Dragonmage of Mystara

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Many years had passed since Thelvyn had faced an enemy he could not fight. There had always been a great deal of security in knowing that if things got out of hand, he could always win any argument that came to blows. Even when he had faced the dragons a year before, desperate to find some way to save them by avoiding battle, he had always had the assurance that he could defeat them. Of course, Marthaen had known that the dragons could not fight the Dragonlord, and he had never had any intention of trying. The Masters had found a very different answer to the problem of fighting the Dragonlord, by building a device so big and solid that it could simply walk right over any opposition.

Thelvyn was glad the evacuation of Braejr had continued uninterrupted, since the metal beast was moving along quickly enough to be there some time the next day if it did not slow down to march with the invading army. Thelvyn believed there was a way to defeat the giant war machine, but at the moment, it was unavailable. He returned to Braejr as quickly as he could, calling together his chief advisors for a hasty discussion. Above

all, he wanted Marthaen to be there.

"At least now we know why the Masters were willing to have their spy leave the city," Sir George commented when Thelvyn had related the events of his brief encounter. "Obviously they believe they already have the answer to any problems they may encounter."

Marthaen sat for a moment in silent thought. The news that the Masters had a weapon that even the Dragonlord could not face up to had shaken them all, since they had always looked upon the Dragonlord as the most dangerous force of destruction in the world. The gold dragon looked up at last. "What manner of beast could be locked inside that armor? No true dragon-kin, certainly."

"I'm fairly certain there is no living creature inside the armor," Thelvyn replied, to everyone's considerable surprise.

"A giant automaton?" Perrantin asked.

Thelvyn shook his head from side to side. "I also doubt that there is any machinery inside that armor. The reason why I believe it's impervious to attack is that it's nothing more than massive pieces of metal joined together by heavy hinges and set in motion by the will of the Masters. The heat of dragon-fire doesn't harm it and explosions do not damage it because it is nothing more than solid metal. The Masters stayed clear of their device as long as the dragons were attacking it. But after my battle with it, the gemstone dragons returned. Obviously their will animated the thing."

"Do you think the power of the Radiance can shut down this armored device?" Marthaen asked.

"If you can protect the Flaem by cutting off the will of the Masters, then you can block their control of this thing as well," Thelvyn stated. "I see no other way of defeating it. Of course, the Masters must know that as well, and I suspect they'll send their armored device here as quickly as they can before we learn how to use the Radiance against it. I think you have until tomorrow afternoon sometime to learn to command the full power of the Radiance, or the city is lost."

Marthaen considered that statement briefly, his ears laid back. "I think you're right. If we can break the will of the Masters, we will solve any number of our problems. Whether or not we can do it by the time that monster gets here remains to be seen. Do you have any idea how you might slow it down?"

"It might just slow itself," Thelvyn said. "Can you imagine how much that thing must weigh? I'm interested in seeing how the Masters plan to get it across the river."

Keeping track of the siege device was no problem, even from such a distance, since they could frequently see it moving through the forests and clearings east of the river from as far away as twenty miles or more. As they watched it come closer that day, they found that Thelvyn's estimate had been fairly precise. Unless it was slowed down somehow, it would reach Braejr by late the next morning, a full day ahead of the invading army. And it probably did not need an army to help it.

Finding a way to slow the metal beast was one of Thelvyn's most pressing problems, and he was unable to find any good answer. Trapping it in a pit or some other obstacle was too impractical because of the size of the thing. Its only vulnerability seemed to be that it required the will of the Masters to keep it motion, but he doubted that his own spells would be enough to break their will. If he was to try, the best time would be when it tried to cross the Aalban River. With any luck, it might become stuck in the soft mud. Just the same, he thought it best to continue the evacuation of Braejr, knowing that only a fraction of the Flaemish population could withdraw from the city in die time that remained.

When the reports came in early the next morning, the news was not good. The metal beast had turned west late the previous afternoon to intercept the main road, and it had made even better time during the night by staying on the road. It had passed the army of the Masters in the middle of the night while the invaders were camped on the side of the road, and dawn had found it less than ten miles from the bridge.

All of Thelvyn's previous plans were now of no use. He sent Kharendaen to find her brother and have him engage the full power of the Radiance as soon as he could. Then Thelvyn hurried to the near side of the bridge over the Aalban River to do anything he could to prevent or delay the armored creature from crossing the river. He had dragons stand ready in the fields on either side of the river, with firm orders that they were to stay well back from the road and avoid the metal beast. Their part was to force the Masters to keep their distance, making it as difficult as possible for them to maintain their control over their metal warrior.

