"Be careful," Marthaen warned him. "Until you break their influence, the Masters are going to know where you are and what you are doing. You will be most vulnerable to them at that time."
"Didn't you say the dragon-kin are immune to their influence?" Jherdar asked.
"We thought so at first," Kharendaen answered. "The Masters made no attempt to control any of us when we were in their world. But they did control the renegade, Murodhir."
"I suspect that the Masters had the Fire Wizards trap him somehow," Thelvyn added. "I'll have to be wary of traps as well."
They all fell silent again as they filed out the main door of the Hall of the Great One, descending the broad steps down into the court paved with large, smooth stones. Thelvyn lifted his head and sniffed the cool morning air. The sun had not yet begun to climb above the rim of the crater, and the city remained in deep shadows. He saw a few dragons drifting on the morning wind above the towering buildings and halls of Windreach, their smooth white stone still appearing pale gray in the shadows. Other dragons could be seen sitting or reclining on the ledges of their lairs along the inside wall of the old volcano.
"I know you need me here," Thelvyn said, turning back to the others. "We'll be back in just a few days, I promise you."
He crouched low and then leapt into the air, his wings snapping out and catching the wind with long, quick strokes. Within a couple of moments, he had gained enough speed to turn and begin to circle while he waited for his mate to join him. Kharendaen moved in close beside him, and they turned to fly westward over the city, building speed before they began to ascend in a wide spiral as they climbed over the outer wall of Windreach. They were just coming over the ragged edge when they moved into the morning sun, warm and bright above the ragged expanse of white clouds that hid most of the wilderness of Wendar far below.
By leaving early in the morning, they hoped to reach Braejr about two or three hours after nightfall. It was a long, difficult flight, especially since they had made the same journey in the other direction only a couple of days earlier. The two dragons had eaten their fill of venison and warm bread before they left, so they shouldn't be hungry.
Thelvyn had to admit that he would have liked a little more time to explore Windreach, having had only a portion of the previous afternoon to look about the city. He found that he liked the company of dragons more than he thought he would, at least now that they were coming to think of him as something other than their deadly enemy. Indeed, dragons of every breed were now eager to serve and to please him, even if most of them had still had to hide an almost instinctive fear of him. He even had his own lair now, not in the outer ring of the city but high in the towers of the Hall of the Great One, near the lairs of the clerics of his order. In fact, his accommodations were quite kingly, with an entire suite of apartments and young dragon clerics and one of the Eldar at hand to serve him and his mate.
Now that Thelvyn was more or less officially recognized as Dragonking, he was beginning to feel the weight of that responsibility, just as when he had been the king of the Highlands the previous summer. He didn't much feel like the lord and master of a nation as much as he felt like what he had always been, a defender. He saw his duties as the Dragonking as being not very different from what he had known as the Dragonlord, except that he now had far greater authority to direct others in assisting him. He certainly wasn't about to attempt to rule the Nation of Dragons himself, even if that authority seemed to be inherent in his rights as the Dragonking. He had already made it clear that he expected the parliament to retain its authority as the governing body of the
Nation of Dragons, although he would now become a pan of the parliament.
He appreciated the enormity of the task before him, arranging the defense of his world against an enemy even the Immortals feared. Having convinced the dragons to follow his leadership, he now had to convince all the other nations of the world to defer to him as well. He felt daunted to have to begin his reign as the Dragonking in such dire times, but that was the nature of his duty, the chosen defender in a time of desperate need. Becoming the Dragonking had never been intended as a gift that was his to enjoy, but a grave responsibility that he had been born to fulfill.
Night had long since fallen when the two dragons descended over the city of Braejr. Thelvyn led the way down, trusting in his developing sense of direction, and he landed quietly in the dark street just outside Solveig's house. He had hoped to avoid disturbing any griffons that might be stabled in the warehouse. There was indeed a griffon in the stables, and it made a few angry noises as the dragons landed, but nothing compared to what had occurred on earlier occasions. In fact, their arrival had so quiet that Solveig didn't come out of the house to investigate until they were almost finished removing their saddle and harness. Darius Glantri joined her a moment later.
