Dragonmage of Mystara

CHAPTER TWENTY

As soon as the Overlord began to suspect the dragons were in retreat, he ordered his forces to press forward. He had been trapped by the cleverness of the Dragonking once before, and therefore he proceeded cautiously, sending out the Masters to search out the dragons. He learned that the dragons were attempting to hold a defensive line along the western spur of the Wendarian Mountains, but they were evasive and seemed reluctant to fight. Now he could use the Masters to keep the dragons occupied farther to the east, giving the rest of his vast army the opportunity to advance quickly.

Of course, the one thing that the Overlord could not know was that the Dragonking was gone, having already departed for the distant west. Without the Dragonking, and with his lieutenants, Marthaen of the golds and Jherdar of the reds, away as well, the dragons had scattered into many small bands to hold out as best as they could. They would attack the gemstone dragons that hunted the mountains any time they had the element of surprise and a clear advantage in numbers, but otherwise they were content to flee or hide from their enemies.

And so they passed that first day and into the restless night, while the Overlord became increasingly bold. Yet even now he did not become reckless. He couldn't forget that the Dragonking was still out there somewhere, and that nothing would be certain until the Dragonlord was defeated. He was totally unaware that, on that same night, Thelvyn had been transformed into the dragon ruler Diamond.

Marthaen and his companions returned to the mountains the next morning. They had flown all night and looked rather the worse for wear after such a long journey, but there was no time now for rest. The main camp was still in the same place, on a remote, wooded plateau in the eastern edge of the mountains. Dragon couriers began seeking him out at once, and he soon had a fairly clear report of all that had happened in his absence. With no better idea of what to expect, Marthaen knew only that he had to maintain the best defense that he could for an uncertain amount of time, possibly several days.

Once he had heard the reports, he called together his chief advisors, Jherdar of the red dragons, Thalbar of the blacks, the cleric Kharendaen, plus many lesser kings and queens among the dragons who had gathered as quickly as they could. His younger sister had proven herself to be one of the most capable and clever fighters they had, although he was concerned that she might be reaching the limit of her strength. Sir George had invited himself to attend the council, and Marthaen was desperate enough that he was not about to deny the devious but resourceful mandrake.

"The Overlord obviously knows something is up," Marthaen said as he sat back on his tail. "I would like to know if he is just pressing the advantage while it seems to be his, or if he thinks that we have been forced to retreat."

"The Masters have grown very bold," one of the dragons offered. "They seem to think we no longer dare to oppose them."

Marthaen sighed, frowning. "We must convince them that we can hold our own, or they will force us into a retreat. I don't know how long we'll have to hold out before the Dragonking returns."

"I told you I'd hurry back," someone said.

Marthaen turned quickly to see Thelvyn sitting patiently only a few yards behind him, although no one had seen the Dragonking arrive. For a moment, Marthaen simply stared, wondering if Thelvyn's journey had been unsuccessful. He looked much the same as always. Then Marthaen had to duck aside as Kharendaen rushed past to join her mate. Thelvyn sat up on his haunches to take her in his arms.

"How did you get back so quickly?" Marthaen asked, confused.

"I knew a shortcut," Thelvyn said evasively.

"Then your journey was successful?" Marthaen asked.

Thelvyn nodded. "I thought it best to continue for the time being to appear in the form that you have always known me. I am now Diamond, the first new dragon Immortal since the time of the first Dragonlord. In my actual new form, I am what the gemstone dragons were trying to make themselves into long ago, when they tried unsuccessfully to raise themselves to the status of Immortals by their own magic."

For a moment, he assumed his true form. His armor shone like cut diamonds in the morning sun, glittering with such brilliance that the eyes of the mortal dragons could hardly bear to look upon him. The dragons turned their heads aside and drew back fearfully. After a moment, they bowed to him with their necks bent low and one claw pressed to their chests. Only Kharendaen dared to look upon the manifestation of his true form.

After a moment, the overwhelming light faded as he returned to his more familiar form. "I have shown you this so that you will not mistake me for any of the Masters, especially the crystal dragons. Today I will lead you into our final battle. Although this fight is my own, I will need the dragons as a decoy to draw the Masters and the Overlord out into the open."

"We wait to serve you," Marthaen assured.

"Gather all the dragons and bring them here as quickly as you can," he instructed them. "The time has come for me to do battle with the enemy I was brought into the world to fight."

Later that same morning, the dragons came down out of the mountains in a single massive company, now more than seven thousand strong. They had been gathering quickly over the last couple of hours, and their numbers had grown so great that the Masters did not dare confront them. Now they flew swiftly to the west, rank upon rank of dragons of every breed. They seemed to fill half the sky. To all appearances, they were making a bold rush directly at their enemy, as if they hoped to overwhelm the army of the Overlord by their very numbers. If the Overlord was hidden somewhere within his fortress of storms miles to the west, watching them through the eyes of his slaves, he was not greatly impressed by their brave show of force.