When all other preparations had been made, Thelvyn could only sit in the field beside the bridge and wait. Since the powerful enchantments of the Dragonlord had failed him already, he elected to remain in dragon form. His real weapons would be his own remarkable powers and those granted to him as a cleric of the Great One, the same ones he had used to fight the will of the Masters in the first few days of their invasion of the Highlands. He was certain that the metal beast would try to wade across the river itself. The bridge would never support its tremendous weight. His part would be to keep it from gaining the west bank.

Near midmorning, he could see the dark silver-blue of the metal monster's back just over the tops of the trees to the northeast. Minutes later, the immense war machine stepped out from the trees into the last long stretch of open land on the east side of the river. At a signal from Thelvyn, Jherdar led the dragons against the score of gemstone dragons that accompanied their warrior. Spreading their wings, four hundred dragons climbed steeply into the morning sky from both sides of the river, more than enough to encourage the Masters to make a grudging retreat back to the northeast.

The metal beast paused momentarily in its stride, briefly lacking the full attention of the will that animated it while the Masters withdrew. But after a few moments, it began to move forward again, more slowly than before but with purposeful resolve. Thelvyn glanced up. The Masters were doing everything they could to evade the packs of dragons who harassed them and still stay within sight of their metal servant. Watching them, Thelvyn knew that their control of the fighting machine would now be at its weakest.

He hadn't seriously considered trying to fight the Masters for control of their warrior, but there was nothing he could do to slow down the armored monster otherwise. Once again he sat back on his haunches and opened himself to his deepest powers, and then he reached out with his will to seize control of the metallic warrior. In almost the same moment, his will was forcibly rejected, as if his mind had hit against an unseen wall. In that brief instant, he had witnessed the intricate network of spells that gave the massive device both the strength and direction that set it into motion. It was far more complex than he had anticipated, but it was also strongly warded against the intrusion of any will except that of the Masters, fiercely protecting itself from any hostile influence.

But it was also dependent upon the eyes and minds of the gemstone dragons for guidance, and the nearest of the alien dragons was now almost five miles away. Thelvyn was now fairly certain that the Masters could see through the metal warrior's jewel-like eyes, but from this distance, they could not see the land about it well enough to guide the creature accurately. While dragons had the sharpest vision in the world, five miles was a long way to try to guide the steps of a machine with eight legs. The warrior had already begun to wander somewhat north of the road, although that might have been to avoid getting itself entangled with the bridge.

Thelvyn watched with interest as the warrior's jeweled eyes began to glow bright red within the deep shadows of their protective brows. His first thought was that the Masters must be enhancing the device's vision, since they were obviously too far away to direct the creature themselves. Then he realized his mistake and leapt aside, running as fast as he could in an erratic, zigzag course. That alone saved his life. Suddenly beams of power shot out from the eyes of the warrior, striking the ground with explosive force where he had stood only a moment before.

Desperate to escape, Thelvyn scrambled over the ground, his dragon's claws digging into the deep sod to give him purchase for tight turns. The beams of ruby light followed him, ripping through the ground like some immense plow, then suddenly jumping ahead or sharply to one side to cut off the young dragon's escape. There was nowhere for Thelvyn to run, caught as he was in the open fields north of the city without protection from the searing beams. In growing fear, he turned back toward the river, seeking the uncertain safety of the water.

The attack was so swift and relentless that Thelvyn could not even begin to plan ahead, running blindly a short distance and then leaping aside to elude certain death. Suddenly one of the beams flashed across his lower back, not quite touching it but so close that it felt like raw fire. The pain caused him to stumble and crash heavily to the ground. The armor on his haunches and the base of his tail was still smoking as he struggled to rise, aware that he would be dead if he did not resume running. For the moment, the burning pain was so intense that he could hardly even walk, let alone run. But the Masters had been so intent upon their attack on Thelvyn that they had not been watching the steps of their animated servant. It continued to march toward the bank and out into the river without slowing its stride.

