south.
"Who's down there?" she asked Zander as Loklafd helped him out of the water.
Zander looked the way she pointed and thought about it. "It must be the mercenaries. Bardaby and the Beast Boys should just be making their way to the bottom of the switchback by now. Poor fellows."
Zander couldn't say he liked any of the Beast Boys, but he had been one of them, as a spy for Imani, for nearly a month, and he knew some of them well.
Then Auraia used her psychic powers and they all turned into wind - first the group with her on the opposite shore, herself, her brother Pyrus, Torbin, and Udit. Then Corrah, Loklafd, and Zander. They all flew up the mountain to a small clearing where they turned back into themselves. Then they ran until they arrived at what was left of the basecamp.
Most of it was abandoned, but Imani, Sesto, and SnorLoska were waiting for them, along with Terrus and Aquaria.
Imani had a teleportation circle open, and everyone piled through, As the scene shifted about them, they found themselves in Imani's study, in his tower in Hap. Lorenn was siting in a chair, thumbing through one of the wizard's books.
Imani sighed and removed his overcloak. He hung it on a stand with his mage-hand and said, You have my undying gratitude and perpetual patronage, my friends. I presume that you would all enjoy a much needed rest. I have secured rooms for you at the Millery Inn (my tower is not large enough for us all). I would be happy to show you the way, and I will buy food and drink until you are full and drunk!"
With that pronouncement, he donned a much more fashionable overcloak and smiled as his servant brought him a bag of coins.
The End. For now.
