The incident's significance didn't escape Thelvyn. He had seen clearly that the dragons had been a pair of young reds under the lead of a mature gold.
"That was exciting," Solveig breathed.
Sellianda turned to Thelvyn, looking concerned. "Did you notice that they were led by a gold dragon?"
He nodded slowly. "I saw. I've always said I would know that war has become inevitable when the gold dragons became involved. And now that they've taken their first look at Braejr, we can be certain they'll begin moving their forces closer very soon now."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Marthaen rode the gentle winds of evening as he sailed slowly over the wooded lower slopes of the Colossus Mounts. Darkness was already deep enough that he could see the faint glitter of the lights of the Flaemish city of Braastar well to the west. Banking sharply, he turned east toward the black shapes of the mountains. He was harboring thoughts of a warm dinner, perhaps the only comfort to be found in the wilderness.
Complete stealth was no longer as important now that he had been allowing some of the patrols to show themselves deliberately, but he still didn't want the Flaem to know the true size of the forces that had been gathered against them. Dragons had been gathering from throughout the continent of Brun in response to his summons, until there were now nearly two thousand in the mountains surrounding the Highlands. Marthaen didn't know how long they might have to wait, so he had kept them in reasonably small bands so they wouldn't hunt all the game in any one area.
A large part of his forces were in the Colossus Mounts, a rugged cluster of towering peaks where the men of the Highlands did not go. Hundreds of dragons could lose themselves in the maze of towering peaks and long, steep ridges. He weaved his way through several deep valleys until he saw several fires in the distance. As he approached, he circled the camp briefly before descending to land in a clear area of the wooded slope. He moved aside as the two gold dragons who served as his bodyguards landed after him, the broad sweeps of their wings lifting clouds of dust and dry pine needles.
At least the nights were cool here in these remote, high mountains. He walked through the camp until he came to a sheltered place amid trees and great boulders, where the red dragon Jherdar was tending a fire. Some small animal was roasting on a spit over the fire while Jherdar was quietly dining on a second, sitting up on his haunches and holding it on a spit of wood in his hands.
"What do you have for dinner?" Marthaen asked.
"Roasted sheep," the red dragon said, holding up his partially devoured dinner. "I saved the little one for you."
"Sheep again?" Marthaen settled back on his haunches and reached for the one still on the fire. "Is there nothing but sheep in these mountains?"
"Most of this range is too steep and rugged for elk and deer," Jherdar explained. "That's why this place is unpopular with dragons, as nice as it seems otherwise. Did you tell me that Kharendaen used to do most of her hunting here?"
"It must have been in the forests below the mountains," Marthaen said, sniffing at the slightly burned meat. "Hunting should be better very soon now. I believe the time has come for us to begin our siege of the city before any more of their army can arrive."
"We've waited a long time,".'Jherdar commented.
"It has suited my purposes to keep them guessing about our intentions, letting them wonder if they dare to hope. Now we'll trap them in their hole and let them spend some time wondering when we plan to attack."
"Lord Marthaen!"
The great gold dragon lifted his head at the sound of a voice, looking back over his shoulder. Although he hadn't even been aware of the arrival of a messenger, he saw that a young gold dragon was approaching his camp, still breathing heavily from a long, hard flight. He set aside his dinner, then rose to stand before the young dragon.
"I have just now come from Windreach," the messenger explained, still panting for breath. "The Alphatians have broken the treaty and are invading Norwold in great strength. A fleet of ships five hundred strong has been seen approaching the Great Bay. Gheradaen has sent word that a part of the army of the dragons must return at once if we hope to repel this invasion before the Alphatians can return to their abandoned strongholds."
"Five hundred ships," Marthaen said to himself, unsure just how many men that meant. "Are these invading ships all war galleys, or are some of them supply ships?"
"I have not seen them myself. I do not know," the young dragon admitted.
"What difference does it make?" Jherdar asked. "It's bad news either way."
"It would tell me something of how they expect to fight," he explained. "If they are sending mostly galleys, they can only make a quick attack before they run short on supplies. If they are bringing in ships full of supplies, perhaps they mean to dig themselves in at their former strongholds. Was that the entire message?"
"Only that they will probably need another two days if they mean to make landfall in the back of the Great Bay."
"Rest by the fire and eat," Marthaen told him, indicating his own dinner. He turned and walked away slowly, passing aimlessly into the darkness. After a moment, he noticed that Jherdar had remained close at his side. "They must have heard of our present conflict with the Flaem, and they saw that as a chance to return while our greatest strength is away here in the west."
"Treacherous weasels," the red dragon remarked in dark fury. "Not that we can't handle them. If we can catch their ships still at sea, dealing with them would be more like sport than battle. But how will it affect your plans concerning the Dragonlord? Do you think it best to deal with the problem here first?"
"Do they think that we cannot return to the east?" Marthaen said irritably, pausing a moment before looking back at his companion. "What do the Alphatians hope to gain? They amaze me at every turn."
"At least the Dragonlord is reassuringly predictable," Jherdar agreed.
