Dragonmage of Mystara

CHAPTER TWELVE

The arrival of the first group of dragons made Thelvyn's problems a little easier to handle, since in effect it brought the invasion of the Highlands to a stalemate. The Masters were content to concentrate on trying to secure their own position in Braastar and the area around the city, leaving the refugees from the city in relative peace. That made it easy for the dragons to protect the refugees and help them on their way south, both the people on the river and those traveling by the main road. But the Masters were relentless in expanding their influence over the minds of the Flaem. They extended their mind attack beyond the refugees to towns and cities as far south as Braejr.

Thelvyn was able to continue to relieve much of the pressure that the Masters were exerting against the refugees by maintaining his spells of protection. But the spell that he used to dispel the magic of the mental summons demanded a great deal of his strength, especially since he was required to renew the spell every two or three hours. The demand upon him became almost too much to handle when he was also required to employ the spell to protect the people of Braejr. Neverthe-

less, it was something that only he could accomplish. Not even the greatest of the dragon sorcerers could command even a portion of the powers that were his by right as the son of an Immortal.

Another company of dragons arrived during the night, and that insured the dominance of the dragons in the Highlands. Even so, no one could help ease the burden of Thelvyn's burden of defending the Flaem from the control of the Masters. He slept when he could at night, but he was required to renew one of the two protective spells he was maintaining every hour or so. By daybreak, he was so tired he could hardly rise.

He had one turn of good fortune the morning after arriving back in Braejr. After Alessa's Fire Wizards had experimented with the power of the Radiance for a day and a night, they had finally discovered a way to use its power to partially block the power of the Masters. He was able to speak briefly with Alessa Vyledaar that morning, and she had told him something of the search to find a way to use the Radiance against the Masters. Mostly, she had made certain that he understood its two main limitations. The power of the Radiance was great but limited; she had to be careful that the wizards maintaining the shield used its power no faster than it could renew itself. In addition, as he had known previously, the Radiance lost its strength steadily with distance. The limit of the shield was just barely enough to protect Braejr.

But Thelvyn still had to maintain his spell to protect the refugees. He spent most of the next day in the wilderness with the dragons guarding the retreat of the people from Braastar, shielding them from the cold, demanding will that kept trying to force them to turn back toward the north. The struggle was even greater than it had been the day before, since the Masters had grown somewhat in their own powers during the night, and they became even stronger during that third day of the invasion of the Highlands. Yet another company of dragons arrived late in the morning. There were now over a thousand dragons in the Highlands, and the latest arrivals brought the news that armies from the dwarves, the elves, and Darokin were already on their way.

As Thelvyn was returning to the lair at Solveig's house that evening, he noticed with some interest that every lamp and lantern from her home had been brought out to illuminate the court. The area around the house was full of dragons and people. Indeed, the court was so full that Thelvyn had to land in the street outside the gate. When he peered through the gate, he saw that Marthaen had arrived, together with a couple of older dragons he hoped were the sorcerers he had been anticipating. They were discussing something with Alessa Vyledaar, who looked rather sullen.

Thelvyn was surprised and delighted to see Ferrantin, mage and former adventuring partner, standing with Solveig and Sir George. The wizard hadn't returned to the Highlands in the last six years, and Thelvyn had never really expected to see him again. Perrantin looked much the same as ever, more like a baker or a street vendor than an experienced wizard, both in his appearance and in the way he dressed. Thelvyn was wearing the Collar of the Dragons, and the wizard realized that it was him at once.

"Thelvyn!" Perrantin exclaimed, hurrying to greet him as he entered the court. "My word, it's been a long time."

"It certainly has," Thelvyn agreed, laying back his ears. "And it has also been a long day for me. Did Sir George bring you here?"

"No, I commandeered one of your dragon couriers who was passing through Traladara bringing news of the invasion," Perrantin explained. "I thought you might need me, since I'm sure that Sir George is of no possible use to you as an advisor."