It was already too late for the gemstone dragons guiding the warrior to correct the problem. The front legs of the device slipped in the soft mud, and it fell down the surprisingly steep bank of the river channel, hurtled forward by its own tremendous weight. Carried by the momentum of its fall, the warrior was thrown completely over on its back and fell heavily, upside down, in the middle of the channel, creating a tremendous splash. Several hundred yards away, Thelvyn had to close his eyes and duck his head as he was caught in the sudden deluge. At least the cool water eased the burning pain of his scorched back.

He blinked and shook himself dry, glancing over his shoulder to see Kharendaen approaching. There was no sign of the metal warrior, which was probably lying on its back at the bottom of the river. It seemed to be making no effort to free itself. The Masters were apparently resigned to leave it where it was for now, perhaps finding it impossible to direct their warrior precisely from such a distance. Kharendaen landed in the field a moment later and hurried over to inspect his singed armor.

"I would not have missed that for anything," she remarked as she folded away her wings, then moved closer to his side. "Are you well?"

"I seem to be," he assured her. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"I will tend to your damage when I can," she said. "Marthaen reports that he will be ready to command the full

power of the Radiance any minute now."

"Not a moment too soon," Thelvyn commented. "Tell him, if possible, to close all the worldgates in the Highlands that he can locate."

Kharendaen nodded. "I will tell him at once."

She turned and spread her wings, lunging twice across the field before leaping into flight to return quickly to the city. Thelvyn turned back to the east, watching the dragons as they continued to chase the Masters back toward the northeast. Many of them were now many miles away, darting back and forth after the persistent gemstone dragons each time they tried to turn back. But Jherdar had wisely kept a large part of his forces near the city, at least a hundred, where they were available to help the Dragonking if he was forced to fight the metal warrior. Thelvyn stepped out to the bank of the river, lifted his long neck, and took a deep breath, as if he were about to release a tremendous blast of flame.

"Jherdar!" he called as loudly as he could, which turned out to be a great deal louder than he had expected. He had never had cause to use his full voice as a dragon.

The nearest dragons turned sharply at the sound of his voice and stared. Thelvyn suspected that he had been heard halfway to Braastar. Then one of the large red dragons turned and began to fly swiftly toward him, crossing the distance quickly. Jherdar circled tightly over the river and landed in the field, folding away his wings before he bowed to the Dragonking.

"Marthaen will engage the full power of the Radiance any moment now," Thelvyn explained quickly. "Things are going to turn bad for the Masters very soon now, and they are going to have to flee. We're going to try to close their gates here in the Highlands. I need you to have a force of dragons ready to follow them when they retreat. Hunt down as many of them as you can, but don't kill all of them."

"Why not?" Jherdar asked. "If we allow some of them to escape, why bother to close the gates?"

"I'm very interested in discovering where they go," Thelvyn said. "I suspect they have a large base somewhere in the western wilderness where no one dwells, and the Masters might flee in that direction. Find it for me if you can, but try not to let them know you're following them. With any luck, the next move will be to our advantage."

"It will be done," Jherdar promised. He was agreeable now that he understood the reason for such plans. "Am I to follow the Masters myself when they flee?"

"Yes. I'll be ready to assume command of our main forces when you leave."

Jherdar bowed again before he left, returning quickly to the dragons scattered in the sky east of the river. He called the nearest dragons to join him, landing in the fields east of the river so that he could divide them into companies and give them their orders. Thelvyn watched them from a distance. He had decided that he should stay close to the metal warrior in case it tried to pull itself from the river before the Radiance could be used to overcome the will of the Masters. So far, he had yet to see any sign of movement from the place where it had disappeared into the dark water.

A moment later Thelvyn was caught by surprise when the dragon sorcerers engaged the full power of the Radiance. He had never experienced such a wash of latent magic, moving rapidly outward from its source like a sudden blast of wind. If dragons had hair, his would have been standing on end. Across the river, Jherdar immediately launched the dragons into the sky and led them quickly to the north, rising steeply with long, powerful strokes of their wings. They turned as a group to fly swiftly toward the north, rushing to attack the invaders during the first minutes of confusion after the will of the Masters was broken.

Thelvyn waited as long as he dared, knowing that he needed to be with the rest of dragons in Jherdar's absence. Suddenly he saw Kharendaen flying swiftly from the city to join him. She didn't bother to land but circled him tightly, and he understood that he was to join her in flight. A few moments later, they were flying side by side only a few miles behind the ranks of the fighting dragons.

