Thelvyn had never tried to use his unique powers to create artifacts of magic, so he could only try his best and find out the hard way whether or not he could do such a thing. Setting one of the stones on the ground before him, he sat upright with his tail wrapped around his legs and closed his eyes while he opened himself to his inner powers. As he had once relied upon the enchantments of the armor and weapons of the Dragonlord, now he was learning how to make use of the unique powers that were the legacy of his remarkable heritage as the son of an Immortal who had briefly taken mortal form.
After some experimentation, he was able to convert the first stone into an artifact of magic. He began by making it the focus of an opening to a plane of natural magical force, like a well or spring where magic was drawn out at a controlled rate. This was the most difficult part, since without an actual knowledge of the many unseen planes of existence, he had to feel his way. His next step was to divert most of that native magic through a spell of his own that created a shield against the will of the Masters. Finally he set most of the spells of protection against magical tampering that he knew into the stone, so that it could also protect itself against any hostile magic used against it.
Thelvyn was able to complete only four of the ward stones before he needed time for his powers to recover, but he hoped to prepare more stones later that day. When he was done, dragons carried the stones out into the wilderness north of the city. The effect of the four stones was limited, but together they nearly doubled the power of the Radiance. That spared him the need to use his own spell of shielding when he should be working on other problems, and it also spared the need for the Fire Wizards to overtax the powers of the Radiance.
And that was all for the best, because Thelvyn now found himself in a race to find a way to fight the Masters before they defeated him. Not only did the power of their will gain slowly but steadily in strength, but also the army they were gathering at Braastar was obviously intended for an attack on Braejr. He knew he didn't dare attack the Masters in their own stronghold, so the most obvious tactic seemed to be for him to wait until the Masters moved against him, then strike swiftly and with overwhelming force. As far as he knew, he had enough dragons to deal with the two hundred or so gemstone dragons thought to be at the stronghold. But he would not easily be able to summon more dragons if he needed them; the Masters had made certain of that, attacking at random in many parts of the world so as to present a constant threat. Because of these attacks, he was forced to keep most of his own dragons scattered among other garrisons.
For the moment, the most immediate problem was finding a way to make certain that the people of Braejr were not in danger of falling under the control of the Masters, even if the siege came to the very walls of their city. If the Flaem were enslaved, the dragons and all other allies would be forced to abandon Braejr and, for all purposes, surrender all the Highlands to the domination of the Masters.
Late that morning, the dragon sorcerers asked to speak to the leaders in charge of the defense of Braejr, or at least those who were aware of the existence of the Radiance. For now, that meant Thelvyn, Kharendaen, Perrantin, Sir George, Solveig, and Korinn Bear Slayer. Marthaen had been elected to speak for the dragon sorcerers, while Alessa Vyledaar stood by in case she was needed.
"We've confirmed something the Fire Wizards always had strong reason to suspect," Marthaen began. "We've located the source of the Radiance. We know that it's a magical artifact or device of some type located far below the city."
"Is it a Blackmoor device?" Thelvyn asked.
"That would seem the most obvious answer," the older dragon agreed. "We don't know that for certain yet, but I can't think of anyone else except the dragons who could have constructed an artifact of such power, and we know that the dragons didn't create it. The only part that mystifies us is the depth that thing is buried beneath the city. It doesn't seem possible for something to become buried so deep in three thousand years, even considering the effect of the Rain of Fire and the shattering of the world."
"That suggests it was put there on purpose," Sir George remarked. "If you wanted something to stay buried, the best place would be beneath the joining of two rivers. The city itself is almost a marsh in places."
"But the Masters could have it dug out if they're determined and resourceful enough," Marthaen said.
Thelvyn frowned, then glanced up. "I hate to speak of such things, but the problem must be faced. I'm not even sure if we can hold Braejr, and therefore I'm concerned that the Radiance could fall into the hands of the Masters. Can we destroy it, or perhaps force it to destroy itself somehow?"
"That may not be advisable," Perrantin interrupted. "I suspect that this is a Blackmoor device of great power. The elves who once inhabited this land found a similar device centuries ago. We know almost nothing about the object they found, except that they caused it to explode with such force that the northlands were devastated. The evil lands surrounding the World Mountain in the steppes were created as a distant result of that same explosion. I don't think we dare try to destroy the Radiance ourselves, or we may do worse damage to our world than the Masters could ever do. For that same reason, however, the Masters must not be allowed to capture the Radiance. I fear what they may do with such power, whether accidentally or deliberately."
Thelvyn considered that briefly and sighed. "I agree. Unless we come to understand the Radiance well enough that we can shut it down for all time without risk, then we must defend it at all costs. Unfortunately, that also means that the dragons might have to turn on the people of Braejr and either destroy them or expel them from the city if they fall under the control of the Masters. I'd rather send the Flaem away to the south before that happens."
Solveig nodded. "I've been thinking the same thing. Perhaps we should evacuate the people of Braejr while we can. Alessa, what do you think? If anyone should speak for the Flaemish people about this matter, it's you."