"Have you finally moved in here?" Thelvyn asked the young Thyatian.
"No. Actually, I've been waiting for you to return," Darius explained. "I expect that you have a great deal to tell us."
"Far more than you could have ever expected," Thelvyn said, pausing a moment to leave his sword and harness in a safe place before he changed form. Only a dragon could have lifted that sword. "But we can talk about it inside. We've spent the entire day in flight, and we could use some hospitality."
"Yes, of course," Solveig agreed, hurrying to assist Sir George with his travel bags. "Let me give you a hand."
"I appreciate the thought, but you're actually too late for that," Sir George said, showing her his newly acquired left hand.
"My word," Solveig said, obviously surprised. "How did you manage that?"
"As it happens, it was a gift from the Great One for having made myself so useful to the Dragonking."
Solveig led them into the den and had Taeryn fetch something from the kitchen. She even located a bottle of cherry liqueur for Sir George in the cabinet. He was greatly pleased, complaining that the real problem with a life of adventure was being required to do without so many civilized comforts. He had actually enjoyed a great many comforts while in Wind-reach, since the Eldar had been pleased to fetch anything that the companion of the Dragonking wanted, but there had been no cherry liqueur.
"Then you did succeed in finding the Collar of the Dragons?" Solveig asked impatiendy as soon as everyone was seated.
"Oh, yes. We finally found the collar," Thelvyn said. "I left it in the care of the dragons for now."
"Was it where Alessa said it would be?"
"Yes, it was," Thelvyn answered guardedly. "However, she sent us right into a trap. Fortunately for us, the trap was sprung a little too soon. We were able to find the collar and escape, although we had to fight for it."
"A trap?" Solveig was obviously confused and concerned. "Alessa set a trap for you? Is she working for the traitor wizards?"
"We discovered who was behind the attacks throughout this part of the world a few nights ago. They control Alessa's mind and will, just as they controlled Byen Kalestraan before her. In fact, before the Flaem came into this world, the entire race were their slaves."
Thelvyn saw that it was time for some detailed explanations of all they had discovered during the last few days, although he was satisfied to leave the tale for Sir George to tell. He felt the old knight related the events of their battles with the gemstone dragons in overly heroic terms, but he resisted the temptation to interrupt. Both Solveig and Darius saw the full implications of what they had learned. They looked very concerned, and even a bit frightened.
"Well, that certainly explains a lot," Solveig remarked when she had heard the full account. "I suppose the first thing to do is to send the city guard to arrest Alessa and the other senior wizards before they can disappear."
"No, I want to wait on that," Thelvyn insisted. "The Masters don't regard Alessa as an ally but as a slave, a resource to be exploited for as long as she might be useful and then tossed aside. They'll undoubtedly want her to discover everything she can about what I learned
about the Masters and what my plans are. With any luck, I might be able to use her to feed the Masters a little false information that might work to our advantage. Then I want to try to break their control over her, to see if she can tell us anything else that might prove useful."
"I'm willing to go along with whatever you want," Solveig agreed. "What are you planning?"
"I want you to call Alessa and Captain Geirstaan here for a meeting right away," he explained. "That might catch both Alessa and the Masters off guard. I'll tell the story you've just heard over again, except that a few details will be considerably different. I need for you to go along with it and act like you're hearing it for the first time. Then we'll see how Alessa reacts."
"Is there anything else we can do now?" Solveig asked.
"Are there any spare griffon riders available?"
"No, but at least one should return sometime tomorrow," Darius said.
"I'll need enough griffon riders to relay my message to every nation in this part of the world," Thelvyn said. "Even Alphatia. I want everyone to know who our real enemy is and that the dragons will help to defend them, but they'll also have to do everything they can to help themselves. I want representatives of each nation we contact brought here in a few days for a general council of war."