"Now, why should I suddenly no longer be of my usual incalculable worth to the lad?" the old knight asked indignantly.

"Possibly because you are so insufferably pleased at getting back your missing hand that you can't possibly appreciate just how desperate the situation really is."

"If you don't mind, the two of you can argue your alleged worth later," Thelvyn interrupted, although he was privately amused. Watching those two eccentric older men reminded him of the days he had lived with Sir George in the small frontier village of Graez, making him feel almost like a child again. He had matured enough lately that he no longer resented feeling young. "Is this a party to welcome old friends, or is this a serious discussion?"

"Alessa is having a problem with her Flaemish suspicion of strangers," Sir George explained. "She has some strong objections to allowing the dragon sorcerers to study the Radiance."

"We don't have time for this," Thelvyn remarked. "Come with me."

He walked slowly over to where Alessa Vyledaar was arguing quietly but firmly with Marthaen and the two dragon sorcerers. She was wearing a Flaemish wizard's robe with a high, stiffened collar, and Thelvyn was impressed by how much her appearance and demeanor reminded him of Byen Kalestraan. He sat back on his haunches facing them, sitting upright so that he was looking down at Alessa in a manner designed to be intimidating.

"What is the trouble?" he asked simply.

"The Radiance belongs to the Flaem," Alessa declared sullenly. "When the war is over, it is to be left in our control."

"And I keep reassuring her that it will be," Marthaen insisted. "It's not something that we can take with us, even if we wanted it. We just want to help you use it to defend yourselves. Did you discuss this with the other members of your order?"

"None of us are happy about this," she answered. "But they've left it up to me to decide."

"Then will you listen to Perrantin?" Thelvyn asked. "He's come all the way from his dark hole in Traladara to advise you in your time of trouble. Perrantin is a wizard and scholar of great renown. When the renegade dragons were attacking six years ago, he took on the task of finding an answer when no one else knew what to do. They ended up making me the Dragonlord. I've never forgiven him. You can tell your young colleague what she should do, can't you, Perry?"

"Yes, I believe so," Perrantin agreed, nodding vigorously. "You have to let the dragons help you or the Masters are going to toss your pot, as the saying goes."

"How pithy and direct," Thelvyn commented. "How can you refute such wisdom?"

Alessa had been glaring more and more fiercely with each

passing moment. "You're getting to be as bad as Sir George."

Thelvyn feigned surprise. "I think I've just been insulted."

"You can take that the way it was intended," she told him, with a stern glance at the old knight that made him shut his mouth before he could comment. Then she frowned. "Very well. Better to have the Radiance in the hands of the dragons than let the Masters take it. But you have to promise me that you will tell us everything that you learn about it."

"I promise you will be told," Marthaen assured her. "What you do with such secrets will be up to you."

Watching Alessa, Thelvyn was certain she was still rather suspicious, or at least angry. He hadn't understood the real problem at first, until he realized that her annoyance was not with the dragons but with herself. The Radiance was one of the greatest heirlooms of the Fire Wizards, much as the collar had been for the dragons. Alessa's instincts told her to refuse to allow the dragons to work with the Radiance because she very much wanted to uncover its secrets for herself. She might need a little more persuasion in the morning, but she would be more agreeable once the dragons had actually begun their research.

"If that's the last problem I need to handle tonight, then I plan to have my dinner and go to bed," he said, turning his head to look at Kharendaen, seated patiently behind him. "I've been fighting the will of the Masters all day, and frankly, I've had enough. Is there anything to eat around here, or do I have to hunt for my supper?"

"You've earned your dinner," Solveig told him. "It took some work, but we managed to scare up three virgins for you."

"I don't find that amusing," Thelvyn said as he rose slowly and began to move toward the warehouse.

"Wait in your lair," she called after him. "We'll have something brought to you right away."

