And then there was the certainty the Grandmagister had spoken of regarding the shelves at the Vault of All Known Knowledge that wouldn't remain empty. What had that been about?

"C'mon, then," Raisho said, standing. "Show's over in here, an' I'd like to keep on the good side of Cap'n Attikus as long as I can afore we set out. Like as not, he'll be a-waitin' in the harbor for word of what went on in here."

With more reluctance than he wanted to feel, Juhg stood and followed Raisho out of the meeting chamber. Craugh watched him go but didn't try to get his attention or detain him.

Outside, the fog continued to fill the streets. The chill had grown stronger, leeching into Juhg's flesh and clinging like barbed fishhooks. Rigging pinged against the masts out in the harbor.

Juhg pulled his traveling cloak more tightly about him and shivered with the cold. He peered out at the harbor, wondering when the last time was that he had seen the fog so thick.

"The Gran'magister did really good in there," Raisho said. "Really gave them halfers what for, didn't he?"

Juhg just looked at his friend.

Raisho stopped grinning. "Oh. Well, what I need to mention is that I don't exactly dislike all halfers. Why, some of me best friends is halfers. One of them, anyway."

Glancing around, Juhg saw that the street was packed with travelers, despite the inclement weather. So many residents had come to the meeting hall to find out what was going to happen. How many, he wondered, were shocked by the turn of events?

He glanced up toward the Knucklebones Mountains. With the layers of fog as thick as they were, he couldn't see the Vault of All Known Knowledge. Despite that, though, he knew what it looked like: broken and jumbled.

Will it be fixed the next time I see it? Juhg wondered. Or will I never see it again?

And what is it the Grandmagister is keeping under his hat?

Without warning, Raisho stepped in front of Juhg and drew his blade. "Look out!" the young sailor yelled, whipping the cutlass forward.

Mind whirling as the excitement of the moment briefly spun his senses, Juhg tracked the whipping movement in front of him. Something had flown through the air only a short distance above Raisho's head. The fog swirled behind it.

Then the sound of metal against stone rasped and filled Juhg's ears just before the first screams cut loose along the street. Spinning, staying close to Raisho's sheltering bulk, Juhg glanced along the street as he saw improbable shapes drop through the fog.

Some of the shapes landed in the street, where they stood on splayed legs. Others gripped the eaves of buildings and hung upside down, tucking themselves up under to take advantage of the cover offered by the structures.

There were, Juhg noticed in immediate horror, dozens of them. An army had silently invaded Greydawn Moors and now stood poised to attack.

22.

The Battle for Greydawn Moors "Guards! Guards!" someone yelled, sounding nearly panicked.

It took Juhg a moment to recognize his own voice with all the raw emotion in it. Although he had never seen the creatures scattered around the street before him in the flesh, he knew what they were.

When the Unity armies of dwarves, humans, and elves had finally started to turn the tide against the hordes of goblinkin, Lord Kharrion had used the darkest arts of magick to call forth a new army. As the goblinkin had been forced back over battlefields where they had left their dead strewn behind them, sometimes half-eaten by those goblinkin armies, the Goblin Lord had resurrected the bodies of those dead goblins.

In most cases, those dead goblins were nothing more than skeletal remains, either through time or the bones having been scraped for meat into a goblinkin stewpot. When Lord Kharrion used those freshly killed, he'd commanded the goblins to carve the flesh from them. Using the dark eldritch energies he called to his power, he forged the remains of the goblins with the echoes of the raw pain and suffering and fear of the humans, dwarves, and elves who had died in those places as well. Although, possessing no real identity, the Boneblights were far more than mere automatons.

They stood tall and gaunt as elves, with dark gray flesh sculpted from the bloody soil of battlefields and mixed with the ash of hardwood trees and iron slivers. Deep-set ruby eyes looked as though they'd been punched with an awl into the blunt-featured face covering the squared-off head. A piggish snout thrust out above a wide mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth. Rusty mud clung to the Boneblights. Most carried scythes and axes for weapons, but every single one of them had long claws at the ends of skinny, powerful fingers and two tusks that curled up from the lower jaw almost to the eyebrow. Like a snake, Boneblights could unhinge their jaws to devour huge bites.

Without hesitation, Raisho stepped forward and struck the Boneblight facing them between the eyes with his cutlass. The blade scraped away a patch of magically hardened flesh and batted the creature's head back, but didn't even serve to knock the Boneblight from its long, narrow feet with toes splayed like a chicken's.

The Boneblight laughed, a hissing sound that came from atrophied vocal cords. "Foolssss! You sssshall be punissssshed! You sssshall die!"

