Falconia

Ganishka's form has become a towering tree, and the Band of the Falcon watches spellbound until a small child tugs at his mother and points behind them. She and the crowd around her turn to look, and their attention swings from the tree to a city that has appeared out of nothing at their backs.

The place already looks fit to live in, ringed by grand defensive walls and filled with finished homes, ships and even a coliseum, with a massive citadel rising at its rear. Foss likens it to the ancient city that once occupied the ground where Wyndham now sits, and he, the Pontiff, Charlotte and Anna all agree that no human hands could have raised it. The Pontiff judges it a fitting throne for the Falcon and gives it the name Falconia.

The people lift their eyes to the sky, where Griffith, restored to his human body, again rides atop the airborne Zodd. A single gesture of his finger sends the whole crowd racing toward the main gate.

A complete, uninhabited city materializes behind the Band of the Falcon where Ganishka's body had stood. The Pontiff names it Falconia and declares it the throne of Griffith. Mounted on Zodd, Griffith directs the gathered people to enter their new home.

The twenty-four page chapter appeared in Young Animal issue 19 as part of the Millennium Falcon Arc. This installment shares its title with the city it introduces. A broad cast is on hand, including Irvine, Sonia, Grunbeld, Locus, Daiba, Silat and the Midland royals.