He walked through his castle, past the ranks of very confused and frightened guards who were staring unbelieving out the windows. The hands that held the Wingless Shard and Alundris dripped with blood, most of it not his own. Alexander stepped into the courtyard where Everoar was frozen. The ring of ten soldiers had their rifles trained on the unconscious mage. The palace grounds were open to the sky, and Alexander breathed deeply of the clean bracing air.

“Now, then.”

Waving the guards away, Alexander picked up the mage by the scruff of the robes and began dragging him to the palace entrance, beyond which was open sky and a thousand-metre drop.

“Uhhh…”

“Oh, good, you came to. And here I was giggling at the thought of you waking up just before you hit the dirt.”

The mage opened his eyes and became extremely disoriented. What had happened to Sverige? Why was Alexander holding Alundris? He became so dizzy that he clutched his head and scrunched his eyes.

“Your leader Fish just made fast friends with the fertile soil, if my estimate is correct,” Alexander informed the bewildered mage, “And you shall follow him in a few moments.”

The mage understood that, at least, and tried hitting Alexander’s legs with his dragon bone staff. Unfortunately, he was no melee fighter.

“Oh, please,” Alexander scoffed, carving the staff in two before pressing the edge of Alundris to the mage’s throat, “You used up all your magic power to freeze Everoar. Speaking of which…”

Alexander dropped the mage in the dust that swirled with high atmospheric winds.

“Alundris, obey me!” Alexander cried, and plunged the sword into the singular crystal. The power of the sword alone was enough to shatter the ice to millions of crystals that were borne away by the clouds. The mage gave a great sobbing sigh as Everoar groaned, flapping snow off its wings, coughing to get its fire breath going so that it could melt the rest of the ice off its scales.

“Die in ignorance and despair, useless mage,” Alexander sneered, “And I changed my mind. You might generate enough mana to teleport before you hit the ground, so I will let Everoar do the honours.”

Alexander held up the Shard, and Everoar hastened to obey its master. The mage flailed backwards, grubbing on hands and feet to get away, to jump off the edge before it was too late.

“No. No no no no no…” the mage pleaded again and again before one snap of Everoar’s iron jaws silenced him and his magic forever.

Alexander stroked Everoar’s lowered head as it fed. He looked at the grand vista of his kingdom far below, and smiled quietly.

THE END.