"Unfortunately, I'll need some time to deal with the Dragonlord," Marthaen continued, sitting back on his haunches to consider the problem. After several long moments, he arose, his mind made up. "This is our plan. We will deal with both of our enemies in their own best time. You must leave at once for the east, taking half the dragons with you. Your task will be to destroy the Alphat-ian invasion fleet as quickly and completely as you can, with as little risk as possible to our forces. When you are done, return here at once."
"I will not be gone any longer than I can help it," Jherdar promised.
"I will gather together the remaining dragons here," Marthaen said. "As soon as we get organized, I will besiege Braejr and keep the Dragonlord occupied until you are able to return with the rest of our forces. Unfortunately, it will cause some delay in our plans here."
"The Flaem will have time to prepare for a siege," Jherdar said.
"It cannot be helped," the gold dragon said, then shook his head slowly. "Not that it matters. It was never my intent to fight the Dragonlord in battle anyway."
Jherdar hurried away to send out the summons for half the dragons to join him in the east. Marthaen was left alone, still lost in his own thoughts and concerns. The matter of the Alphatians did not greatly change his plans. He knew how to deal with the Dragonlord, and a delay did not make any real difference.
He didn't like to see the dragons forced to resume their war with the Alphatians. Just the same, it might yet work to his advantage. Once the dragons had destroyed much of the Alphatian navy, the nations of the west might be tempted to descend upon weakened Alphatia like wolves moving in for the kill. An invasion of Alphatia might help
divert the fear and mistrust of the western nations that the
dragons would earn by defeating the Dragonlord.
*****
The dragons began to make their presence known over Braejr by the next morning. One or two would fly in slow circles over the supply trains streaming in from the north, or else they would settle themselves to watch in some high place where they could be seen clearly. Their actions caused a certain amount of panic
at first as the soldiers guarding the wagons and the mounted catapults would prepare furiously for battle. Soon it became obvious that the dragons had no intention of attacking yet, although they were always close at hand. The soldiers tried their best to ignore the dragons, and eventually came to take the great creatures almost for granted.
Dragons were seen over most of the cities and towns of the Highlands, and at Braejr they soon became hard to ignore. At first they were content merely to fly over the city, but late in the fourth day they began to gather in the lightly wooded hills beyond the fields to the north of the city. There were dozens at first, but within a couple of days, at least several hundred dragons had gathered. At night, the blazing fires of their camps could be seen from atop the city walls. Thelvyn had expected the dragons to close off all access to Braejr as soon as their numbers were sufficient to enforce their will, and yet they did nothing to interfere with the steady stream of supply trains from the north.
That left Thelvyn with the difficult problem of trying to figure out what they were planning. Their lack of an aggressive response seemed to make no sense, especially considering that they had every advantage. He thought at first that their strategy was nothing more than a gesture of contempt, demonstrating a complete lack of concern for the Highlands defenses. Then he recalled Sir George explaining how much the dragons feared the Dragonlord, and he began to wonder if they were trying to bait him into making some ill-advised move. He knew his position would be less strong if he went out to meet them.
Soon the last of the supply trains arrived, and the north gate of the city was closed for the final time. Catapults were now stationed along the wall of the city every few yards; more had been set up throughout the city in such a way that they could shoot upward and turn quickly to track a dragon in flight. There were also companies of archers along the wall and in many of the towers and other high parts of the city. The archers, of course, would be far less effective than catapults except at extremely close range. The elves of the southern Highlands had sent even more archers, whose skill with their bows was such that even a dragon dared not approach them too close.
There were dragon encampments in the hills north of Braejr and also on the other sides of the two rivers east and west of the city. When Thelvyn went up on the wall to inspect the defenses, he became distracted watching the dragons. Although their numbers were impossible to count, there were at least a thousand in all. They filled the sky in all directions during the day as they passed back and forth into the hills to hunt, and at night their fires encircled the city. They had shown remarkable restraint so far, refraining from destroying the abandoned farms surrounding Braejr.
"They're playing with us," Thelvyn commented as he stood at the parapet with Sir George, watching the dragons.
"I hate to say it, but I'm beginning to think you're right," Sir George conceded. "That worries me, because I would have never anticipated the dragons would be that confident, knowing they have to face the Dragonlord. It leads me to wonder what they've got up their sleeves."
"They couldn't be planning to starve us out, could they?" Thelvyn asked suddenly.
"That many dragons?" the old knight responded. "They would starve themselves out first. You might have noticed that they have to fly to the mountains to do their hunting. Kharendaen had little trouble finding an elk or deer nearly every day, but that's changed now. Soon they won't be able fly far enough to find game and return. They'll turn to raiding the farms and villages for cattle and sheep. They won't eat horses or goats if they can help it. I would say by two weeks from now there won't be any edible game left within flying distance."
Whatever problems the dragons might be having locating food, they were willing to let the Dragonlord ponder the situation for another day. The only change in their tactics was that, with the arrival of the last of the supply trains from the north, they had cut off the city from any direct contact with the outside world. Anyone leaving was allowed safe passage, but no one else was coming into Braejr from the outside.