"Marthaen promises that the dragon sorcerers can maintain the Radiance at this intensity for as long as you need them to," she reported. "If fact, they will have to use nearly this much power for the foreseeable future to keep the Highlands secure.

But he says we will have to determine how much the influence of the Masters has been broken."

"As long as the Flaem are protected from their control and that metal beast remains in the river, we'll be fine," Thelvyn said. "If we can count on that much, we can chase the gemstone dragons right out of the Highlands."

Thelvyn was still concerned that the Masters might have some deadly defenses or traps at their strongholds in Braastar or near the old worldgate. This was the main reason he had been reluctant to face them on their own ground from the start. He couldn't count on the power of the Radiance to counteract any such traps. He was determined to be the first to enter their strongholds, so that he might be able to detect and disable any nasty surprises left by the Masters before his dragons got into trouble.

Jherdar had planned his counterattack well. Leading his force of dragons swiftly northward, he sent a quarter of his dragons to deal with the invading army while the rest continued on toward Braastar. With the collapse of the power that commanded their will, the many strange races of slave warriors were turning on their former Masters, forcing the gemstone dragons to retreat from their own armies. Those that had remained on the ground rose into the air just in time to flee desperately before the fury of the army of dragons. Some were trapped as they tried to climb into the sky, forced down under the weight of an overwhelming number of attackers and slain on the ground. Still other gemstone dragons found themselves overtaken in flight by the swifter gold and red dragons, finally giving up their hopeless flight to turn on the pursuing dragons for a last desperate fight.

Once the gemstone dragons had fled, many of the former slaves of their invading army were now either too interested in fighting each other or escaping into the wilderness to care about the attacking dragons. Still others welcomed the Dragonking and his warriors as their rescuers. The dragons Jherdar had left behind to deal with the invaders were mostly concerned with breaking up fights between different factions of the invading army, hunting down those who had fled into the forest.

The main body of the army of the dragons flew as swiftly as they could toward Braastar, only to find that the Masters had already been forced to abandon the city and the enslaved Flaem had turned against them. Leaving behind a small force to help secure the city, Jherdar led his remaining fighting dragons into the east, toward the stronghold near the worldgate, where he expected the Masters to stand and fight. Thelvyn had been thinking the same thing, which was why he hurried to arrive ahead of the dragons and probe the defenses of the invaders. But his concern proved to be needless.

When he came to the wild lands east of Braastar, he was surprised to find a seared, smoking area of blasted ground where the old worldgate had been. The stronghold of the Masters was shattered and burning. Marthaen had directed the full power of the Radiance against the worldgates, blocking the retreat of the Masters. Apparently the power used to destroy the gates had been far greater than anyone had expected, and the destruction of the gates had been devastatingly violent. The Masters themselves, more than a score in all, were circling warily, but they turned to flee to the west when Thelvyn and Kharendaen approached.

The gemstone dragons were not as swift as the true dragons, and many were overtaken and slain as they tried desperately to flee. Only a couple of dozen that had accompanied their army had escaped to join the score or so that had survived the annihilation of the stronghold. These were all that remained of at least two hundred gemstone dragons that had invaded the Highlands. Cut off by the destruction of the nearest gates, the Masters turned and fled swiftly to the northwest, just as Thelvyn had expected. Jherdar followed, leading a couple hundred of his own dragons in pursuit.

Once again Thelvyn had waited until he seemed to have a clear advantage, and once again the Masters had been forced to flee after a brief battle. But Thelvyn's problems were far from over. While the Masters had left behind an army in their haste, this time their army was not being forced to fight to its inevitable destruction. Suddenly he had to deal with a main army north of Braejr and a secondary force at Braastar, well over sixty thousand beings of numerous races, some not even remotely human, who were now eager to join the fight against their former masters. The only problem was that, like the Flaem, they did not dare leave the Highlands and the protection of the Radiance.

For now, at least, the Flaem were happy to have a well-sup-plied army on hand to help protect their homelands, and Solveig was already arranging for them to be given land to settle in the eastern and far northern portions of the realm. Of course, Thelvyn hadn't forgotten the natural Flaemish suspicion of foreigners, which he had endured often himself. He suspected they would be less willing to have people from various off-world races sharing their land once the threat of war was past. His only comfort was knowing that the problem would be left for someone else to resolve, probably Solveig White-Gold.