"The Flaem seem to be caught in the worst possible position," Alessa said bitterly, not looking up. "Now the dragons who came to defend us might have to destroy us in order to defend our world. Our protectors could suddenly become our enemies, and our true enemies could enslave us. But I agree. I would rather see the Flaem leave the Highlands than have them become slaves in their own lands. Until we can understand the Radiance enough to know that it can protect us, then we should begin evacuating the city. The Masters must not capture the Radiance, no matter what. I would rather lose it than have it used against us."
"I'm aware that this is an extremely hard and dangerous time for your people," Thelvyn assured her. "But why are the Masters so determined to possess the Radiance when its powers are so limited in range? Do they understand it better than we do, or are they ignorant of its limitations?"
"I cannot say," Marthaen answered. "Perhaps the Masters themselves came into our world and probed the secrets of the Radiance before they sent the Flaem here to guard it. I cannot guess what the Radiance can or cannot do, but I can say this: Our dragon sorcerers believe the Radiance can be made to reveal its secrets to us very soon, perhaps in only a matter of hours."
Solveig hurried to prepare for the evacuation of the city, and the boats and barges that had brought the refugees from Braastar once again made ready to take the people of Braejr farther to the south. If necessary, the Flaem could be sent on into Darokin, although they would need the protection of the dragons to safely pass the bands of orcs and goblins in the Broken Lands. It was also possible that the barges would not survive the rapids.
The race to find a way to defend the Highlands soon became even more desperate. That same afternoon, reports arrived that the invasion army being gathered at Braastar was already marching south, with the Masters accompanying their forces in great numbers to insure that their army was not harassed by the dragons. Their pace was difficult to guess, but the invaders seemed likely to arrive at Braejr and begin their siege some time on the fourth day of their march.
Now Thelvyn had some
difficult choices to make. With the Masters and their army moving out from their strongholds, they were now much more vulnerable to attack from the dragons. Thelvyn could attack at once in full strength and hope to defeat the Masters quickly, or he could organize a series of quick hit-and-run strikes designed to draw the Masters away from their army. Or he could simply wait, summoning all the dragons that could be spared from other lands to assemble an overwhelming force. The dragon sorcerers might unravel the secrets of the Radiance in the meantime and finally turn it into an effective weapon of magic.
He elected to discuss the matter with Marthaen, who had firsthand experience with what dragons could do in battle, since he had led the dragons in war against both Alphatia and the Highlands the year before. Marthaen had to admit that the problem was a difficult one, mostly because they could not accurately predict just what the Masters could do in battle. He pointed out that, unlike opposing the Dragonlord, fighting Alphatia had been relatively enough.
That reminded Thelvyn that he was still the Dragonlord, a fact he had been overlooking lately. The first Dragonlord and the Great One together had defeated the gemstone dragons once before, and Thelvyn possessed a combination of the powers of both. The Great One had never said he would lose the powers of the Dragonlord when he made the decision to remain in dragon form. He couldn't afford to overlook the tremendous powers he possessed as the Dragonlord.
For the time being, Marthaen agreed with Thelvyn that he should wait at least a day to give time for the invaders to move away from the protection of their strongholds in the north. Once the Masters and their army were well away from their strongholds, Thelvyn and the dragons would attack, cautiously drawing out and slaying the gemstone dragons a few at a time. If the invaders couldn't be stopped before they reached Braejr, then Thelvyn would probably assume the form of the Dragonlord and face the enemy in a final battle in the fields north of the city, where there would be no woods or hills to conceal the enemy from him.
"I would like to suggest one other alternative," Marthaen added. "My sorcerers have been working hard at probing the nature of the Radiance. They have been exploring it in visions, which seemed the best way to delve into its secrets without exposing their minds to traps or other dangers. They've been making significant progress, and they hope to know the nature of the Radiance and learn how to control it very soon."
"How soon will they know?" Thelvyn asked. "If I am to wait for the Radiance, I need to know that it will work by tomorrow morning. Otherwise, I must make plans that do not include its powers."
Marthaen nodded. "I understand. I will have your answer by morning."
In addition to his many other concerns, Thelvyn had to be careful that only his most trusted friends and advisors were aware of his true plans. He hadn't forgotten that there was a proven traitor somewhere in the city, a spy who had somehow relayed the details from his first meeting with the Grand Alliance to the Masters. He knew the spy must be a delegate to the meetings of the alliance, and he strongly suspected he was the representative from Alphatia. Thelvyn wanted to give the Masters the impression of being less prepared for battle than he actually was, a tactic that had worked well for him once before.
So far the only delegates who had left Braejr were Korinn Bear Slayer, Lord Derrick of Darokin, and King Celedril of Alfheim, who had returned to their own lands to prepare armies for the defense of the Highlands. The other delegates remained in Braejr for now, although they would most likely leave if a siege threatened. Thelvyn kept them informed of his plans, but only those matters he wanted them to know. If the Masters appeared to know only what he told the delegates, he would know for certain where his spy was hiding. At the same time, he hoped to be better prepared to face the Masters than they expected him to be.