Thelvyn flew near the head of the army of the dragons, but he left it to Marthaen and Jherdar to lead the mighty phalanx. He kept himself hidden among the ranks of the golds, hoping to remain unobserved for the moment. He meant to reveal himself when he was ready, but he hoped to keep the Overlord guessing until it was too late. He watched as the Masters moved out to intercept the dragons, drawing upon the power of the Overlord to assume their fiery forms. But when they saw the numbers of dragons approaching, their fires went out and they retreated swiftly to the east. Thelvyn expected that they planned to regroup their limited numbers into a single force to strike the force of dragons quick and hard, scattering their determined assault.

That suited Thelvyn perfectly. He could deal with the Masters more quickly and easily if they were all together in one place.

The great bank of storms, a wall of darkness a hundred miles across that rippled and flashed with lightning, grew quickly as the dragons raced swiftly westward. They began to slow as they came around in a wide circle, aligning themselves in a path that would lead them directly over the columns of the invading army, heading into the very heart of the fortress of storms. The invaders had advanced farther into the east during the previous day, so that they were now within hours of the mountains. The dragons forced themselves to their most rapid pace, the larger, quicker golds and reds in the lead, while the small white dragons trailed behind, their efforts strained by the warmth of these southern lands.

Before long they saw the invading army far ahead, five massive columns forcing their way through the wilderness. The dragons did not lessen their pace but now dropped lower until they were hurtling only yards above the tallest trees. The armies of the Overlord had already halted to prepare themselves for battle. When the leading edge of the force of dragons was less than five miles away, the Masters moved swiftly forward to defend their army, some three hundred gemstone dragons rising suddenly out of the surrounding forest to intercept the dragons. Their numbers represented nearly all that remained of the Overlord's most trusted servants.

The dragons responded to the challenge unexpectedly, at least considering the determination with which they had descended upon their enemy. Their ranks divided and then began to circle around to either side, almost as if they had lost heart for battle and sought to escape while they could. Encouraged, the Masters pressed forward quickly to descend upon the slower ranks of the dragons in the rear, many of them taking on their fiery form.

Unnoticed in the confusion of the moment, a single gold dragon dropped down almost into the tops of the trees as he continued his attack run directly into the heart of the enemy. Thelvyn knew he would not remain undetected for long, but he hoped to take the Masters by surprise. He was just about to pass beneath their forward ranks when they saw him at last. Many of the nearest gemstone dragons turned sharply and darted down to intercept him.

To the attacking Masters, the lone gold dragon seemed to be caught unprepared during those first moments. The gemstone dragons dived at him swiftly, their strange, fiery shapes striking-him with glancing blows, hitting him sharply in the wings and back. Any other dragon would have died under the ferocious assault, blasted by any one of the explosive impacts.

Caught off-balance and disoriented, Thelvyn suddenly found himself falling. He struggled to catch himself, but it was too late. He had been too close to the ground when the attack had started. A moment later he crashed heavily to the ground near the edge of a half-cleared track left by the passage of the invading army. He slid through the loose dirt and brush while soldiers ran to get out of his way.

Thelvyn realized his mistake at once. The Overlord had sacrificed control of his army to retain his command over the remaining gemstone dragons. He was only just struggling to pick himself up when the Masters struck again with the deadly weapons of their fiery forms, focusing their attack against him in a fierce barrage. Great bolts of lighting raked over the ground, ripping the earth asunder. Thelvyn arched his neck and roared with pain as one of the bolts flashed over his back. Then he was thrown violently aside as the ground beneath him was blasted by searing lances of lightning. He was thrown heavily onto his back, half buried in mounds of rock and dirt.

For a brief moment he lay without moving, quickly considering his options while the gemstone dragons continued to bombard him with their deadly barrage of lightning. He was reluctant to reveal his true form so soon, before he had even found the Overlord, but his mortal manifestation as a gold dragon was more vulnerable titan his new incarnation as Diamond. Shaking himself free of the dirt and debris, he spread his wings and leapt effortlessly straight up into the sky. At the same moment, he vanished in a blinding radiance as he became the Immortal Diamond, a great dragon made of pure silver light.

The Masters could not endure the sight of him, and they turned their faces away. For a long moment, Diamond hung in midair like a shaft of brilliant sunlight in dragon form. Then he arched his neck and breathed out a shaft of intense light, trapping the Masters one by one for a brief instant within the brilliant light. Their flames immediately flickered and went out as they fluttered helplessly to the ground, stunned.

Diamond immediately returned to his mortal manifestation as a gold dragon, although he could no longer try to hide his true powers now that he had been forced to reveal himself. Once again he turned his magic to the task of fighting back the powerful influence of the Overlord. The remaining gemstone dragons hesitated, dropping their fiery forms as their ties to the powers of the Overlord were broken. As they came to realize that they were free, they paused a moment in their uncertainty before they turned to flee into the wild.

It was not only the gemstone dragons that were being freed. In the forward ranks of the invaders, the great enslaved beasts that had been tearing and tramping roads through the wilderness suddenly turned and broke free from their drivers, crying and rampaging in their fury as they escaped into the wild. Rank after rank of soldiers lowered their weapons as the Dragonking passed over their heads. The towering metal warriors suddenly paused in midstride, then collapsed heavily to the ground with the force of an earthquake, like great puppets whose strings had been cut by a gigantic scissors.

