The green had all been passed long ago.  The pale and dusty tan of the Koyati waste swept under Therelon as it soared through the clear skies.  From the ground, an observer might have convinced themselves that what they saw was merely a large bird, were it not for the distinctly human-shaped load it carried.  Nixus, mortal guardian of the Pit, and, secretly, one of Therelon's long suffering Devoted.  For all Therelon knew, perhaps he had been the very last.  And now he was dead in his master's arms.

[i]If he truly is the last, then blood shall pay for blood.[/i]

The journey had been delayed.  A great storm of sand had been risen by the desert winds, and Therelon had to adjust its course by several miles to avoid it.  But now, shining brilliantly under the harsh, Koyati sun, just risen over the horizon, stood its Tower.  The great structure, unparalleled in height and width and complexity for miles around, was unchanged despite the passing of a millennium.  Save for one thing.

As Therelon descended to the Tower's entrance, it found the archway blocked.  The great doors were gone, and in their place was a tremendous boulder.

[i]Curious.[/i]

The boulder meant that Eyra had wanted to keep mortals out.  It was unlikely that much, or really any, of Therelon's collection of tomes and scrolls remained.  Perhaps she had wanted to keep it from her enemies, for it was a truly formidable fortress.  She certainly had no such use for it—the Tower had steeped in magic since the dawn of time, and knew its master.

And the boulder was not meant for Therelon.  Eyra was no fool.

Gently, Therelon placed Nixus' body on the ground.  Its magic receded from its flesh and bone.  Therelon raised its taloned hand, and the boulder began to rumble.  Slowly, the great stone fell forward, sinking into the ground outside the Tower.  Therelon took hold of Nixus once more, and, cradling him in its arms.

Therelon, upon reflection, did not know what it expected to find inside its Tower.  After one thousand years, there was little hope that its Devoted, despite their power, could have held out against Eyra.  But it did not expect to find what remained of the Tower's last defenders.

The floor of the Tower was littered with bones, bleached white by age.  They were clustered together in places where bodies had been thrown.  Some still bore their arms and armor.  Some were small.

[i]It was an invading army.[/i]

Therelon stood in the doorway for a time, unmoving.  Slowly, it raised one foot and entered the Tower, its talons scraping along the stone floor as its steps dragged.

[i]They pillaged my Tower.[/i]

As Therelon reached a large set of stone doors, they opened of their own accord.

[i]They [b]killed my–[/b][/i]

The room was circular.  The wall, in its single elegant curve, it bore images of the Tower's greatest residents—Talus, who first took the name "Devoted;" Salor, the greatest mortal wielder of the arcane the Tower had seen; Verai, who led its defense against marauding fools who thought to attack while Therelon was away.  All these and more—and, upon the roof, its wings spread and talons wreathed in dancing light, was Therelon itself.

This was the Chamber of the Dead.

Nixus' body fell to the floor.

Therelon's talons scraped along the floor.

In the center of the room was a single block of stone, half a man's height, and its length equal to his height.  There was no ornamentation of cloth or jewel.  No bowls or plates or candles or incense.  This was the altar, dedicated to the departed, stripped bare.

Therelon reached the altatr, and saw what ley on the other side.  More bones, of all ages.

Upon the altar itself, bones.  Female, Therelon could tell, just past the cusp of womanhood.

All Therelon's eyes blurred.  The physical reality and the flow of magic twisted and gnarled as its eyes filled with tears.  A single, great sob broke from its chest.  The Tower shook, dust within and sand without was disturbed.  Another sob, and the Tower shook again.  Therelon drew in a great, shuddering breath.

[hr]

Across the air was broken.  Men and women, children and elders, and soldiers and beggars all clawed at their ears.  To some, the sand itself seamed to shake, but no mere physical sight could discern any change.  And all at once, it was over.  There was great fear, for while word of what had occurred at the Pit had not yet traveled this far south, but all people told stories.  Though a paltry few knew what it truly was, every person knew that something had come to the desert.

And what it found there inspired a scream of rage and grief that shook them to their core.