There was considerable celebration in Braejr that evening when Thelvyn and Kharendaen returned to the city with news that the Masters had either been destroyed or had fled into the wilderness. He could appreciate the relief of the Flaem, who had been living in fear not only of conquest but also of enslavement. Those who had already been evacuated to the south would be returning the next day, and the people who had fled Braastar were eager to go home again. Thelvyn regretted how much the city of Braastar had suffered in the invasion, for there had been much damage by fire and the Masters had looted the city.

Of course, few people even knew about the existence of the Radiance. The general assumption was that the powers employed by the dragon sorcerers had been their own. It seemed best that the Radiance should remain a secret, so that people of other lands would not someday be tempted to try to invade the Highlands to capture it for themselves. The only way to protect that secret was to continue to allow most people to believe that the dragon sorcerers alone, under the guidance of the Dragonking, had been responsible for vanquishing the will of the Masters. Alessa Vyledaar was somewhat annoyed at having to allow the dragons to take the full credit, but she had to admit that it was better than revealing the secrets of the Radiance.

Now that the invasion of the Highlands seemed to be settled, Thelvyn was already thinking ahead to the next problem. Every time that he had fought and defeated the Masters, they had responded quickly and in even greater strength than before. This time was no different. He knew that they would strike again, and soon. His problem now was anticipating their next move, and he needed more information before he could guess what it might be. Fortunately Jherdar returned early that night, having pursued the surviving gemstone dragons as far as he could. Thelvyn quickly called together his chief advisors to meet with him in the lair at Solveig's house.

"I was not able to learn all the answers you would have liked," Jherdar began, pausing as he devoured a roasted haunch of elk that had been brought for him. "We followed the Masters who fled into the wilderness of the northwest until we were perhaps a couple hours west of Wendar. I had my fastest golds and young red dragons after them, so the gemstone dragons had to push themselves hard to stay ahead. But then we began to see other gemstone dragons coming toward us, more than we could hope to fight."

"More of them?" Thelvyn asked. He was trying to maintain his dignity while Kharendaen rubbed oil into the scorched armor on his lower back and rump, having already washed him thoroughly in the court outside the lair a short time earlier.

"At least another hundred, probably more," the red dragon said. "I followed as long as I dared, trying to discover where they were coming from, but I never saw anything."

"At least we know they must have a base somewhere in that direction," Sir George observed. "It might have been only a few miles ahead."

"I've learned all that I hoped to at this time," Thelvyn said. "There is a vast area west of Wendar and the Highlands where few seldom go, not even many dragons, and all the kingdoms of dragons in that region have long since been summoned to war in the east. I was fairly certain the Masters had a stronghold there somewhere."

"What good does it do them?" Solveig asked. "You don't fortify a stronghold if you never expect the enemy to come."

"The Masters have some very serious problems to solve before their plans of conquest can proceed," Thelvyn said, although he seemed mostly to be thinking aloud. "They didn't expect the dragons to fight them. They didn't expect me to be a serious problem. They didn't expect the Flaem to fight them, and they thought the Radiance could be easily taken, and now both are lost. Now they have to deal with me and with the dragons, and they have to stop losing battles. Obviously there aren't enough gemstone dragons to take on the dragons directly, or they would have done that by now."

"How do you think they expect to fight us effectively?" Marthaen asked. "The only thing that seemed to work for them was that metal monster."

Thelvyn stared at the ground for a long moment while he considered that carefully. "They have two options. If they can, they might try constant, random attacks everywhere at once and divide our strength. Or they can assemble everything they have to throw at us, even if they must empty the resources of their own world, and force us into a battle we cannot win. I suspect that the second plan is the more likely one. I have to know, and I must have that answer now."

Sir George frowned. "You mean to find that stronghold of theirs, don't you?"

Marthaen lifted his ears in alarm. "You must not take such a risk. I can find dragon scouts willing to take that chance. They could plant elvish scouts as close to their hidden stronghold as possible, as we have done here in the Highlands."

"You are forgetting that I am still the Dragonlord," Thelvyn said. "As a dragon, I have the speed to avoid their metal warriors. As the Dragonlord, I can hold my own against any number of the Masters."