Thelvyn flew low over the columns of the invaders as if he were following a road, mile after mile of soldiers, siege weapons, and supply wagons passing below him. His very presence spread confusion among his enemies as he drove steadily deeper into the Overlord's region of influence, shattering the will that had held an army of over a million strong in absolute control. The great fortress of storms continued to rise before him until he passed into its outer limits into its deep, protective darkness. The cold, damp winds grew fitful, and the constant flashes of lightning cast deep shadows through the forest.

Suddenly the will of the Overlord grew sharply stronger, opposing his attempt to seize control of the invading army. He was able to maintain his own will with increasing effort, but soon he was only holding his own, unwilling to expend the power he would need to force back the influence of the Overlord. It seemed wise to keep some of his secrets in reserve.

He found the Overlord where he had expected, at the rear of his army, surrounded by a score of Masters still subject to his control and five of the remaining metal warriors. The Overlord himself crouched in the center of the protective ring. In size and shape, he was very much like the warriors. Although his actions seemed to suggest cowardice, as they had in his own fortress when his prisoners had turned on him and he had allowed them to escape rather than face them himself, Thelvyn knew that he was actually trying to guard his own secrets. However, Thelvyn already knew this great, monstrous being was only a manifestation of the Overlord's magic and intellect, not his true self.

Thelvyn landed a short distance away and faced the Overlord and his bodyguards. Even though he was as small as a child in comparison to his enemy, he had to hope that his new powers were sufficient to keep him safe.

"This must be our last battle," he declared. "You cannot begin your conquest of this world until you have dealt with me."

The Overlord cocked his massive, nightmarish head as he stared down at the gold dragon. "Your powers have increased, Dragonking. Does your Immortal dare to support you?"

"I am his chosen champion. I was created specifically for the task of fighting and defeating you," Thelvyn answered evasively.

"We shall see about that."

Apparently the Overlord still wasn't ready to fight his own battles. Two of the nearby warriors dropped their massive heads, and the red jewels of their glittering eyes blazed with a surge of power, sending forth bolts of intense ruby light that struck Thelvyn in the chest. The force of the deadly beams hurled him violently backward, and he crashed heavily onto his back. The magic of the ruby light somehow seemed to rob him of his powers, leaving him weak and dazed.

The Overlord began to retreat slowly, removing himself even more from the actual battle. At the same time, his warriors began to move forward as quickly as dieir eight legs could move, placing themselves protectively between the Overlord and the fallen Dragonking. Apparently none of the nearby Masters were directing the warriors; the Overlord seemed to control their massive draconic forms himself. Thelvyn knew that the full power of the Dragonlord had been ineffective against the warriors, and the Overlord was confident that his small opponent could never be sufficient to break his commanding will.

Thelvyn was struggling to rise when the metal warriors attacked again, the beams of ruby light from their jewel eyes raking over the ground, advancing toward him. The very earth was rent asunder, shaken violently by the devastating blasts, which caused the ground to split open in great, gaping fissures before collapsing slowly into unseen depths.

Thelvyn was struggling to retreat from the fury of the assault when he was struck once more by the beams of ruby light. This time he was held trapped as several of the beams ripped over the ground to focus upon him. He was thrust down against the torn earth and held there, as if by some crushing weight. His neck arched in intense pain. His jaws were wide as if to roar out in his agony, but he had no breath to cry out. It was as if the power of the ruby light was ripping apart his very being. Then the ground beneath him tilted and began to slide away, hurtling him into the depths of the ragged fissure that had opened behind him.

He seemed to fall for a very long time, crashing against first one side of the gaping chasm and then the other as he plummeted into the darkness. Unable to catch himself, he finally landed heavily atop the loose debris of dirt and stone at the bottom of the fissure, snapping his chin violently against the ground. So weak that he could hardly move, he began to lift himself slowly and painfully in an attempt to escape that place before the warriors could trap him there.

Then the darkness at the bottom of the chasm grew even deeper, and he looked up apprehensively to see that one of the warriors was leaning out over the opening of the fissure more than three wingspans above him, as if it intended to climb down after him. It tottered on the edge for a moment before it fell, its incredible weight crashing downward in a shower of dirt and boulders.

Thelvyn instinctively dropped to the ground and lowered his head, preparing himself for the crushing impact of hundreds of tons of metal. Massive stones rained down upon him, and he was nearly buried in mass'es of damp earth, but the warrior itself slammed to a halt a couple of yards above him, its eight legs pinned against the sides of the chasm. Shaking his head free from the debris, Thelvyn glanced up fearfully. He had not been in danger of death-as an Immortal, he knew he could not easily be killed-but the destruction of his mortal manifestation would have forced him to retreat to his own plane to recover his powers, leaving the Overlord unopposed

in his conquest of the world.

