Page 2 has lots of dying rogues and scoundrels, elves on both sides, lying dying with blood in their mouths, on their arms, and others still battling in the courtyards. Windblade returns to town, entering a tavern in the village outside the castle. The barman there tells him what is going on. As Hawk fights the four armed Srith, Doran has his boy—jester and a page boy bring the princess in order for him to throw her off the Great Tower. Entering the castle walls via the gate, Windblade finds many bodies, some dying, some dead, some injured, all about. And lots of blood beneath some. Windblade finds Falcon and the other two elves whose feet are pierced by the foot spikes. Windblade heals them. Brolo enters the tower top before the princess can be thrown off. Doran has his jester boy and page boy attack Brolo and one of the lads with Brolo (although Purebreeze told him to take two of the lads). Hawk puts a sword deep in the Srith's stomach but it punches him back and down, following. Hawk cuts off one of its arms but is crushed to the floor. Windblade rushes to him as Falcon and the other two take on the Srith. One wearing fur is immediately run through into his belly and out his back. The other is grabbed but Falcon cuts the monster's head off. The jester and the page boy tell Doran they have subdued the beast like one, the oaf that Doran told them to kill. They have also killed the others (with Brolo). Doran tells them to cut the lard from Brolo slowly. Below, Doran's army is defeated and Sparrow and Purebreeze and others rejoice. Hawk refuses Windy's healing help in order to get to the area where Doran is. Windblade's presence counters Doran's magic which won't work on Hawk. Doran pulls a sword on Hawk and they fight; Hawk's sword falls and he falls. As Doran comes upon him, lifting his sword, Hawk takes out another sword and slices across Doran. Brolo has the page boy and jester tied up back to back. The princess asks Hawk to make the white haired page go away (Windblade) fearing that he is a wizard like Doran. As Windy walks off, Hawk tells the princess, "But...but he's my best friend."
| Backup story: "Avery Special Delivery" by Dave Cooper: A man in black with semi longish blond hair lands in a spaceship: an alien. It is olden times as men carry swords and attack the alien man in a pub. The man has already given a little boy a message. When the men attack him, he blasts one in the stomach and his intestines and belly stick out of him! The others are blasted just as much but the alien man is wounded. The alien takes the message back from the boy and begins to burn it. He leaves, telling the boy he will see him another time. The message, half burned, is pulled by the boy: it had the cures to every known disease. The boy cries. This well done story is actually a copy of THE GIFT–a TWILIGHT ZONE episode. |
And a special Back Cover: |