Of course, he said nothing of the Radiance or made any suggestion that the dragons and the Fire Wizards were seeking special magic to defend the city. The Masters knew of the Radiance and possibly already knew more about its true nature than he did, and they could easily guess that he might be trying to find ways to use it as a weapon against them. He knew that he could not hope to be fully successful in tricking them, but he still hoped to give the impression that the dragons were having no luck in probing the secrets of the Radiance.
The dragon sorcerers were indeed making progress in understanding the Radiance. As he had promised, Marthaen came to the lair early the next morning to report all that he had learned so far. The discoveries of the sorcerers were so remarkable that both he and Alessa agreed that no one should hear what they had learned except a few who really needed to know. The only others admitted to their meeting were Kharendaen, Sir George, and Perrantin.
"At least we have a very good idea of what the Radiance is," Marthaen began. "I admit that we cannot completely understand what we have found, and perhaps we never will. As we had expected, the source of the Radiance is not an artifact of magic or a portal into another plane, but a great machine that generates tremendous amounts of power. Although it is similar to the devices of ancient Blackmoor, it is obviously alien in origin."
Thelvyn lifted his ears in surprise. "Could this be something that the Masters made for their own use long ago?"
Marthaen shook his head firmly. "The device is very old, older than the origin of the gemstone dragons. In fact, it predates even the dragons themselves. It might be a relic of the forgotten First Age of the world, the time of the civilization of the Eldar, before the coming of men and elves. And we suspect that it might not be from this world at all."
Thelvyn thought he had never seen Mage Perrantin look so pleased since they had first discovered the Citadel of the Ancients. The discussion of the Radiance excited his curiosity so much that he appeared ready to take a shovel and start digging for it. Thelvyn also wondered why Alessa looked so sullen and angry, even disillusioned.
"Can the Radiance do anything to help us?" he asked, wondering if that was the cause of her concern.
"I believe that it can," Marthaen answered. "One thing we have discovered is that the Radiance device, as powerful as it is, has only been waiting idly. It is capable of producing far greater power in service of anyone who can command it. The mortal wizards are unable to control the function of the device itself. They can only channel its powers into other forms of magic. But the dragons can control the device."
"And the Masters as well, no doubt," Sir George commented.
"Unfortunately so. We still dare not attempt to destroy it. We can at least shut it down, but it could easily be brought back to life again by the Masters if they were able to capture
it."
"But the dragons can use it to defeat the Masters," Alessa said. Thelvyn now understood the cause of her discontent. The Fire Wizards claimed the Radiance as their own, but they could never fully command it. Only the dragons could do that, which seemed to give them a claim as the rightful owners of the Radiance.
"We cannot defeat the Masters with the power of the Radiance alone," Marthaen was quick to explain. "The range of its power remains limited even to us. But we could use it to drive the Masters from the Highlands and prevent them from ever returning here. And that might be, the key to their ultimate defeat, since their plans for invasion seem to have been built around their control of the Flaem."
Alessa sighed deeply, apparently coming to some kind of a decision. "That's why I decided to surrender the control of the Radiance to the dragons, so that they can use it to protect us at a time when we cannot save ourselves. The people of Braejr are feeling the pull of the Masters very strongly now, in spite of the protection of the wards that the Dragonking has set, and it causes us great discomfort. I would not have my people suffer an hour longer than can be helped."
"We will do all that we can for you," Marthaen assured her. "If we can vanquish the Masters from the Highlands, they will never be able to return. Only one or two dragon sorcerers could then use the Radiance to keep all our lands secure from their influence."
Thelvyn looked up sudde
nly. "Are the Masters aware of your experiments with the Radiance?"
"They must be," the older dragon agreed. "When we manipulate magic of such proportions, they must surely sense it. And as our control of the Radiance grows, they will be aware of that as well. I cannot guess how they might respond to that, except that there is nothing much that they can do to stop us."
"How they respond is an important consideration," Thelvyn remarked, almost to himself. Then he saw the others watching him. "If they anticipate defeat, they might salvage what they can by retreating back through their gate at Braastar. Or they might still believe that common dragons are foolish and weak, no match for them even with the power of the Radiance. I don't know them well enough to anticipate an answer."
"They have proved to be very cautious and calculating so far," Marthaen reminded him. "I can only believe they will continue to be so. If they sense that we are using levels of magic that could be a threat to them, they will certainly proceed more cautiously, possibly even withdraw."
"Then we must respond accordingly," Thelvyn agreed. "I need to know when you plan to use the Radiance to break their power. At that time, I want to have somehow moved most of our dragons between them and their gate, and I will be there as the Dragonlord to face them. And no one in this city must be able to guess our plans."
"If they retreat, is it wise to stand in their way?" Sir George asked.
"We have to win battles, not avoid them," Thelvyn insisted. "We must try to avoid fighting the Masters when they have the advantage, but we must fight them when the advantage is our own. If we allow them to escape, they will only return at a time of their own choosing."
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