Dragonmage of Mystara dom-3

by Thorarinn Gunnarsson

  "Ambassador Serran?" he said.

  The Alphatian bowed to him, recovering some of his lost composure. "I understand that you were away for a few days, Dragonking."

  "Everything is going well," Thelvyn assured him. "However, there is something that I must discuss with you. A very urgent matter about someone that I met in my recent travels. Perhaps you have heard of him."

  Watching the ambassador closely to see how he would react, Thelvyn spoke the secret name of the Overlord. The Alphatian's expression remained blank, as if the name had no meaning to him at all. For a moment, Thelvyn began to wonder if his guess about the identity of their spy had been wrong. But then he noticed that the ambassador continued to stare with that curiously blank look, as if he had been stunned. The other Alphatians noticed that something seemed to be wrong with their leader, and they watched him with concern.

  "Ambassador Serran?" Thelvyn said softly. "Wake up, Ambassador. You might feel as if you've been asleep for a long time, but now your mind is once again your own. Are you familiar with the one whose name I spoke?"

  The Ambassador shook his head distractedly. "No."

  "It is the secret name of the Overlord. Can you say his name?"

  The Ambassador blinked. "I don't remember it."

  Thelvyn rolled his eyes, then moved his head forward and repeated the name quietly. The Alphatian blinked once more and repeated the name. Everyone watched him closely, but there was no obvious change in his condition.

  "Do you have a jewel of some type that the Masters gave to you?" Thelvyn asked. "A red jewel, perhaps? Why don't you show it to me?"

  The ambassador reached inside his jacket and brought out a red jewel attached to a light chain, to all appearances just like the jewel that Thelvyn had taken from Alessa Vyledaar some weeks earlier. It looked like nothing more than a piece of cheap glass, glowing with a pale red light that faded as soon as he took it out. Finally showing signs of emerging from his trancelike state, the ambassador removed the chain from his neck and held it up. Thelvyn reached out and took it carefully in one claw.

  "How many of your people have one of these?"

  Thelvyn had not spoken in a threatening manner, but suddenly the Alphatian turned pale and began to shake in fear. It was obvious that his terror was not directed toward the gold dragon; he was beginning to realize the truth of just how deeply he had been entrapped. "The Masters are careful not to enlist too many people to serve them. There are probably no more than a dozen people under their control in all of Alphatia."

  "That's not so many," Thelvyn said, sounding bright and reassuring, as if he were already in control of the situation. "What kind of promises did the Masters make to your people?"

  "They promised that we would be their lieutenants," Ambassador Serran explained. "They said that if we helped them conquer this world, they would permit us to rule it for them when the conquest is complete."

  "They probably said the same thing to the Fire Wizards," Thelvyn said. "What they didn't tell either of you is that the Overlord wants this world for his own. What were the Alpha-tians going to do for them in return? They expected more than your services as spies, I should think."

  The Ambassador shook his head helplessly. "The Alphatian fleet is already on the way, each ship transporting every soldier it can bear. If your battle with the Masters does not end quickly, then we will move our armies in behind your allies and attack them from behind, taking them by surprise. No one was to know that we were secretly allied with the Masters."

  "I figured that out a long time ago," Thelvyn told him. "I knew from the first meeting of the Grand Alliance that you were a spy. From the very first, I fed you false information that led the Masters into a trap. So even though you never suspected it, you've been able to help us considerably."

  "Can you save my people?" the Alphatian asked eagerly, almost pleading.

  "That should be simple enough." Thelvyn bent his head around to look at Marthaen. "Do you suppose we could find two or three competent young dragon sorcerers who could leave at once for Alphatia? The ambassador can accompany them and point out everyone who might benefit from knowing the Overlord's name. They in turn can convince the Alphatian army to help us rather than attack us."

  "Our people will fight alongside you once they hear of this, make no mistake," Ambassador Serran insisted. "Knowing now that he planned to deceive us, we have as much cause as anyone to hate the Overlord."

  The arrangements were made at once, although the Alphatian ambassador needed to stay long enough to attend the meeting of the Grand Alliance. He was concerned that the dragons should have as much support in fighting the Masters as the other nations could spare, and he wanted all the other delegates to know of Alphatia's complete devorion to the cause. Thelvyn was satisfied with the way things had turned out, but Alphatia's potential duplicity was one of the least of his concerns. Although he did not speak of it to anyone else, he was afraid the Overlord would order the deaths of the Alphatian spies rather than permit them to regain their free will.

  Thelvyn took advantage of the final minutes before the meeting to have a quick word with his companions. They withdrew to one corner of the garden while the delegates continued to arrive.

  "That was very reassuring," he told the others. "I've been concerned that our forces might be vulnerable to the will of the Overlord, the same problem we had during the invasion of the Highlands. Now we can be sure that anyone who knows the Overlord's secret name is protected from his influence. Besides that, we can apparently use his name to break his influence over his present slaves."

  "That's nice," Solveig commented, obviously uncertain that the tactic would be as useful as it seemed. "We could hire heralds to run up to their army shouting the Overlord's name, and that would be the end of the war."