The next day brought new problems in need of answers. Thelvyn had been afraid from the first that the Masters would press their attack on Braejr as soon as they could, and he was not prepared for that. That was why he had resented the two days he had spent getting the people of Braastar to safety while he had needed to be making preparations for war. Of course, he was able to remind himself that there was little he could have done while he waited for the dragon sorcerers to arrive, and Marthaen had brought them only the previous evening. But while the time lost had been unavoidable, it had allowed the Masters to move ahead in their plans while he had accomplished nothing of real value in the interim.

Nor had he forgotten the mysterious voice that was the true master behind the Masters, the powerful will he had fought to rescue Alessa when her mind had been held captive. By necessity, he had been forced to fight the underlings of the true leader behind the invasion, dealing with the Masters and their armies first and often forgetting that his greatest enemy had not yet challenged him directly. That was why he found it so important to discover the secret to commanding the full power of the Radiance.

At least he had been able to enlist spies who kept him informed of the situation in Braastar, now a stronghold of the enemy. His dragons didn't dare fly near enough to the fallen city to see anything for themselves, but dragon messengers were able to secretly carry elvish scouts to within a few short miles of Braastar. They reported that an army of some fifty thousand was gathered in and around the city, and that perhaps two hundred gemstone dragons were gathered there as well.

The scouts also brought back reports of strange creatures that had been set loose in the woods and hills of the Highlands, terrifying, unworldly creatures that posed strange and unexpected dangers. Thelvyn had heard such reports during the invasion of Rockhome, tales of monsters with many eyes on short stalks, eyes that did not see but which possessed various magical weapons that could slay from a distance; flowing, formless creatures that hid in the shadows to trap the unwary; and huge insects with deadly bites and stings. Many types of monsters had been seen, creatures that had never before existed in Mystara, gathered by the Masters from many strange worlds.

Unfortunately, the release of such monsters was the least of the problems that Thelvyn and his allies faced right now. Just after dawn, the will of the Masters increased, so that many of the people of Braejr now struggled against the call of that strange distant voice. It was not yet so great that anyone was in danger of being enslaved, but it was enough to leave many of the Flaem troubled and distracted. The wizards tried to compensate by increasing the power of the Radiance, but they did not dare exhaust its reserves.

Thelvyn knew that he could no longer spend all his time fighting the will of the Masters. If he did not prepare to fight the Masters themselves, he would ultimately lose the Highlands to them. But he thought he might have one answer to the problem of combatting the relentless call of the Masters. Early that morning, he requested that six large stones should be brought to him. He didn't specify the shape of the stones, but they had to be of a certain type, a dense, dark stone with the sparkle of crystal, at least the size of a large trunk but not much larger. Within the hour, workmen had found building stones that suited his needs perfectly and brought them in a wagon to the court of Solveig's house.

Thelvyn had never tried to use his unique powers to create artifacts of magic, so he could only try his best and find out the hard way whether or not he could do such a thing. Setting one of the stones on the ground before him, he sat upright with his tail wrapped around his legs and closed his eyes while he opened himself to his inner powers. As he had once relied upon the enchantments of the armor and weapons of the Dragonlord, now he was learning how to make use of the unique powers that were the legacy of his remarkable heritage as the son of an Immortal who had briefly taken mortal form.

After some experimentation, he was able to convert the first stone into an artifact of magic. He began by making it the focus of an opening to a plane of natural magical force, like a well or spring where magic was drawn out at a controlled rate. This was the most difficult part, since without an actual knowledge of the many unseen planes of existence, he had to feel his way. His next step was to divert most of that native magic through a spell of his own that created a shield against the will of the Masters. Finally he set most of the spells of protection against magical tampering that he knew into the stone, so that it could also protect itself against any hostile magic used against it.

Thelvyn was able to complete only four of the ward stones before he needed time for his powers to recover, but he hoped to prepare more stones later that day. When he was done, dragons carried the stones out into the wilderness north of the city. The effect of the four stones was limited, but together they nearly doubled the power of the Radiance. That spared him the need to use his own spell of shielding when he should be working on other problems, and it also spared the need for the Fire Wizards to overtax the powers of the Radiance.