Nor was the fallen warrior so easily destroyed. Although it hung upside down near the bottom of the chasm, it continued to struggle. Thelvyn pulled himself free of the dirt and stone covering him and began to work his way through the darkness until he finally crawled out from beneath the trapped warrior. He still felt weak and his powers remained uncertain, but his magic was slowly beginning to return. He ran a short distance along the bottom of the long chasm, intending to climb out in a place where his enemies might not be expecting him. The fissure continued to collapse slowly in a constant rain of dirt and stone, making the task of clawing his way out even more difficult. The effort required to pull himself from the chasm was tremendous, but using magic to free himself would have alerted the Overlord to his escape.

He climbed out at last into a scene of tremendous destruction. The attack of the warriors had devastated the landscape for hundreds of yards around the area of the battle. The ground had been ripped open by several gaping fissures, and boulders and great mounds of earth had been heaved aside. The remaining four warriors stood motionless some distance away, hesitant to enter the region of destruction because of the threat of becoming trapped. Thelvyn couldn't see the Overlord, but that meant the Overlord couldn't see him, giving him a moment more to recover his strength.

What he had forgotten in his desperation was that the Overlord could see through the eyes of his warriors. One of the metal beasts turned its head abruptly toward him, its jewel eyes glowing fiery red. One after another, the immense fighting machines turned and began to move ponderously in his direction, the smoldering lights in their eyes growing steadily brighter. Thelvyn knew they would begin attacking again at any moment, and he also knew he had not yet fully recovered his full strength. Desperate to protect himself, he employed the only defense he could think of, reaching out with his will to attempt to seize control of the crystal eyes of the warriors.

The Overlord was already sending vast amounts of his own power into the jewels, turning them into deadly weapons, but nevertheless Thelvyn's will was enough to prevent the discharge of that power. He had expected the Overlord to back off once the power had nowhere to go, but it seemed that his opponent was more stubborn than he thought, considering how cautious the Overlord had been in the past. The eyes of the warriors continued to grow brighter and brighter until they blazed like small red suns, and then, one after the other, the massive iron heads of the warriors exploded in rapid succession. The enchantments that controlled them destroyed, their lifeless forms collapsed heavily to the ground.

Thelvyn immediately seized the moment to launch his own attack, leaping up and bounding across the ruins of the battlefield. In the next moment, a crushing force like a vast, invisible fist struck him in the chest, knocking him completely off his feet and sending him hurding backward. Circumstances now demanded that the Overlord fight for himself, setting aside his usual caution to act direcdy, and he was obviously no coward. But Thelvyn was no longer so easily harmed; after a moment, he was able to spread his wings and catch himself in midair, returning quickly to the circle of combat.

He drove directly at the Overlord, rushing forward at tremendous speed. Although he was hesitant to reveal his true powers so soon, he knew that this was only the prelude to their true battle. He ducked down almost to the ground and then thrust himself back up again, striking the Overlord hard just under his chest, lifting his great bulk completely off the ground and flipping him over to crash heavily onto his back. The Overlord's remaining bodyguards, some twenty gemstone dragons, attacked at the same moment, having assumed their fiery forms. They began to dive at Thelvyn in a series of swift, relentless attacks, pummeling him over and over with bolts of lightning.

He dropped quickly to the ground, trying desperately to think. Already he understood something important about his enemy: The Overlord's powers were most effective when directed through his servants like the Masters and the warriors, but he wasn't very good at defending himself. That might have been due to the nature of his magic or perhaps a reflection of his inexperience; the reason hardly mattered now. Thelvyn decided the time for caution was past; he would reveal his true powers as an Immortal and press the contest to its conclusion.

Again he leapt into the air, and his mortal manifestation melted away in the glare of silver light as he revealed himself to be the Immortal Diamond. This time he made no effort to contain his powers but allowed the radiance of his true being to shine forth, many times brighter than the sun itself. The pure, intense light drove away the fires of the Masters like a wind blowing out a candle flame. The Overlord's command of their minds and will was broken, and they fled.

Even the Overlord had been forced to turn his monstrous face from the radiance, shielding himself with the grotesque armor of his back as he began to slink away. The pure light of the Immortal seemed to be causing him great pain, burning into his very being. Diamond continued to press his attack relendessly. Suspended in the air above the scene of battle, he arched his long neck and opened his mouth to release a shaft of silver light that washed over his enemy's long back. The Overlord crouched with his head down in an effort to protect himself while smoke and flames spread across his back, eating into his armor.

And then he vanished, retreating from a fight that he had already lost. But Thelvyn was too cautious to believe that he had achieved ultimate victory, knowing he had only forced the Overlord to retreat to a place where he would be stronger. Thelvyn turned to fly swiftly toward the west, following the wide path trampled by the invading army. He was still half of an hour's flight from where he expected to find the stronghold, time that he could not afford to spare if he was to catch his true enemy off guard. He held his wings steady, as if soaring on the winds, but his speed began to increase rapidly until his form began to blur into a shaft of silver light, crossing a hundred miles in as many seconds.