*****
Captain Geirstaan arrived in a matter of minutes, having ridden a horse from the gate stables, and Alessa came by carriage a short time later. She looked confused and uncertain, as if she had been caught off her guard. Thelvyn wondered if she was surprised by his sudden return, having expected that the Masters would have dealt with him. He also wondered if the Masters had bothered to tell her that he had evaded their trap and reclaimed the Collar of the Dragons. He thought his return to Braejr was an obvious next step, but apparently Alessa had not anticipated it.
He related the events of their recovery of the Collar of the Dragons through their escape from the world of the Masters and the destruction of the worldgate. He could hardly change that part of his tale, since the Masters would be familiar with those details. Even so, he was careful not to reveal just how much he had been able to infer about the Masters and their abilities from what he had seen. And the Masters would not know anything about his time in Windreach, or at least he hoped not. He had already considered the possibility that they had other dragons under their control, although that seemed unlikely. If they did control other dragons, the Great One probably would have been aware of it and told Thelvyn about it.
"Perhaps I was a fool to go among the dragons at once," he continued more slowly, as if he regretted this pan. "All I knew was that there was little time to prepare, and I needed the dragons to help me defeat these invaders. In any event, the dragons were not impressed. They have refused their assistance for now. Moreover, they forced me to depart, and they insisted that I leave the Collar of the Dragons with them. They may be planning to use the collar to nominate a Dragonking of their own choosing."
"They are fools," Kharendaen said in disgust, playing her own part to the hilt.
"But what can we do?" Solveig asked, catching on quickly.
"I'm not sure what we can do," Thelvyn said helplessly. "I still have the powers of the Dragonlord. I know the rest of the world doesn't trust me much more than the dragons do, but they need my help as much as I need theirs."
Darius shrugged in frustration. "All I can do is to send a griffon rider to Emperor Cornelius ifi the morning. If he's willing to offer his support, then messengers can relay your proposal to anyone who will listen."
"I think you can count on the Flaem to support you," Alessa offered, watching Thelvyn carefully. "Since it seems that Byen Kalestraan was in league with these creatures, it seems only fair that the Fire Wizards should do anything in their power to counteract his treachery."
"Now that you know what Byen Kalestraan was up to, does that give you any ideas where to look for more clues?" Thelvyn asked. "I know practically nothing about these Masters, so anything you might learn would be a great help."
"I can only try," she agreed, rising to leave. "If you will excuse me, I want to start searching at once. I'll do everything in my power to help, even if I have to stay at it all night and enlist every wizard at the Academy to help me."
Taeryn hurried to fetch her shawl and met her at the door of the den to escort her to her carriage. Sir George began to discuss possible plans with Solveig even before Alessa left the room. He had reasoned that it would help to make their meeting seem more natural. Alessa seemed to suspect nothing so far, and he wanted to keep it that way.
"That was easier than I thought it would be," Thelvyn commented when he finally heard the front door close. "I was afraid we might have to play out this game well into the night, but Alessa seems to be in quite a hurry to get home. Either she's planning to talk to the Masters right away, or they've been seeing and hearing everything she does and they want to instruct her before anything else can happen."
Captain Geirstaan looked up in surprise. He was the only one who was not in on the plan, but he could guess already that Alessa was suspected of being in league with the Masters.
"And now what?" Solveig asked.
"Now I have to follow her," Thelvyn said. "And I don't want to get too far behind, in case she does something unexpected. Sir George, I need your skills as a thief to get me into Alessa's apartment unseen."
"That should be simple enough," Sir George replied, rising quickly to accompany Thelvyn.
"I'll bring Alessa back here when I'm done," Thelvyn explained quickly. "For now, I think someone should fill in
Captain Geirstaan about what has been going on here."