And that was all for the best, because Thelvyn now found himself in a race to find a way to fight the Masters before they defeated him. Not only did the power of their will gain slowly but steadily in strength, but also the army they were gathering at Braastar was obviously intended for an attack on Braejr. He knew he didn't dare attack the Masters in their own stronghold, so the most obvious tactic seemed to be for him to wait until the Masters moved against him, then strike swiftly and with overwhelming force. As far as he knew, he had enough dragons to deal with the two hundred or so gemstone dragons thought to be at the stronghold. But he would not easily be able to summon more dragons if he needed them; the Masters had made certain of that, attacking at random in many parts of the world so as to present a constant threat. Because of these attacks, he was forced to keep most of his own dragons scattered among other garrisons.

For the moment, the most immediate problem was finding a way to make certain that the people of Braejr were not in danger of falling under the control of the Masters, even if the siege came to the very walls of their city. If the Flaem were enslaved, the dragons and all other allies would be forced to abandon Braejr and, for all purposes, surrender all the Highlands to the domination of the Masters.

Late that morning, the dragon sorcerers asked to speak to the leaders in charge of the defense of Braejr, or at least those who were aware of the existence of the Radiance. For now, that meant Thelvyn, Kharendaen, Perrantin, Sir George, Solveig, and Korinn Bear Slayer. Marthaen had been elected to speak for the dragon sorcerers, while Alessa Vyledaar stood by in case she was needed.

"We've confirmed something the Fire Wizards always had strong reason to suspect," Marthaen began. "We've located the source of the Radiance. We know that it's a magical artifact or device of some type located far below the city."

"Is it a Blackmoor device?" Thelvyn asked.

"That would seem the most obvious answer," the older dragon agreed. "We don't know that for certain yet, but I can't think of anyone else except the dragons who could have constructed an artifact of such power, and we know that the dragons didn't create it. The only part that mystifies us is the depth that thing is buried beneath the city. It doesn't seem possible for something to become buried so deep in three thousand years, even considering the effect of the Rain of Fire and the shattering of the world."

"That suggests it was put there on purpose," Sir George remarked. "If you wanted something to stay buried, the best place would be beneath the joining of two rivers. The city itself is almost a marsh in places."

"But the Masters could have it dug out if they're determined and resourceful enough," Marthaen said.

Thelvyn frowned, then glanced up. "I hate to speak of such things, but the problem must be faced. I'm not even sure if we can hold Braejr, and therefore I'm concerned that the Radiance could fall into the hands of the Masters. Can we destroy it, or perhaps force it to destroy itself somehow?"

"That may not be advisable," Perrantin interrupted. "I suspect that this is a Blackmoor device of great power. The elves who once inhabited this land found a similar device centuries ago. We know almost nothing about the object they found, except that they caused it to explode with such force that the northlands were devastated. The evil lands surrounding the World Mountain in the steppes were created as a distant result of that same explosion. I don't think we dare try to destroy the Radiance ourselves, or we may do worse damage to our world than the Masters could ever do. For that same reason, however, the Masters must not be allowed to capture the Radiance. I fear what they may do with such power, whether accidentally or deliberately."

Thelvyn considered that briefly and sighed. "I agree. Unless we come to understand the Radiance well enough that we can shut it down for all time without risk, then we must defend it at all costs. Unfortunately, that also means that the dragons might have to turn on the people of Braejr and either destroy them or expel them from the city if they fall under the control of the Masters. I'd rather send the Flaem away to the south before that happens."

Solveig nodded. "I've been thinking the same thing. Perhaps we should evacuate the people of Braejr while we can. Alessa, what do you think? If anyone should speak for the Flaemish people about this matter, it's you."

"The Flaem seem to be caught in the worst possible position," Alessa said bitterly, not looking up. "Now the dragons who came to defend us might have to destroy us in order to defend our world. Our protectors could suddenly become our enemies, and our true enemies could enslave us. But I agree. I would rather see the Flaem leave the Highlands than have them become slaves in their own lands. Until we can understand the Radiance enough to know that it can protect us, then we should begin evacuating the city. The Masters must not capture the Radiance, no matter what. I would rather lose it than have it used against us."