Quick as a wink, the Boneblight struck with its rusty, pitted scythe, aiming at Raisho's neck and no doubt intending to cleave the young sailor's head from his shoulders. Raisho barely got the cutlass up to block the attack. He disengaged his blade and struck again and again, driving his opponent back with his blows but achieving no real success in harming it. He blocked the scythe again, then put a booted foot into the middle of the dead flesh-and-bone face and shoved the Boneblight backward into a crumpled mass on the street.

Raisho cursed as the Boneblight hauled itself to its feet again. The creature unfurled the leathery wings kept close and tight to its back. Although Boneblights couldn't fly under their own power, the creatures could glide for long distances when the wind was right.

Where did they glide from? Juhg wondered as he peered at the dozens of Boneblights that had filled the streets of Greydawn Moors. For a moment, he stopped being afraid as he considered the problem of the presence of the creatures-where they had come from and who had brought them there, but he quickly remembered the danger he was in when the Boneblight launched itself at Raisho and him.

Moving gracefully to one side, Raisho slashed the cutlass down across the Boneblight's outstretched arms. Off balance, the creature dropped to the street. Immediately, though, it pushed itself to its feet again.

"What are these things?" Raisho demanded.

"Boneblights." Juhg glanced around, spotting the public stables across the street. "They're something old. Something from the days of the Cataclysm."

Raisho backed away warily. "Mayhap not so old an' not so far away today."

"No," Juhg agreed. "Not at all."

Ahead of them, a Boneblight released its hold on the underside of an eave, spread its wings, and glided down to pounce on an unsuspecting dweller woman. She screamed and fought, but her efforts were to no avail because in the end the Boneblight snapped her neck like kindling. The creature dumped her body and immediately scouted around for more prey.

"Can they be killed, then?" Raisho asked, fending off the creature that confronted them. His cutlass blade rattled harmlessly against the Boneblight's arms. The hardened soil that served as flesh, as well as the ridge of bone that stood out against the gaunt frame, made the thing nearly impervious to even a keen blade's edge.

"Yes." Juhg hurled himself forward, racing across the cobblestone street. "You'll have a hard time killing them with blades. Follow me."

Raisho feinted with his cutlass, then lifted a boot into his opponent's face, driving the Boneblight back. He turned and raced after Juhg.

Senses alive, keeping track of as many things as possible, Juhg ran. A wagon rolled toward him, out of control as the horses panicked and the driver fought with the Boneblight that had landed in the bed behind him.

Catching a glimpse of a shadow slicing through the foggy air above him, Juhg reached back and caught the sleeve of Raisho's cloak. "Here!" Pulling the young sailor after him, Juhg dove under the wagon, rolling and pulling his arms and legs in, barely missing the heavy, ironbound wheels as they clattered across the cobblestones.

The wagon shuddered, though, when the Boneblight that had glided down in pursuit of them crashed against the wagon's bed. So great was the creature's speed that it shattered against the wooden surface and rained down on Juhg in splintered bones bound together by frayed clothing as the wagon kept rolling forward.

Almost immediately, another Boneblight landed in the street in front of Juhg while the out-of-control wagon thundered away.

"Get up!" Juhg told Raisho. Quicker and smaller than the Boneblight, Juhg sidestepped the thing's attack, got so close he smelled the moldy odor of death clinging to it, and stamped his right foot down on the side of the Boneblight's right knee.

Bone snapped as the vulnerable joint gave way. Still, the Boneblight distended its massive jaws wide enough to envelop his head as it lunged at him. Juhg ducked again, knowing he would only barely escape-if at all. Then Raisho stepped in, caught the Boneblight behind the neck with his empty hand, and kicked the creature's good leg out from under it.

The Boneblight crashed to the ground amid the clutter of the other attacker.

"Are ye all right?" Raisho asked with grim concern. He grabbed Juhg roughly by the hair on his head and tilted his head up so that he could better look at him.

Juhg yelped in pain at the coarse treatment. He didn't have a choice about tilting his head back. "I'm fine."

"Ye were lucky. I thought that thing done went an' carved yer face off, I did. 'Twere a near thing, I'll warrant."

The Boneblight struggled to get to its one good leg.

Trapped by Raisho's strength, Juhg stared up at his friend's worried face, then above him to the foggy sky. For the first time, he realized that the heavy fog wasn't a natural occurrence. The fog had easily masked the Boneblights' approach.

But where have they come from? They can't have flown across the Blood-Soaked Sea.

On the night the crew of One-Eyed Peggie had shanghaied Grandmagister Lamplighter, three Boneblights had arrived in Greydawn Moors stalking the human warder and the package Grandmagister Frollo had sent to the Customs House. Juhg had read about the events in the Grandmagister's personal journals, and he'd heard the stories-grown much larger over the years in the telling-several times while in town or at the Yondering Docks.