In a region scattered with low, steep hills, he came upon the hidden stronghold abruptly. Like the main stronghold in the world of the Overlord, it consisted of a group of massive fortresses, imposing in size but simple and nearly featureless in design, arranged not in a grid but in two concentric rings. In the center of the stronghold stood the stone arch of the immense worldgate. The land for miles around had been stripped of trees, perhaps during those final days while the invading army had gathered there before marching to the east. The stronghold was nearly deserted now, defended only by a score of gemstone dragons that had already risen into the sky in defense.

Thelvyn slowed quickly from his tremendous speed, although he remained in immaterial form for the moment, rising upward a short distance as he cast about with his mind for the presence of the Overlord hidden somewhere deep within the stronghold. Then he gathered speed again, streaking down like a bolt of lighting as he crashed directly into the roof of the largest of the fortresses. Massive stones shattered before him as he blasted his way deep into the center of the fortress. Then the fortress itself exploded outward in a blinding flash of clear light.

The central chamber of the fortress lay exposed to the sky. The middle part of the ceiling had been rent asunder, and a gaping hole reached up through all the levels of the fortress to the air above. Dark clouds above rolled and flashed with lightning. The dust cleared slowly, and the vast, threatening form of the Overlord stepped slowly out of the darkness to confront Diamond a second time. There was no sign of the damage that the dragonfire had done to the armor of his back; he had renewed his form, and he appeared to be stronger than ever.

"Clever little dragon," he said contemptuously. "You have grown more than you let on."

Thelvyn did not respond, knowing he had to proceed cautiously. He could fight and defeat the Overlord time and again and never win the real war. It was crucial for him to discover his opponent's secret, to find the source of his hidden power.

He moved slowly to one side, circling around his enemy and watching the Overlord closely for any clue to his secret. The source of his power was somewhere very near, he was certain, but he could not sense what it was. Nor could he see through the manifestation of the Overlord to his true self. The retreat of the Overlord from his first battle and his appearance here unharmed proved that this was not his true being. The source of his magic and his consciousness had always prevented him from going into any of the worlds he had conquered. Apparently he had brought it with him into this world, but with great difficulty.

Was it something large? Something difficult or dangerous to try to move? Or perhaps, Thelvyn wondered, it was something too delicate to risk. Somehow it managed to avoid betraying its presence as a tremendous source of magic even as it sent its full power direcdy to its manifestation.

Thelvyn was caught off guard, having given too much of his attention to his thoughts. The Overlord opened his massive jaws and let forth what at first appeared to be a flash of misty white light, except the light turned solid almost immediately. It struck Thelvyn in the shoulder with crushing force, smashing him backward across the floor of the dark chamber until he was hurled against the stone wall. The shaft of white shattered with the impact, fragments exploding in all directions. Shaken by the attack, Thelvyn was picking himself up when he saw that the object that had hit him had been a column of ice, which now lay scattered in shards across the floor.

Then another massive shaft of ice struck him, blasting him backward against the wall even harder than before. A third column of ice struck him, then another. Spears of ice continued to crash against him and the surrounding wall, like a hail of heavy stones from an army of ballistae, until the stones of the wall itself began to crumble and collapse about him. Thelvyn clawed his way desperately out of the rubble, pushing aside broken stones and emerging moments later from the top of the dusty wreckage.

He had been rather shaken by that last assault. He moved slowly at first as he climbed out of the debris and paced back out into the vast chamber to confront his enemy, his back and neck arched in challenge. The Overlord was watching him in growing rage, but Thelvyn also noticed a hint of fear.

"What are you?" he demanded. "What manner of creature have you become?"

Thelvyn had no intention of answering, but he would not have had the chance in any event. In the next moment, bolts of lightning streaked down from the dark clouds through the gaping hole in the ceiling to strike him. For a time, he could only crouch low, his face turned down toward the floor to protect his eyes, enduring the deadly touch as fingers of lightning played across his back. Even as powerful as he had become, the unrelenting blast of such tremendous energy was unbearably painful. He knew that if he tried to run, the lightning would pursue him. And so he crouched, waiting for it to end. The flash of brilliant light was blinding, and the stones shook with the blast of thunder.

He was not even aware that the attack had ended until he realized that the darkness had returned and the last echoes of thunder were dying away. He lifted his head slowly and beheld a remarkable scene. The hail of raw lightning into the depths of the chamber had filled even the vast space with a tremendous amount of power, burning away the air so that no mortal creature could have lived in that place. Wisps and streams of ghostly lights hung in the air like fog or crawled across the seared floor like mist, glowing in shades of red, yellow, and orange, filling the great chamber with an eerie radiance.

The Overlord stood in the midst of the thin clouds of fiery mists, his head raised high. The crests and spines of his grotesque armor shone with ghostly lights of their own, and he seemed to pulse from the power that he was drinking in, as if he thrived in the deadly environment. Now Thelvyn understood. The Overlord was so distracted with pleasure that he had just inadvertently betrayed his own deepest secret. It was the outer world that was alien to him, robbing him of his powers-warm sunlight and fresh, cool winds and green, growing things. He had nearly destroyed one world to protect himself from the lifegiving things that were like poison to him. Hiding himself in dark storms and deep, remote places like his strongholds renewed his strength.

