Prologue - 010

Prologue - 010

Turns since TBfGK: 3

"I think it's time to pack it in," said Parson.

Sizemore was still eyeing Maggie with cautious concern, but she seemed alert. Even chipper. "Indeed, Lord," she said, "if ever there was a sign." She stood, and picked up her helm.

Parson stood up as well. He didn't have much of a problem with heights, and he had been enjoying the view up until that moment. But the couple of additional feet between sitting and standing seemed like two hundred. "Whoa," he laughed, and gripped the trebuchet. He took a couple of breaths and looked around. "My plan may have to be scrapped."

Maggie had stepped over to the side of the tower and was emptying her helmet over the side of the wall...presumably not on anyone below. Parson watched her shake out the contents. "If Bogroll was still around, he'd be standing down below for some reason."

Sizemore was now packing up the basket. He looked over at Maggie and nodded, but didn't smile. "Too true," he said, a little wistfully. "What plan, Warlord?"

Parson, still leaning on the trebuchet for balance, pointed squarely at one of the passing dwagons.

"To ride one of those."

Sizemore looked at the gliding dwagon, then at Parson, his eyebrows in a doubtful arch. "Yes. I'd say so."

"C'maaaan," said Parson, leaping to the defense of his bad idea. "Why not? Thissis a fact-finding outing."

Sizemore seemed to be getting cranky. "The turn's over," he said, with a little scowl. "And if you're really a garrison unit, you couldn't leave the city on a mount anyway."

Maggie walked up, holding her empty helmet. She picked up a napkin and covered it, and inserted it into the picnic basket.

"Yeah, but I should still be able to get on a mount, right?"

"Ummmm. Not if you're a heavy unit. Which...I think is likely."

"Well I wanna find out," said Parson. He took three unsteady steps in the direction of the tower's edge, looking up into the sky. "I'm talking about heading back to the garrison in style. Just back over to the tower." He eyed the flying beasts and grinned nervously. It was like looking at a brand new roller coaster at Cedar Point. "What, you wanna walk?"

"Warlord. You can't do it."

"Weeee...try things," Parson said, pounding an air podium. "Right, Maggie?"

She smiled weakly. "Sometimes they even work."

image

Guest art by Chris Battey of Pyrlogos