If Grandmagister Lamplighter had ever learned what was in the package the human warder had carried away that night, he had never revealed it in his journals or to Juhg. The incident had remained in Juhg's mind, but the Grandmagister had a tendency to ignore questions he didn't want to answer.

Watching the cottony swirls of fog, Juhg became even more convinced that the fogbank that had rolled in across the outgoing tide to fill the town was an unnatural thing. And only a wizard could bring forth such a big change in the weather.

Fear plowed through Juhg's heart in that moment, galvanized by the shapes of the winged Boneblights soaring through the sky. The creatures plopped in the middle of the streets, on victims running for their lives, or on the tops of buildings so they could better plan their next move. They were predators hunting those who lived in Greydawn Moors, and they were merciless in their pursuit.

"Juhg," Raisho called.

Overcome by the stunned fascination that filled him, trying to accept the fact that Greydawn Moors-the most secret place in the whole world-was now a battlefield again in only a matter of weeks, Juhg couldn't answer at first.

Growling impatiently, Raisho grabbed Juhg's shoulder and pulled him away from the crippled Boneblight limping steadily toward them.

"You will be punisssshed," the thing threatened in a loud, hoarse cry. Its ruby eyes glowed like liquid fire. "I will ssssuck the marrow from your bonessss."

Raisho stood and whirled his cutlass, hacking at the thing brutally. The sword blows rocked the thing's head but only served to slow it rather than stop it.

"How do ye kill these blasted things?" Raisho snarled as he pushed Juhg into motion.

"The heads," Juhg yelped as he sprinted forward again. Another Boneblight dropped to the cobblestone street only a short distance away. "You have to smash the heads. You can break the body into pieces, but as long as the head is intact it will come after you."

"The head, then." Raisho assumed an attack position, then went at the Boneblight with all his skill and strength.

Juhg made for the stables, conscious of all the battles going on around him. Greydawn Moors was overrun with Boneblights now. The creatures raced through the streets, swooped through the air, and sat like gargoyles on rooftops while they picked out victims.

Dwarves boiled out of the meeting hall. Thankfully, quite a number of them had shown up there to stand in support of the Grandmagister as he faced the dweller committee. They broke into axe and anvil formations, taking the offensive, then going on the defensive, breaking their magical foes down. But the cost was high. Even as skilled at warfare as the dwarves were, the Boneblights were fearsome opponents.

Elven warders took up positions in the street as well. Most of them had magical weapons that had been handed down throughout families for generations, and they had limited spellcraft for defensive or offensive measures. As a general rule, the warders-elven and the few humans who had undertaken the training-fought alone. They weren't in their native forests and open lands and the town was a foreign battlefield for them, but they stood up to the Boneblights as fiercely as the dwarven warriors and human sailors.

Many of the warders had animal companions, bound together by magic and the nature of the forest that surrounded Greydawn Moors. Since the whole island had been raised by magic and possibly made from the bodies of monsters, the magic that bound the creatures of the island was rumored to be stronger than that in many other places. Over on the mainland, where Lord Kharrion's foul magicks still played havoc with the land, Juhg had heard that many animals no longer bonded with warders and that the Old Ways of the elves were fast disappearing.

Even as he reached the wide-open area of the public stables under the deep eaves where the wagons and horses were kept, Juhg saw a large brown bear rear up on its hind legs and snap its jaws over a Boneblight's head. The creature's skull went to pieces and the rest of its body shook loose and scattered across the cobblestone street. The bear roared, bleeding from three or four different wounds it had received from the Boneblight. An elf dressed in warder's leathers lay in a crumpled heap between the bear's feet.

The second Boneblight that had landed nearby waddled toward Juhg as he scampered inside the open-faced stable. Since the structure faced the south, no wall had been built on that side.

The stable smelled strongly of hay and animals and manure. Hay covered the floor. Stalls held several horses that whinnied in fear and reared up. Evidently the horses scented the Death that clung to the Boneblights.

"Sssstay," the Boneblight coaxed. Its wings dragged through the hay.

The creature came on faster than Juhg expected. It reached for him suddenly, raking the scythe it carried at his head. Juhg threw his feet out from under himself and slid across the hay-covered floor and under the nearest stall fence.

Inside the stall, the horse reared and stamped its hooves, coming dangerously close to Juhg. As big as the horse was and as small as he was, Juhg knew that if the hooves struck him he'd be dead or broken too much to defend himself against the Boneblight.