Sir George came up with a simple plan for getting inside the Wizard's Residence of the Academy unchallenged. They would enter through the main door as unobtrusively as possible and walk through the corridors and up the stairs as if they belonged there. After all, they were all supposed to be friends and allies, and no one was likely to attack them or sound the alarm even if they were seen. Thelvyn was pleased they wouldn't have to skulk about like thieves. His Eldar form was no longer completely familiar to him, and he wasn't as agile as he used to be. Sir George pointed out that it was getting quite late, so no one was likely to be moving about in the dimly lit passages.
Thelvyn was concerned that there might be trouble when he tried to break the control of the Masters over Alessa. For one thing, they might force her to fight him. He was also concerned that they might try to control him as well, although he felt his powers as a cleric were probably enough to protect him. As both a dragon and the Dragonlord, there was little that the Fire Wizards could do to hurt him. His biggest concern of all was that the Masters might destroy Alessa rather than risk letting her go free, which would permit her to reveal any of their secrets she might know. When Thelvyn broke their contact with her, he would have to move quickly to protect her.
Sir George brought him unopposed and apparently unseen to the door of Alessa's chambers. The old knight stayed just long enough to pick the lock on the door before Thelvyn sent him away to guard the hall and do whatever he had to do to prevent anyone from approaching. There was too much danger that Sir George would himself be vulnerable to the control of the Masters, or to any vengeance they might force Alessa to take upon Thelvyn. It was safer for Sir George and better for Thelvyn that he kept his distance.
Thelvyn listened at the door for a moment, certain that he heard voices speaking softly somewhere inside. Cautiously opening the door just a crack, he paused a moment more to listen. He could hear Alessa's voice and also that of someone else, a soft voice that almost purred in a deep, throaty rumble, a voice he had learned to associate with dragons. But the strange voice also seemed dim and remote, muffled somehow, which was not surprising, since there could hardly have been a
gemstone dragon in the room.
Opening the door a little more, he looked inside. As he had expected, Alessa was alone. The room was fairly dark, the only light coming from a single lamp, b
eside which Alessa was standing still and motionless, as if staring out the window into the night. Her right hand was raised so that she was lightly touching a red jewel that was pinned to the breast of her wizard's robe. Thelvyn couldn't see it clearly, since she was turned mostly away from him, but he recalled that it was a wizard's token, a cheap broach made from what appeared to be colored glass. She had been speaking, her own voice lifeless and remote, and then the strange voice answered her from out of the very air somewhere near her. To Thelvyn, it seemed as though it were speaking inside his head somehow.
There is no cause for alarm, the voice was telling her. You have done your best. It was not your fault that he escaped our trap.
"It is my duty to serve," Alessa said. Her voice was flat and emotionless, and Thelvyn could not tell if her words were intended as a promise or a plea.
Unfortunately, your service to us must come to an end, the unseen speaker continued. I thought they had no suspicion of your involvement, but it seems I was wrong. The only way that you can serve me now is by preserving my secrets."
Thelvyn understood what that meant, having seen wizards put to death so that they could not betray the Masters. He knew that he would have to move quickly. He had planned to find some magical way to break the hold the Masters had over Alessa, but now he decided, like Sir George, to use a much simpler solution. Several years ago, Sir George had taught him a spell, a form of protection that he had never found a use for because it required him to be in physical contact with the person he wanted to stun. Moving with the quickness and grace of a trained swordsman, he leapt across the room and grabbed Alessa by the neck. At the same moment, he uttered the words to the spell. She collapsed into unconsciousness, never even aware of his presence.
Not trusting that the spell would be enough to isolate Alessa from the command of the Masters, he took hold of the jewel and ripped it free of her robe. At the same time, he flooded the jewel with his own will, forcing back the presence that occupied it until he was able to employ another spell to isolate the crystal from all other magical influences. The pale light inside the red crystal flared brilliantly for a moment, then died quickly as he clutched it in his hand.
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