To his surprise, Thelvyn found himself strangely drawn to the dragons and watched them whenever he could. He had never thought much about the creatures beyond his almost instinctive fear of them, although he had always appreciated their remarkable grace and beauty. He found it ironic that he felt so close to them now, when in the coming days they might destroy him or vice versa.
For the first time, he began to understand the despair and fury of the dragons. He was more determined than ever that the lesson of the first Dragonlord should not repeat itself, yet in many ways that was not his decision to make. He was very much a servant to the dictates of his patron. His response would be by the actions of the dragons themselves, and he would fight only as long as they insisted upon fighting. He wouldn't hurt or kill a single dragon unless he must, but at the same time, he couldn't sacrifice the people of Braejr.
With that thought in mind, he spoke later with Sir George and Sellianda. Both were knowledgeable about dragons. Thelvyn didn't want the Flaem to get the idea that his concern for dragons made him any less concerned for their well-being. He was still the King of the Flaemish Realm, and he took that duty very seriously.
"I've been thinking a great deal about the possibility that I will have to fight the dragons," he told them as they paused a moment in his private chamber on their way to lunch. "I was wondering if either of you knew the best way to render a dragon helpless but not endanger its life."
Sellianda closed her eyes and sighed. Clearly the thought of slaying dragons bothered her as much as it did Thelvyn. "I think the best tactic would be to use the cutting force of your sword to rip through their wings. The most vulnerable part of a dragon is its wings, although the sails and ribs have the ability to completely regenerate from almost any damage. But that takes time; a dragon with damaged wings wouldn't be able to fly for at least a week or two. It would be a painful wound, considering that your weapon will be burning through their sails. You must be careful not to cut through the main bone, or part of the wing might be sliced off completely and the dragon will never fly again."
Sir George nodded. "That's what happened to me. I was attacked by assassins at a time when I lacked a proper weapon to defend myself, so I assumed my drake form. There were quite a few of the brutes, and one of them brought his sword down on the outside joint of my left wing. Only the Great One himself could give my wing back to me after that."
Thelvyn had never known how Sir George lost his hand, beyond the fact that he had been a knight of Darokin at the time. Still, he knew that in the fury of battle, it would be difficult not to injure more dragons than he intended. He would be inflicting tremendous pain under any circumstances, even if he tried to spare as many of their lives as he could.
He realized he should be more concerned about what the dragons might be planning to do to him. They certainly seemed confident, and he was sure they wouldn't repeat Byen Kalestraan's error in underestimating him. They had one obvious advantage. They had fought a Dragonlord before, one who had probably commanded even greater powers than he, and they had three thousand years to contemplate their mistakes. He couldn't help thinking they knew something about him that he was unaware of, some
hidden vulnerability that he had never suspected.
*****
The warning that the dragons seemed to be preparing for attack brought Thelvyn and his companions to the top of the city wall late in the morning, although they were a bit confused by what they found. The dragons didn't seem to be gathering for an attack on the city itself. Instead, their attention was directed to the woods on the east side of the river, just beyond the new stone bridge which crossed the Aalban. Many dragons were already on the ground, as if drawing a battle line, and scores of other dragons were either circling above or hurrying to join the effort to hold the bridge.
"They seem to be trying to prevent someone from crossing the river," Sir George remarked as he stared intently.
"Several thousand someones," Thelvyn said, t
aking in the distant scene with his keen eyesight. He smiled with wry amusement. "It looks to me as if the hordes of the Ethengar are coming to our rescue. I need to do something to help them out."
"I can have the griffon riders ready in minutes," Darius Glanti offered.
"There aren't enough griffon riders to take on that many dragons," Thelvyn told him, quickly considering his options. "You might have them standing by in case they're needed, but I'm the only one who has a chance to go out there and provide enough of a distraction to get the Ethengar over the bridge into the city."
Thelvyn hurried down to the palace stables where the horses for the messengers were kept, taking the only mount that was already saddled. The horse was unfamiliar with him and protested his presence, reacting with the curious fear that all horses seemed to have of him, but he was able to master it by his strength and force of will. Within a few short minutes, he had raced through the streets of the city and out into the fields beyond.
The dragons were still gathering to repel the Ethengar, trying to prevent them from gaining the bridge only a few hundred yards beyond the safety of Braejr's north gate. Thelvyn hoped to intervene quickly and scatter the dragons before they had the chance get organized, catching them by surprise and turning their fury upon him so the nomads could reach the safety of the city. He was glad to see that the dragons were continuing to act with restraint rather than openly attack, using their flames and great size and speed to try to frighten the Ethengar into giving up their attempt to reach the bridge.
Thelvyn had donned his armor at the outset, although the rather frightened horse seemed not to notice the extra weight as it bolted across the fields. The race to the bridge was a short one. When he reached the scene, he planned to release the horse, since he doubted that he would be able to fight dragons from the saddle. He kept hidden as much as possible behind a line of small trees that lined the road. He managed to come up behind a dragon without being seen. He brought the horse up onto the road at the base of the bridge, its iron horseshoes ringing on stone as horse and rider charged into the midst of their enemy.
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