The revelation told Thelvyn which of his weapons would be most deadly to such a creature. Lifting his head high, he summoned his powers as the Immortal Diamond. The pure, jeweled facets of his armor shone with blinding light, a pure, brilliant white that chased away the ghostly lights that played in the darkness of the chamber. Then, standing tall on his hind legs, he seemed almost to explode in the radiant pure crystal light.

The Overlord flinched and drew back, desperate to shield his eyes from the light. With nowhere to retreat, he tried to turn the heavy armor of his back toward the blinding brilliance, as if the light itself caused him tremendous pain. The white radiance began to cut into him with each passing moment, shredding his substance and tearing it away like scraps of paper. Diamond released a final sustained flash of intense light, and the massive, grotesque body of the Overlord dissolved in the glare.

But even that was not yet the end of the Overlord. Floating in the air where his body had been was the source of his will and power, the true self he had kept hidden inside the shell of the Overlord. It didn't even seem alive. What Diamond saw was a strange, utterly alien entity of crystal, bristling with quartzlike spikes of rose and gold and blue and green. This was a creature of the most remote of the outer planes, where all things were utterly different from the familiar life of the mortal realms. Long ago it had wandered through the planes, whether by chance or by misfortune or by deliberate choice, coming at last to a world where its unearthly powers had made it seem like a god. But mortal life was deadly to it, so it had been forced to create the protective form of the Overlord in which it could hide.

The pure light of Diamond's very being was destructive to it. The crystal structures of its being began to grow cloudy and pale, cracking and crazing. Then the dying shell exploded, and thousands of small lengths of crystal flew apart and scattered across the floor of the chamber, where they evaporated like mist.

Diamond subdued his brilliant light, transforming himself once more to the manifestation of his mortal form, the Dragonking. The battle was done, and he realized now that the Immortals had chosen their champion wisely, for the pure diamond light of his very being had proven to be his most deadly weapon. Spreading his wings, he leapt into the air and flew up through the great hole that had been blasted through the fortress. As he emerged into the sky above, he employed his powers a final time to seal the chamber and transform it into the tomb of the Overlord. The vast stronghold shook and began to collapse. In moments, the chamber that had been the

place of his final battle with the overlord was buried deep in a mound of crushed and broken stone.

Thelvyn turned and flew back toward the mountains of the east. There was no longer any need for haste All the creatures and objects sustained by the will of the Overlord weie now falling apart. The great worldgate sealed itself in a sudden flash of flame, while the last of the gemstone dragons fled into the wild. The Overlord's armies were now without direction, lost and frightened, and the strange beasts that had been enslaved to his will ran wild in an unfamiliar world.

For the moment, Thelvyn felt as lost and bewildered as any of the Overlord's former slaves. The purpose of his very existence had been fulfilled. For the first time in recent memory, there were no immediate challenges to face, no dire enemies to be fought, no sense of desperation driving him from one moment to the next. For the first time, his life was now his own. He hardly knew what to do with it.

Of course, there was still a large part of his world needing to be set right after the devastation of war. But that was a task he

would leave to others, for his time was drawing to an end.

The dragons sensed that Thelvyn had defeated the Overlord when they saw the fortress of storms begin to disperse, the lightning grow still, and the dark clouds blow off in the wind. But they had not truly dared to believe in their victory until the Dragonking himself returned out of the wilderness to assure them that their enemy was destroyed. That night they celebrated the triumph of their king in the mountains of the Wendarian Range. They hunted that afternoon and roasted the meat they caught in great, cheerful blazes, drinking from barrels of wine and ale their messengers had brought back from the Highlands and Darokin and other lands when they spread the news of the Dragonking's victory. It was the first time in their long history that the entire race of dragons had been brought together in celebration.

The dragons had more than enough to keep them busy over the next few days. The most immediate problem was what to do with an invading army of vast proportions that no longer wished to fight. The Masters had ceased to exist with the passing of the Overlord; they were now only gemstone dragons, not so terribly different from their estranged brethren. The moment they felt the death of the Overlord, they had become free of him forever. And so they had begun to timidly seek out the dragons even that first night, drawn by the lights of the fires of celebration. The Dragonking had pardoned them and called upon them to gather together their scattered numbers so that they could help to set right many of the troubles left from the invasion.

The Overlord's countless other slaves presented a much larger problem, and one that proved more difficult to solve. With the help of the gemstone dragons, the dragon sorcerers reopened the great worldgate to the main stronghold of the Overlord in his old world, and from there they were able to locate many of the lesser gateways into other worlds that had been invaded. In this way, many of the slave races of the Overlord had returned to their own worlds, homes that most of them had not seen in generations. There were some who could not be sent home, either because their worlds had been destroyed or the gates were lost. After some negotiation, many of the nations of the Grand Alliance agreed to take in these wanderers, so that they came to settle in the Highlands, in nearby Darokin and Traladara, and even in distant Alphatia.