No one was happy with such a plan, but there was no dissuading Thelvyn. His best hope of an effective reconnaissance of the secret stronghold of the Mastfers was to go alone, getting in and back out again as quickly as he could. He agreed to allow Kharendaen and several of his bodyguards to accompany him partway. Once he had made his plans, he dismissed his companions for a well-earned night of rest. He thanked them all for their efforts as they filed out the door of the lair into the yard.

"You need rest more than anyone right now," Solveig told him. "We're still trying to find you a virgin or two, if you still want them. Do they taste better?"

"I have no idea," Thelvyn said, frowning fiercely. "I haven't had a virgin recently."

Kharendaen put on a very innocent expression. "I have."

"Oh, enough," Thelvyn declared. "Is this any way to show respect for the Dragonking?"

"Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the ancient prophecies of the dragons," Marthaen remarked. "Thus it was said: 'Verily shall you know the true Dragonking, for he shall be the butt of many jokes.' "

After a good laugh, the others all left. Marthaen was about to depart as well when Thelvyn asked him to wait a moment. "I haven't forgotten that you are still the First Speaker of the parliament, or that you are the lord of your own kingdom of dragons. And I certainly haven't forgotten how capable you proved yourself to be as a leader last year. Perhaps it has seemed that I have usurped your authority, but I do not claim power for its own sake."

"You are the Dragonking, chosen by the Great One to lead us," Marthaen assured him. "You have done things to lead and protect the dragons that I could never do. Do not forget that you have called upon me to support you from the first, or that you turned to me to find a way to drive the Masters from the Highlands when you could not. I am content with my role."

"Perhaps I am concerned that you should remain content," Thelvyn admitted. "As much as you have done, this war is far from over. If you or Jherdar should come to begrudge me your support, we are doomed."

"You must never fear that my support will waver," the older dragon said. "I believe the trust and support you have from all the dragons is absolute. They have seen that the Masters are an enemy that will destroy them if they are not entirely committed to this fight. As for Jherdar, he is happy as long as he has enemies to slay. I think that you have taught even the red dragons the value of being patient and wise."

"The dragons have always been wise," Thelvyn remarked. "Their problem has always been that they forget their wisdom when it matters most. I have never understood that."

"Perhaps you have never been angry or frightened enough," Marthaen said. "A frightened or angry dragon knows only what it feels, and the most basic instincts seems like wisdom. That is why I feel you should not try to fight all the battles and take all the risks yourself in your need to protect your people. Do not forget that, above all else, you are our only hope to defeat the Masters. Do not risk unnecessarily the weapon that the Great One has prepared for us for our defense."

Thelvyn took that advice very much to heart. He had to admit to himself that his inclination was always to do anything he could to protect the dragons and take the greatest risks himself. He still believed that the greatest risks were his to take, simply because he possessed the greatest ability to defend himself. If nothing else, he could always retreat into the armor of the Dragonlord, which left him invulnerable to nearly any attack.

But not invulnerable to every attack, he reminded himself. The Fire Wizards had once used the power of the Radiance to inhibit the enchantments of his armor and had nearly defeated him, an attack he now knew had been directed by the Masters themselves. Possibly the Masters commanded such power that they could overcome the enchantments of his armor. And there was nothing he could do about their metal warriors, assuming they had any more of the hulking war machines. At least he was quick enough to stay out of their way.

He was glad when he finally got to bed that night. Although he had been a dragon only a short time, his neck had been hurting him these last few days from all his long journeys and his many fights. Kharendaen's bed wasn't as comfortable as those he had slept in during his brief visits to Windreach, but far better than sleeping on the ground. And while the bed was somewhat small for the two of them, that kept his mate close beside him during the night. He was content.

That night he dreamed that he and Kharendaen were riding the cool winds over a rugged, deeply forested land between tall, rocky mountains. The place reminded him so much of the wilds of Wendar that for a brief time he thought he had returned to those happy weeks they had spent together in Shadowmere and the Foxwoods, when he had still been learning what it meant to be a dragon and war and desperation were forgotten. Then he realized that this was a dream, one of those rare dreams he had experienced in the past in which he would receive instructions from the Great One.

The two dragons turned toward the mountains, guided by some strange instinct rather than any actual instructions. They were flying high over the forest with tremendous speed and yet with almost no effort, hardly even feeling the pull of their own weight on their wings. Moments later they were hurtling over the ridges and slopes of the mountains, sailing on the ever-shifting winds. Circling tightly to break their speed, they descended quickly into a high meadow of deep, green grass surrounded by a forest of tall, narrow pines.