  "I admit it won't be as simple as that," Thelvyn said. "But it will allow us to free any of the gemstone dragons we subdue rather than slay them. The Overlord permits them to believe they are willing servants so that they can help channel his powers, directing his vast armies of slaves far more efficiently than he could do alone. We can weaken him by taking apart his structure of command, whether we free the gemstone dragons or slay them."

  "At least now we have the absolute support of Alphatia," Sir George remarked.

  "I'll believe that when it happens," Thelvyn said. "The ambassador is making promises that are not his to make or keep, and the Alphatians might simply summon their armies back home. At least we won't have to worry about having them at our backs anymore."

  The meeting of the Alliance itself went smoothly. The delegates were not informed of the events of his nearly disastrous journey to the world of the Masters. They did know that a vast, powerful army was approaching from the wilderness of the northwest, and that the only thing standing between their enemies and their own lands was the dragons. The idea that dragons would be willing to fight in their defense was still new and strange to them. It helped to make them even more aware of their gratitude and their own obligations to the battle.

  Thelvyn elected to speak to them candidly on the subject of their defense against the invasion. He doubted very much that the dragons would be able to defeat the army of the Masters on their own. At best, he could only hope to slow the advance of the enemy long enough for the armies of the Grand Alliance to be brought into the Highlands, hopefully meeting the Masters in a final battle at the defensive line of the Wendarian Mountains. The dragons would be at their best advantage in the mountains, and it would be easier for the others to hold the passes rather than attempt to fight such an enemy in the open. He also admitted to his suspicions that the Overlord himself would come to complete his conquest of their world, especially if his army began to falter.

  The council concluded with unanimous pledges of support. Darokin already had an army on the way to the Highlands-indeed it was nearly there-as did Alfheim. And while there was no delegate from Rockhome present at this session, Korinn Bear Slayer had made arrangements for a force of
dwarvish fighters to defend the Highlands during the siege. They should arrive soon. Thelvyn still had no idea of what he could expect of the vast fighting force that was already on the way from Alphatia, but at least he could be certain they wouldn't join the enemy. He knew that the Ethengar were a scattered, defeated people, living in exile in the hills of northern Rockhome; he could expect no help from that quarter. Of the others, he could only wait and see.

  With such matters settled for the moment, Thelvyn was now eager to depart for the west and join his army of dragons. Time was now of the essence; he wanted to begin harassing the army of the Masters, making sudden strikes and retreating again at times and places of his own choosing. Somehow he had to slow the invading army and weaken it as much as possible, and a series of quick, relentless strikes would cripple the enemy most while sparing the strength and numbers of his own dragon warriors. His own job would be to seek out and defeat the leaders among the Masters, since he alone could dare to take on their most powerful fighters with little risk to himself.

  The final problem that he had to face before leaving Braejr was dealing with his old companions. Solveig looked unhappy, but her place was there in Braejr with the people she had a duty to lead and protect. Perrantin was already on his way back to Traladara, riding in the saddle of a dragon courier. Sir George looked adamant even before the subject of his going along was discussed.

  "We don't have a spare dragon you can ride," Thelvyn told him, approaching the matter cautiously. "All of our dragon saddles are being used by the couriers."

  "Well, I don't really need a saddle, do I?" the old knight retorted. "Thanks to the Great One, who in his infinite wisdom has foreseen that you need my help, I can now fly anywhere I want on my own."

  "You can't be expected to fight with dragons," Thelvyn insisted. "I know you would have rather been born a dragon, but even the Great One could not grant such a gift."

  "I may not be a dragon, but I am dragon-kin, and all dragon-kin have been summoned to this battle in the name of the Dragonking," Sir George countered. "Don't argue with me, lad. I was there when all this started, on the night you were born, and by the beard of Barenthesis, I plan to stay with you until the end."

  Thelvyn rolled his eyes, then nodded reluctantly. "Very well, then. Who am I to deny a worthy mandrake a chance to fly with dragons at least once? But if you have anything to pack, you must get it ready at once. And remember that anything you decide to take along, you will have to carry yourself."

  The last threat wasn't serious. Thelvyn knew full well that Sir George would need one of the dragons to carry his weapons for him. Although he had regained his power of flight, a drake simply didn't have the speed or the endurance of a dragon, and, even unencumbered, it would be all he could do to keep up. Thelvyn returned to the lair to collect his harness and weapons, which he now wore in addition to the Collar of the Dragons.

  Although he had spent the day warning his companions and allies that the coming battle could well be the final one, its outcome likely to decide the fate of their world, he hadn't had time to think much about that fact himself until their flight into the west. While he was by necessity a leader, he was not a general. He wanted to enter every battle with a reasonable certainty of winning. He wanted to know beforehand that most of the advantages belonged to him, or that he had done everything he could to turn the odds in his favor. Now that simply was not the case. He would have to probe his way through what seemed to be an insurmountable problem, winning all the small battles he could and running away from the others.