The beasts were also a problem, not only in the mountainous west but also in places like the Highlands and Rockhome, where large numbers of them had escaped during previous battles. Most were of exotic breeds, too dangerous to be allowed to run free in this new world, and there was nothing else to be done but have the dragons hunt them down and slay them. Those that could be captured were returned to the worlds of their origin whenever it could be determined. Inevitably, some escaped into the wild despite the best efforts of the dragons.

At last the day came when the dragons had done all they could, and it was time for them to go home. Some departed for Windreach in the distant east, but most of the dragons would be returning to their own territories throughout the world. Thelvyn would soon be going to Windreach himself, but first he had to go to Braejr with his companions for a final meeting of the Grand Alliance. Marthaen and Jherdar had to leave for the east immediately to attend to responsibilities of their own, but Kharendaen would not be parted from her mate. Once again Sir George rode in the saddle she wore.

The Highlands had been greatly unsettled during the war, and Braastar stood partly in ruins, but the Flaem were joined by many of their kinsmen who had been held in slavery by the Overlord. Some other captive races settled there as well, and the newcomers worked very hard to rebuild their new homeland. Thelvyn met with the delegates of the Grand Alliance for the last time, thanking them for their assistance before dismissing them to return to their own lands.

Of course, no one but the dragons knew that Thelvyn was now the Immortal called Diamond; that was a secret they would keep to themselves forever. After his battle with the Overlord, he didn't resume his Immortal form but returned to his manifestation as a gold dragon. He was now a lesser Immortal and bound by the laws that governed the actions of the Immortals; soon he would be required to distance himself from the affairs of the world. He met that night for the last time with his companions in the lair at Solveig's house. Darius Glantri was there, as well as Korinn Bear Slayer and Perrantin, who had arrived by dragon that same morning to represent Traladara in the Grand Alliance. As much as Thelvyn regretted it, he couldn't allow even his old friends to know his secret, and so he didn't know what to tell them when they asked what he would do now and when he might return.

"Are you well?" Solveig asked Thelvyn as he reclined in the large bed, a barrel of sweet Flaemish ale beside him.

Thelvyn was surprised by the question. "Don't I look well?"

Solveig shrugged. "Actually, you do. That's the part I'm worried about, considering all you've been through these last few weeks. When you came here a few days ago after your adventures in the world of the Overlord, you looked nearly dead."

"Be assured that I am feeling very well indeed," he insisted. "For the first time, my life now belongs to no one but me. And

I have places to go."

"But first to Windreach," Sir George declared as he stared at a glass of his favorite cherry liqueur.

"Are you going along as well?" Korinn asked the old knight.

"I have asked Sir George to come with me," Thelvyn said. "Perhaps this will be our last journey together. We will see."

"Well, I've been keeping you out of trouble this long," Sir George said, a remark that caused the dragons to twitch their ears.

"Just don't forget your other friends," Korinn declared. "At least now, for the first time in all the years I've known you, I won't have to be worrying about you."

"We've all spent enough time worrying about Thelvyn to last a lifetime," Solveig said. "For such a strange, awkward kid, you've turned out to be quite a handsome dragon."

Early the next morning, the two dragons collected Sir George and departed for the east. They wandered a bit on their way, checking to see that all the damage from the invasion of Rockhome was in the process of being repaired. The rains of late spring had done much to restore the blackened steppes of the Ethengar to their familiar green. The herds were gradually returning, and the clans of the Ethengar would soon return from their exile in the mountains of northern Rockhome.

The return of the Dragonking to Windreach the next day was a matter of great celebration. The dragons feasted him and his companions all through the night. The next morning he presented himself to the Parliament of the Dragons, for he knew his time to leave was at hand. He formally introduced himself as Diamond, the new dragon Immortal, who had been sent back into the world to guide and to protect the dragons, and he briefly assumed his Immortal form to prove his statement. He explained that finally the prophecy of the dragons had been fulfilled, not as they had feared but with the hope of lasting peace for the future for dragonkind. He added that he would no longer be their king; the Parliament of Dragons would govern their affairs, and he would only be an advisor.

He tried to give the Collar of the Dragons back to them, but the parliament refused to accept it and asked him to continue to hold it in trust. Marthaen explained that the dragons had already discussed the matter, and it was their wish that Thelvyn should always hold the title of Dragonking in honor of the great battle that he had fought for them.

That night the dragons feasted the Dragonking a second time, after which they went out into the mountains of Nor-wold to sing. In the past, the dragons had sung their ancient songs on special nights of the year, such as midwinter night and midsummer night, but they had lost heart for the old festivals when the Great One had left them some three decades earlier. Now they felt like singing once more.

This was something very new for Thelvyn, who didn't know any of the ancient songs. He listened with delight as the dragons sat back on their haunches, looped their tails about their legs, lifted their long necks high, and sang to the stars. The song of the dragons was legendary, even among other folk, for dragons had very strong, clear voices, and their great chorus would ring through the mountains on a clear night, carried on the wind for great distances. Elves would walk hundreds of miles to hear them, and weep with joy at the sound.