They stood for just a moment staring out across the meadow into the distant forests below the mountains. Then Thelvyn saw Kharendaen start and turn quickly, and he turned as well to see a gold dragon sitting in the soft grass a short distance away. She was tall and lean, long and slender but well muscled, and her narrow face and large blue eyes gave her an expression of grace and wisdom. He realized that this was his mother, the dragon cleric Arbendael.

"We have met so I can warn you to change your plans," she told them. "You propose to seek the main stronghold of the Masters to judge their strength. You search for knowledge that the Great One already possesses and can share with you. Have his clerics forgotten that they can ask?"

Kharendaen bowed her head, but Thelvyn was undaunted. "The Great One has been reluctant to speak with us in the past. Perhaps we can be forgiven for not expecting him to answer now."

"That was never by his own choice," Arbendael told him. "Your time is short, and you must not waste it. Do you wish to know the true strength of the Masters and their army? They have built themselves a fortress as large as any city in your own world in the wilderness. The dragons could hardly hope to stand against them, and they have not yet gathered their fullest strength. But that is not your most immediate concern. Have you forgotten that the Masters serve an even greater master of their own?"

"I have not forgotten," Thelvyn insisted. "But I must face my challenges as they come. It has been all I could do to keep the Masters at bay. I'm afraid that left me no time to concern myself with the mystery of the one who calls himself the Overlord."

"And yet the Overlord is your true enemy," a deeper voice said, speaking from behind him. "You cannot ignore him."

Thelvyn turned quickly to see that the Great One himself now stood in the meadow behind him, wearing his common guise of an older dragon of some ancient breed. Apparently he was impatient to speak his mind about such important matters and was no longer content to leave the discussion to his servant.

"What can you tell me of the Overlord?" Thelvyn asked plainly.

"There is very little that I can tell you," the Great One said. "Neither my own powers nor those of any of the Immortals can extend into his world, and so he remains a mystery even to us. I suspect that his powers rival those of a lesser Immortal, although I doubt that he is an Immortal himself. I know that his powers can be channeled to his servants in this world, or else his slaves would no longer be under his will. You have seen that for yourself, with the crystal that was used to control the mage, Alessa. That is why the Masters possess greater powers than they should have."

"Can we block his influence from our world?" Thelvyn asked.

"Unfortunately, no," the Great One said. "The power of the Radiance, or perhaps the combined magic of the dragon sorcerers, might accomplish that, but then the Overlord would only come himself."

"What must I do?" Thelvyn asked, confused. "You seem to be telling me my true enemy is one whom I cannot hope to fight."

"Your true enemy is one you know nothing about," the Great One corrected him. "When the first Dragonlord and I fought the gemstone dragons long ago, they had not yet fled into the world of the Overlord and fallen under his will. I know nothing about him, and so I cannot guide you. And you cannot afford to continue to fight an enemy you know so little about. The time has come for you to go secretly into the world of the Masters to learn all that you can. Unfortunately, the Immortals cannot help you, because our powers do not extend into that world."

Thelvyn lowered his head. "I think I understand. That is why the Dragonking exists, is it not? To go where you cannot, to act when you are forbidden to?"

"You must be very careful," the Great One cautioned. "You must have the dragon sorcerers open a worldgate for you in a place where the Masters will not suspect it. And you must not go alone. Kharendaen will accompany you."

Thelvyn looked surprised. "I believe I would be able to move more swiftly and safely alone."

"Perhaps in many ways you are right," Arbendael said, moving around to stand closer to the Great One. "Your powers might be far greater than Kharendaen's, but they are still different. Kharendaen is a true cleric. If the Immortals are to have any contact with that world, it will be through her."

Arbendael sat close at the Great One's side and rubbed her cheek gently against his breast, a gesture that he accepted graciously. Thelvyn was surprised. Suddenly he realized that, for the first time in his life, he was in the company of his parents, even if it was only in a dream. They had never seemed particularly real to him before now. They had been like two strangers he had never known in life, their mating a mere matter of necessity. He felt much better in knowing that they were still together in this extraordinary dream world. In some odd way he could not define, he felt better about himself.

"Under no circumstances is the old drake to go with you," the Great One added. "Learn what you can without risking capture and then return at once. Remember above all else that the most important thing is to return safely, even if you learn nothing. Without you, there is no hope for this world."