"I'm aware that this is an extremely hard and dangerous time for your people," Thelvyn assured her. "But why are the Masters so determined to possess the Radiance when its powers are so limited in range? Do they understand it better than we do, or are they ignorant of its limitations?"

"I cannot say," Marthaen answered. "Perhaps the Masters themselves came into our world and probed the secrets of the Radiance before they sent the Flaem here to guard it. I cannot guess what the Radiance can or cannot do, but I can say this: Our dragon sorcerers believe the Radiance can be made to reveal its secrets to us very soon, perhaps in only a matter of hours."

Solveig hurried to prepare for the evacuation of the city, and the boats and barges that had brought the refugees from Braastar once again made ready to take the people of Braejr farther to the south. If necessary, the Flaem could be sent on into Darokin, although they would need the protection of the dragons to safely pass the bands of orcs and goblins in the Broken Lands. It was also possible that the barges would not survive the rapids.

The race to find a way to defend the Highlands soon became even more desperate. That same afternoon, reports arrived that the invasion army being gathered at Braastar was already marching south, with the Masters accompanying their forces in great numbers to insure that their army was not harassed by the dragons. Their pace was difficult to guess, but the invaders seemed likely to arrive at Braejr and begin their siege some time on the fourth day of their march.

Now Thelvyn had some difficult choices to make. With the Masters and their army moving out from their strongholds, they were now much more vulnerable to attack from the dragons. Thelvyn could attack at once in full strength and hope to defeat the Masters quickly, or he could organize a series of quick hit-and-run strikes designed to draw the Masters away from their army. Or he could simply wait, summoning all the dragons that could be spared from other lands to assemble an overwhelming force. The dragon sorcerers might unravel the secrets of the Radiance in the meantime and finally turn it into an effective weapon of magic.

He elected to discuss the matter with Marthaen, who had firsthand experience with what dragons could do in battle, since he had led the dragons in war against both Alphatia and the Highlands the year before. Marthaen had to admit that the problem was a difficult one, mostly because they could not accurately predict just what the Masters could do in battle. He pointed out that, unlike opposing the Dragonlord, fighting Alphatia had been relatively enough.

That reminded Thelvyn that he was still the Dragonlord, a fact he had been overlooking lately. The first Dragonlord and the Great One together had defeated the gemstone dragons once before, and Thelvyn possessed a combination of the powers of both. The Great One had never said he would lose the powers of the Dragonlord when he made the decision to remain in dragon form. He couldn't afford to overlook the tremendous powers he possessed as the Dragonlord.

For the time being, Marthaen agreed with Thelvyn that he should wait at least a day to give time for the invaders to move away from the protection of their strongholds in the north. Once the Masters and their army were well away from their strongholds, Thelvyn and the dragons would attack, cautiously drawing out and slaying the gemstone dragons a few at a time. If the invaders couldn't be stopped before they reached Braejr, then Thelvyn would probably assume the form of the Dragonlord and face the enemy in a final battle in the fields north of the city, where there would be no woods or hills to conceal the enemy from him.

"I would like to suggest one other alternative," Marthaen added. "My sorcerers have been working hard at probing the nature of the Radiance. They have been exploring it in visions, which seemed the best way to delve into its secrets without exposing their minds to traps or other dangers. They've been making significant progress, and they hope to know the nature of the Radiance and learn how to control it very soon."

"How soon will they know?" Thelvyn asked. "If I am to wait for the Radiance, I need to know that it will work by tomorrow morning. Otherwise, I must make plans that do not include its powers."

Marthaen nodded. "I understand. I will have your answer by morning."