Pushing himself to his feet, Juhg ran for the opposite side of the stall, narrowly avoiding getting brained by the horse's flashing hooves. He tried to stop but skidded into the opposite stall railing, just as the Boneblight clambered atop the railing he'd just left.

Moving quickly, thinking clearly in spite of the fear that rattled through him, Juhg gained the top of the stall and leapt up for the edge of the open loft above him. Standing on top of the stall railing, he was less than two feet below the lip of the loft. He caught the loft's edge with his fingers and pulled himself up, lifting his feet and hoping that his fingers didn't slip and he didn't fall because he knew the Boneblight would be on top of him then.

With his legs lifted, the Boneblight glided just below him, missing him by inches. The creature hit the floor in the next stall and immediately came up squalling and spitting. The horse in that stall attacked the Boneblight, hammering the creature with its hooves. Quick as a wink, the Boneblight raked its scythe across the horse's neck and slashed its throat.

Sickened by the sight of the handsome animal meeting such a rough death, Juhg glanced upward and pulled himself to the loft. He clawed his way up and levered his body over as the Boneblight climbed after him.

The only weapon Juhg had was the boot knife Raisho had given him. But he knew there were other weapons inside the stable. Many of the animals belonged to the Library and were used to ferry goods and people up and down the Knucklebones Mountains. A dwarf cared for the animals and kept them shoed, as well as keeping their tack in good repair.

Pushing himself to his feet on the loft, Juhg ran across the straw. Quick as a scalded cat, the Boneblight pulled itself up almost immediately afterward and cut Juhg's lead down, despite his best efforts. As he passed between the haystacks, Juhg caught hold of one of the retainers and spilled it after him.

The hay tumbled over the Boneblight and almost knocked the creature over the side of the loft, but it retained its balance and kept up its pursuit.

Juhg felt the creature's pounding footsteps vibrate through the boards that covered the hayloft. Spotting the block and tackle hanging ahead with the rope trailing to the ground, he threw himself forward in a diving rush. The hay provided a slick surface and he shot over the loft's edge immediately.

The floor lay nearly fifteen feet below. Probably he wouldn't have broken his neck, but he knew he would have never risen after the fall without the Boneblight on top of him.

He curled his hands around the rope hanging from the block and tackle and hoped that he didn't break his fingers. If he survived, he knew he'd want to write up his experiences. Realizing that he had that desire might have irked him under other, less hurried, circumstances. No matter how hard he tried to leave the Library and his training behind, it remained constantly there.

In the next instant, the Boneblight flashed by over his head, drawing his full attention. One of the creature's rough, leathery wings slid across Juhg's cheek hard enough to scratch and start a warm trickle of blood.

"Juhg!" Raisho yelled from somewhere behind him.

Juhg didn't bother to reply. Things were happening much too quickly, and he still wasn't safe. For a moment, it felt like his arms were going to jerk from their sockets as he clung fast to the rope and took his own weight, but he held fast and swung out away from the loft and from the Boneblight momentarily stunned on the floor below.

He spotted the horseshoeing tools in the corner near a stack of saddles, bridles, and other riding gear. Swinging out again, he let go the rope and dropped to the floor, just as the Boneblight surged up again.

"Juhg!" Raisho squalled.

Knowing his friend would arrive too late to help and that his fate rested solely in his own reflexes, Juhg sprinted for the horseshoeing tools. A wooden box held an assortment of knifes, rasps, and cutters. He grabbed one of the hammers with a solid rectangular head on it, just as the Boneblight caught hold of his shoulder.

"Now, dweller," the Boneblight hissed. "Now I sssshall-"

Turning into the creature's grip, Juhg brought the horseshoeing hammer up and over his shoulder, judging the weight and feel of it automatically from all those years spent down in the goblinkin mines. He brought the hammer down even more quickly, hitting the Boneblight squarely between the eyes with everything he had.

The heavy hammerhead smashed through the creature's skull and broke out big pieces of hardened dirt flesh with a loud thud. The pieces exploded across Juhg, bouncing off his chest and face and arms, and the dank taste of the dust filled his mouth and noise. Realizing what the pseudo-flesh was made from on the Boneblights, Juhg gagged and nearly threw up.

For a moment, the Boneblight stood its ground, even though the ruby eyes had disappeared inside the wreckage of the creature's smashed skull. Then it unraveled, coming apart and cascading to the stable floor in a rush of falling bones.

Raisho pounded up in front of Juhg. The young sailor sucked in his breath and looked at Juhg.

"Ye killed it."

"Actually," Juhg said, "it was already dead. Or it was never alive. However you want to look at it."

"From the looks of it, it ain't gonna be gettin' back up again."

Looking down at the bile of bones and tattered cloth, Juhg nodded in agreement.