They built great bonfires on the remote plateau where they gathered, and they brought out barrels of wine and large, deep drums to keep time while they sang their livelier songs. To the surprise of all, it was Kharendaen herself who was the first to dance. Everyone was even more impressed to see how well she danced, for she was young and strong, and very lean and graceful. She rose up on her long hind legs with her wings half furled, bending and swaying between quick, prancing steps in time with the rhythm of the drums. The gold and tan patterns of her armor seemed to shimmer in the dancing firelight, and her large eyes glittered. Watching her, Thelvyn was proud that her love was given to him.

"There has never been another like her," Jherdar said in admiration. "Cleric and warrior. Wise and fierce, brave and beautiful. Only an Immortal could be worthy of her."

Sitting close to his own mate, Daresha, Marthaen smiled in wry amusement. "My little sister has grown up."

Sir George had brought out a bottle of cherry liqueur from his pack, which he now lifted in salute. "To the best dragons that ever lived!"

"Who is that?" Jherdar asked, staring down at him.

"Why, the whole damned lot of you, of course," the old knight declared. "I hope you're all proud of yourselves, because you've earned it."

"You make us sound like heroes," Jherdar laughed, but then he paused and looked more serious. "I regret that many of our actions from the start were nothing to be proud of. We look at things quite differently now."

"That's what the Great One wanted most of all," Thelvyn said. "He would tell you not to regret your mistakes if you haye learned from them."

"Then you forgive us for the grief we caused you?" the red dragon asked.

"I forgave you long ago," Thelvyn said. "Actually, getting to knock you around when I first became Dragonlord made me feel a lot better."

Jherdar laughed. "The only fight I ever had that I'm happy to have lost. But since this night seems to be for handing out praise, there is another who should not be overlooked. First Speaker, what honor do we have for the prince of drakes?"

Marthaen turned his head to look at the old knight. "I hereby proclaim Sir George Kirbey a Fellow of the Parliament of Dragons. At special times, he will be brought to Windreach to speak before parliament on behalf of the dragon-kin. And if Sir George Two-Hands would be gracious enough to give us the hook that he wore for so long, it will be given a place of honor among the treasures of the dragons in the Hall of the Great One."

"That's a bit much praise for me," Sir George remarked. "But I think I will accept it all the same, since it's high time for the dragons to stop overlooking the dragon-kin."

"We promise," Marthaen assured him. "We will never forget that you were there to protect the Dragonking when the dragons refused to."

They sat in silence for some time as they watched Kharendaen dance. She seemed tireless, and she gave the dragons a dance they would not soon forget. Finally she left the firelight, and others took her place as she walked over to sit down close beside her mate. They rubbed their muzzles together softly.

"When are you going to lay that egg?" her brother asked her.

Kharendaen lifted her ears in alarm. "You know about that?"

"You smell pregnant," Marthaen said in jest. "Actually, Thelvyn spoke of it to the Great One that last night in the west. I am pleased the Dragonking will leave an heir among us."

"I appreciate your offer to raise our child in Windreach where she belongs," Thelvyn said. "Kharendaen and I have much to do."

Kharendaen turned her head to look at him, and there were tears in her large eyes. "I thought you had to leave us."

Thelvyn placed his hand gently on her neck, just below her ear. "You've been at my side almost every moment since I first became the Dragonlord, sharing every danger and hardship. I could not leave you behind now."

She settled close against him, and he held her tightly. After a moment, he looked up at his companions. "I must leave now. As you know, the Immortals are not permitted to act directly in the mortal world. An exception was made in my case in order that I could defend you against great danger. But now the old balance must be restored."

"But you will be back," Jherdar said, looking sad.

"I will return to you often," Thelvyn promised. "But from now on, my part will be only to observe and advise, for I still have my mandate from the Great One to help the dragons discover their destiny. But the Great One has allowed me to select four companions among the gold dragons to serve and assist me, once they have proven Themselves worthy of such a duty. You must admit that no one has proven herself more worthy than Kharendaen."

"That leaves three more companions," Sir George remarked, looking rather pointedly at Marthaen. "Perhaps there are likely candidates who wish to volunteer."

"My place is here," Marthaen insisted, frankly alarmed at the suggestion.

"I agree," Thelvyn said. "And since you believe in the dragons the way I do, you will best serve me here. Still, there is no hurry to decide anything."

They sat in silence for a time, watching the lively dancing of the young dragons. The conclusion of their labors was at hand and difficult times were behind them, but the end had turned out not as sad as they had anticipated. They were content.

"What about you?" Thelvyn asked Sir George. "If you plan to return to your former life of adventure, then I'm going to have to spend every free moment I have worrying about you."

"Adventure?" Sir George asked. "I'm merely an old dealer in antiquities, mind you. But I think the time has come for me to go home. I've been living among dragons quite long enough. It leaves me dizzy and confused, and I need to be comfortable for a while. I am only a dragon-kin, and I feel rather out of place among true dragons."