In addition to his many other concerns, Thelvyn had to be careful that only his most trusted friends and advisors were aware of his true plans. He hadn't forgotten that there was a proven traitor somewhere in the city, a spy who had somehow relayed the details from his first meeting with the Grand Alliance to the Masters. He knew the spy must be a delegate to the meetings of the alliance, and he strongly suspected he was the representative from Alphatia. Thelvyn wanted to give the Masters the impression of being less prepared for battle than he actually was, a tactic that had worked well for him once before.

So far the only delegates who had left Braejr were Korinn Bear Slayer, Lord Derrick of Darokin, and King Celedril of Alfheim, who had returned to their own lands to prepare armies for the defense of the Highlands. The other delegates remained in Braejr for now, although they would most likely leave if a siege threatened. Thelvyn kept them informed of his plans, but only those matters he wanted them to know. If the Masters appeared to know only what he told the delegates, he would know for certain where his spy was hiding. At the same time, he hoped to be better prepared to face the Masters than they expected him to be.

Of course, he said nothing of the Radiance or made any suggestion that the dragons and the Fire Wizards were seeking special magic to defend the city. The Masters knew of the Radiance and possibly already knew more about its true nature than he did, and they could easily guess that he might be trying to find ways to use it as a weapon against them. He knew that he could not hope to be fully successful in tricking them, but he still hoped to give the impression that the dragons were having no luck in probing the secrets of the Radiance.

The dragon sorcerers were indeed making progress in understanding the Radiance. As he had promised, Marthaen came to the lair early the next morning to report all that he had learned so far. The discoveries of the sorcerers were so remarkable that both he and Alessa agreed that no one should hear what they had learned except a few who really needed to know. The only others admitted to their meeting were Kharendaen, Sir George, and Perrantin.

"At least we have a very good idea of what the Radiance is," Marthaen began. "I admit that we cannot completely understand what we have found, and perhaps we never will. As we had expected, the source of the Radiance is not an artifact of magic or a portal into another plane, but a great machine that generates tremendous amounts of power. Although it is similar to the devices of ancient Blackmoor, it is obviously alien in origin."

Thelvyn lifted his ears in surprise. "Could this be something that the Masters made for their own use long ago?"

Marthaen shook his head firmly. "The device is very old, older than the origin of the gemstone dragons. In fact, it predates even the dragons themselves. It might be a relic of the forgotten First Age of the world, the time of the civilization of the Eldar, before the coming of men and elves. And we suspect that it might not be from this world at all."

Thelvyn thought he had never seen Mage Perrantin look so pleased since they had first discovered the Citadel of the Ancients. The discussion of the Radiance excited his curiosity so much that he appeared ready to take a shovel and start digging for it. Thelvyn also wondered why Alessa looked so sullen and angry, even disillusioned.

"Can the Radiance do anything to help us?" he asked, wondering if that was the cause of her concern.

"I believe that it can," Marthaen answered. "One thing we have discovered is that the Radiance device, as powerful as it is, has only been waiting idly. It is capable of producing far greater power in service of anyone who can command it. The mortal wizards are unable to control the function of the device itself. They can only channel its powers into other forms of magic. But the dragons can control the device."

"And the Masters as well, no doubt," Sir George commented.

"Unfortunately so. We still dare not attempt to destroy it. We can at least shut it down, but it could easily be brought back to life again by the Masters if they were able to capture

it."

"But the dragons can use it to defeat the Masters," Alessa said. Thelvyn now understood the cause of her discontent. The Fire Wizards claimed the Radiance as their own, but they could never fully command it. Only the dragons could do that, which seemed to give them a claim as the rightful owners of the Radiance.

"We cannot defeat the Masters with the power of the Radiance alone," Marthaen was quick to explain. "The range of its power remains limited even to us. But we could use it to drive the Masters from the Highlands and prevent them from ever returning here. And that might be, the key to their ultimate defeat, since their plans for invasion seem to have been built around their control of the Flaem."

Alessa sighed deeply, apparently coming to some kind of a decision. "That's why I decided to surrender the control of the Radiance to the dragons, so that they can use it to protect us at a time when we cannot save ourselves. The people of Braejr are feeling the pull of the Masters very strongly now, in spite of the protection of the wards that the Dragonking has set, and it causes us great discomfort. I would not have my people suffer an hour longer than can be helped."