  If he worked at it very hard, if he avoided every mistake he could, and if he was very lucky, he might slowly but steadily turn the enemy's advantage to his own. But he remembered all that he had seen and learned in his journey into the world of the Overlord, and he knew that he was not likely to win this war. He was afraid the dragons would have to pay a fearful price even if they did win. He couldn't forget how their race had nearly been destroyed the last time they had fought the Masters. While he had been made Dragonking for the express purpose of defeating the enemies of his world, he still felt that he had a duty to defend the dragons from danger. He must not let them spend their lives recklessly to help him fight his own battles. He wished there was some way he could send them home and fight the war alone.

  The first part of their journey was a fairly short flight to the western mountains of the Wendarian Range, just beyond the borders of the Highland Frontier. Marthaen had been gathering all the dragons of the world in this region, scattering them in a line from the Highland Range to the south to the hills and forests of the north. They were spread out just enough to give each dragon adequate range for hunting, but even so they would need to move on soon before they depleted all the local game. The irony to Thelvyn was that these were the same mountains where the renegade dragons had once pursued his mother to her death, fearing prophecies they did not understand.

  The leaders of the dragons had made their main camp in the deep, soft grass of a meadow on the western side of the mountains. The afternoon was fading quickly toward evening by the time Thelvyn arrived, in spite of his efforts to conclude his business in Braejr as quickly as possible. Because there was so much to do and so little time to do it, he was planning to make a brief stop and continue on to the west at once.

  "Do the dragons know what has happened these last few days?" he asked Marthaen as they descended toward the meadow, preparing to land.

  "They don't know the specific events of your journey," Marthaen told him. "I sent word only that you had returned safely. So far they know only where you went and why."

  As they landed in the meadow, Thelvyn was rather surprised to see all the dragons hurry to gather around him. He supposed they were pleased to see that he had not abandoned them to fight their enemies alone. He did look very much the part of the Dragonking, now that he was once again wearing the collar as well as his harness and weapons. He couldn't help feeling gratified to be the object of their appreciation, especially when he recalled how strenuously they had rejected him when he had appeared before the parliament only a few weeks earlier.

  "I knew you'd be back!" Jherdar declared, twice as pleased as anyone. "You're too sly to let yourself get trapped."

  Thelvyn smiled, realizing that being called sly was undoubtedly a compliment from a red dragon.

  "You do look a bit beaten up, if you don't mind my saying so," Jherdar added, watching them with concern.

  "I'm afraid I let myself get trapped after all," Thelvyn said, speaking loud enough for all of his lieutenants and advisors to hear. He thought they should know the worst. "I met the Overlord, our true enemy, and it nearly proved to be the end of me. But we got the best of him in the end, and we came away with one important advantage. We now know his secret name, and neither the Overlord nor the Masters can control the will of anyone who knows his name. Now we can go into the coming battle with absolute certainty that they cannot take control of our minds."

  The dragons lifted their heads, looking hopeful and talking quietly among themselves. Although no one had ever complained to him about it, he knew that the dragons had been concerned about being dominated by the will of their enemies. Now they could go into battle with much greater confidence.

  "I understand that you've summoned every dragon in the world for this battle," Thehvyn continued. "Tell me more about this. What total strength of dragons can we expect, and how many do we have already?"

  "The total number will depend upon how many of the renegades show up," Marthaen explained. "Even some of the renegades are responding to the summons, and many of their bands are here already. There are at least six thousand dragons in the world, possibly as many as eight thousand. We have five thousand here now, assembled according to their kingdoms under the leadership of their kings and clerics."

  Thelvyn sighed. "All the dragons in the world add up to the population of one medium-sized human town, and we alone stand before this invasion. I wonder how many will live to return home ag
ain. Do you have any idea of the strength of the enemy?"

  "We've been trying to make some determination of their numbers," Jherdar said, glancing at Sir George. "We have some drakes in our company, small enough to go places we cannot go and act as spies. We cannot expect their reports to be perfectly accurate because of the very size of the invasion force, but they tell us that there are some five hundred gemstone dragons, about forty of the metal warriors, and an additional army of at least a million, consisting of monsters and creatures of various kinds. The columns of their army stretch across the land for miles. That was as of yesterday evening, a full day ago."

  Marthaen turned to the Dragonking. "You said their forces are still coming through the gate?"

  Thelvyn nodded. "Yesterday evening I was at the stronghold of the Overlord. I saw armies approaching from two directions, lined up to await their turn to pass through the gate. The lines stretched off into the distance for miles. There were thousands more yet to come, possibly hundreds of thousands."

  "Then what are we to do?" Jherdar asked. "Our dragons outnumber the Masters, but we have no support to take on such a huge army. All the armies of our world combined cannot hope to defeat an invasion of such size."

  Thelvyn considered that quickly. "I don't think we should concern ourselves with their army just yet. As vast as that force may be, it is the least of the problems we have to face. I think the Masters should be our most immediate concern. We must try to trap them or draw them away in small enough numbers that they can be overwhelmed."

  Marthaen nodded slowly. "If it weren't for the Overlord, we could win this war easily enough."

  "Unfortunately the Overlord is the greatest of our problems, and nothing else we do matters unless I am able to defeat him somehow," Thelvyn said. "If we have any success in fighting the Masters, the Overlord will come to their rescue. And when he comes, I must be ready for him. Our battle alone will decide the fate of our world."