"We will do all that we can for you," Marthaen assured her. "If we can vanquish the Masters from the Highlands, they will never be able to return. Only one or two dragon sorcerers could then use the Radiance to keep all our lands secure from their influence."

Thelvyn looked up suddenly. "Are the Masters aware of your experiments with the Radiance?"

"They must be," the older dragon agreed. "When we manipulate magic of such proportions, they must surely sense it. And as our control of the Radiance grows, they will be aware of that as well. I cannot guess how they might respond to that, except that there is nothing much that they can do to stop us."

"How they respond is an important consideration," Thelvyn remarked, almost to himself. Then he saw the others watching him. "If they anticipate defeat, they might salvage what they can by retreating back through their gate at Braastar. Or they might still believe that common dragons are foolish and weak, no match for them even with the power of the Radiance. I don't know them well enough to anticipate an answer."

"They have proved to be very cautious and calculating so far," Marthaen reminded him. "I can only believe they will continue to be so. If they sense that we are using levels of magic that could be a threat to them, they will certainly proceed more cautiously, possibly even withdraw."

"Then we must respond accordingly," Thelvyn agreed. "I need to know when you plan to use the Radiance to break their power. At that time, I want to have somehow moved most of our dragons between them and their gate, and I will be there as the Dragonlord to face them. And no one in this city must be able to guess our plans."

"If they retreat, is it wise to stand in their way?" Sir George asked.

"We have to win battles, not avoid them," Thelvyn insisted. "We must try to avoid fighting the Masters when they have the advantage, but we must fight them when the advantage is our own. If we allow them to escape, they will only return at a time of their own choosing."

Marthaen bowed to his king and hurried to rejoin the dragon sorcerers. Alessa accompanied him, looking very tired and unhappy about the situation. Only recently had Thelvyn learned that the Flaem with the greatest talent for magic were also the most vulnerable to the call of the Masters, so he realized how much she was really suffering. Of course, she was also still dissatisfied over turning control of the Radiance over to the dragons, although she had to admit it was best, considering the way things had turned out. The dragons could command the full power of the Radiance, but they could not take it away with them. The Fire Wizards claimed the Radiance, but they had access to only a small part of its true power. That helped to insure that neither party would be tempted to misuse it.

Within the hour, Thelvyn had a final meeting with the remaining delegates of the Grand Alliance. He explained to them that the evacuation of Braejr was continuing and that the time had come for them to leave as well. Although he was cautious with his information, he tried very hard to imply that he didn't expect to be able to hold the city. He was somewhat surprised when they all agreed to leave immediately. If there was a spy among them, apparently the Masters thought that his work was done.

To his dismay, Thelvyn discovered that the Masters had outguessed him once again. Later that same morning, a dragon hurried to Braejr with the warning that he had seen a dragon of tremendous size, a strange, wingless dragon that appeared to have metal armor. The metal dragon had apparently come through the worldgate near their stronghold east of Braastar and was moving quickly overland, heading south to join the invading army. The young dragon had to admit that he had few details to offer, since the Masters had prevented him from coming closer than several miles. But he had certainly seen something odd and alarming.

Thelvyn decided he had better see this thing at once. He took along with him enough bodyguards to force their way through the defenses of the Masters long enough for a close look at the metal creature. To keep the element of surprise as long as possible, they began by flying west from Braejr. After many miles, they came to the hilly, wooded lands of the central Highlands and began a long circle northward that brought them across the Aalban River from the northwest, just above Braastar. They continued to fly swiftly over the forest east of the city, over a hundred dragons in a tight column as they searched the wilderness for the mysterious metal dragon.

Finding the strange dragon in the wilderness proved to be easy, even from miles away, since it stood taller at the shoulders than the tops of many of the trees. It was like some strange, alien draconic form, with a long, serpentine body carried on four sets of legs. Its extended face had eyes that burned like red jewels from the deep shadows of protective horns and spikes, and its long tail was armed at the end with a massive weight like a crushing club, lined with ridges of sharp-edged plates that glittered like metal. The very size of the metallic beast was alarming. It was easily a hundred yards from its nose to the end of its tail and twenty yards high at the shoulders, making it several times the size of even the largest gold dragon.

Keeping just above the trees, Thelvyn led his dragons in as fast as they could fly. As he came closer, he began to have serious doubts about what he saw. Whatever this strange creature was, the massive shell of dark bluish silver metal was almost certainly not its natural armor. But if the creature was wearing a suit of protective armor, then it had to be carrying more than its own weight in metal. Thelvyn had seen dragon armor at Windreach, but only partial pieces that usually covered only the wearer's neck, face, and chest and could be easily carried in flight. Of course, since this beast didn't fly, it was free to bear far more weight. As massive as it was, it was moving along at a rapid pace and would probably overtake the invading army by the next morning.

Thelvyn led the dragons in for a swift attack, taking a chance that the armored creature lacked flames or other deadly weapons. The beast didn't even hesitate in its ponderous stride, seemingly unconcerned by the flood of dragonfire that the scores of attacking dragons directed at its back. Thelvyn quickly realized that he would have to reconsider his tactics. He had thought that dragonfire was enough to penetrate any thickness of armor in moments, but the armor of this creature had to be enchanted in some way to resist the flames. He warned the dragons to keep their distance and then landed in a clearing some distance ahead of the armored creature.

That gave him a moment to change to human form and teleport himself into the armor of the Dragonlord. He found that he moved a bit unsteadily because of the long time since he had taken this form. He stepped out into the south end of the clearing and turned to face the armored dragon as it pushed through the trees with the lumbering ease of some massive beast crashing through the underbrush. As it came into the clearing, Thelvyn drew and lifted his sword, directing the power of the enchanted blade toward the heavy armor of the alien dragon. It didn't even react to the first several strikes, even though the bolts were powerful enough to have slain a red dragon. Pausing a moment to summon the full power of the sword, he aimed a final blast of tremendous strength directly at the chest of the armored beast in the last moment before it was upon him.

The blast was fierce enough that it caused him to turn his head aside, and the force of the explosion echoed through the hills like thunder. The front end of the creature was lifted from the ground by the impact, but it hesitated only momentarily in its stride, the thick metal of its armor not even dented or scorched, even though the grass was seared for some distance around it. Then it reached out with one massive foreleg and swatted the Dragonlord aside almost casually.

Only the magical armor saved Thelvyn's life, since the force of the blow lifted him from the-ground and sent him flying more than a quarter of a mile over the top of the forest. The panic of falling awakened newly learned instincts as he struggled to spread his wings and fly, forgetting that he was no longer in dragon form. Then he crashed heavily through the branches of the trees, landing on the soft humus of the forest floor on his back. For the moment, he was stunned by the blow and ached fiercely in spite of the protection of his armor.

All he could do was lie moaning in pain amid the wreckage of torn leaves and broken branches. After a time, he stirred and lifted himself painfully, shifting out of the armor of the Dragonlord and returning to his draconic form.

Moving slowly, he found an opening through the trees where he could show himself to his concerned dragon bodyguards, already flying back and forth over the forest searching for him. He seemed to have no serious injuries, although he needed several more minutes to recover before he dared to spread his wings and trust himself to flight. The massive armored form continued to move quickly through the woods with single-minded determination, its brief encounter with the Dragonlord seemingly forgotten. A small band of gemstone dragons had joined the fantastic creature.

Now Thelvyn understood why the Masters believed from the first that they could fight the Dragonking and the dragons and win. Their armored beast was impervious to attack, having taken the worst the Dragonlord could throw at it and had emerged unharmed. Thelvyn had no idea how he could fight such a thing, but he was now certain there was no living creature inside that armor.