After a few miles, the dragons had worked their way eastward to a very old, dense part of the forest, where it was easier to fly beneath the lower branches of the tall trees. The foliage in the forest's canopy was still too thick for the Masters to see them from above. Thelvyn spotted a particularly shadowy vale and landed. Flying in and out between the trees was tiring, and the dragons needed a rest. Thelvyn also needed a few moments to consider his next move. He posted a couple of the younger dragons on the perimeters of the vale to watch for danger.
"How long can we keep this up?" Kharendaen asked, sitting close beside her mate. "Can you really hope to stay ahead of the Masters indefinitely?"
"I'll do whatever I must to save those people on the river," he told her. "But when we leave, I want you to stay hidden here until it's safe to leave and then return to Braejr. Tell Solveig that she has to do something about getting ready for all those people, and Alessa has to find some way to get the Radiance to protect her people."
"You know that I won't leave you," she answered simply.
"Dragonking!" one of the young dragons called. "The Masters are flying back to the west, toward the river."
For a moment, Thelvyn looked utterly defeated. "The Masters know how to play this game as well as we do. They know they can draw me back to them by threatening the people on
the river."
"But what can we do?" Kharendaen asked worriedly.
"We're out of choices now," he said, rising. "We have to fight them."
The dragons followed Thelvyn as he hurried through the forest, seeking an opening in the trees large enough for them to return to the sky. After a few hundred yards, Thelvyn came to a small clearing and spread his wings, then leapt almost straight up with long, quick sweeps of his wings. He circled slowly just above the trees, waiting for the others to make the difficult climb out of the clearing.
The Masters were about two miles away and moving toward the west. They were flying slowly enough that Thelvyn guessed they were waiting for the dragons to show themselves. Almost as soon as the dragons began to rise above the trees, the gemstone dragons circled and turned back to attack. Then, inexplicably, they suddenly turned once more and began to fly away as quickly as they could in yet a new direction, not toward the river but north, back toward Braastar. Thelvyn did not attempt to pursue them, suspicious that they were trying to lead him into a trap. He could hardly imagine that they would be foolish enough to think he would follow them back to the city, where other gemstone dragons would be waiting to join the fray.
This time the Masters did not hesitate when the dragons failed to pursue them. Thelvyn was beginning to get the impression that they were fleeing, and since he doubted that they were trying to escape the wrath of the Dragonking, he could think of only one thing that would cause the Masters to flee. Looking back, he saw that the sky behind him was full of dragons. A small army of dragons was approaching from the southeast, part of the garrison that had remained at Rockhome. Seldaek had wasted no time in his mission, finding the nearest force of dragons and returning with them in a matter of hours.
Thelvyn circled widely until he found a large clearing where he could land and wait to speak with the leaders of this company of dragons. He was trying to anticipate which of his chief advisors, Marthaen or Jherdar, Seldaek might have located in
Rockhome. He needed to have Marthaen at hand, but he was not surprised when he saw a red dragon leading his companions as they circled down toward the clearing. Most of his companions, some four hundred in all, remained aloft, flying wide patterns to discourage the Masters from returning.
Jherdar circled tightly to slow himself as much as possible, then dropped down into the clearing. Once the red dragon had folded away his wings, he paused a moment and then bowed his head as a gesture of respect to the Dragonking. Thelvyn was still secretly surprised by such loyalty from the red dragon who had challenged him ever since he first became the Dragonlord.
"I came as quickly as I could," Jherdar said almost apologetically.
"I have no complaint," Thelvyn insisted. "I didn't really expect help until tomorrow morning. Now I feel certain we can keep Braejr and the refugees from Braastar safe until the dragon sorcerers can arrive."
The red dragon looked surprised. "Then we will not attack now? Surely we must now have the advantage of numbers."
Thelvyn shook his head firmly. "We dare not. The Masters know that they cannot hold their conquests in this world as long as we are here to fight them. They have to deal with us, specifically with me, as soon as possible. I suspect a trap, and I'm reluctant to attack until we have a better understanding of the situation. For that, I need our sorcerers. I doubt that a delay will make any real difference, since Braastar has already fallen."
Jherdar turned his head aside, looking rather disgruntled. Like all dragons, he wanted to face all challenges with direct action, attacking his enemies immediately and with unrestrained fury. But he would not question the Dragonking, having come to understand the need for restraint and careful planning. Thelvyn was glad of that, since he had been afraid the dragons might have become overconfident from their relatively easy victory in Rockhome.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The arrival of the first group of dragons made Thelvyn's problems a little easier to handle, since in effect it brought the invasion of the Highlands to a stalemate. The Masters were content to concentrate on trying to secure their own position in Braastar and the area around the city, leaving the refugees from the city in relative peace. That made it easy for the dragons to protect the refugees and help them on their way south, both the people on the river and those traveling by the main road. But the Masters were relentless in expanding their influence over the minds of the Flaem. They extended their mind attack beyond the refugees to towns and cities as far south as Braejr.
Thelvyn was able to continue to relieve much of the pressure that the Masters were exerting against the refugees by maintaining his spells of protection. But the spell that he used to dispel the magic of the mental summons demanded a great deal of his strength, especially since he was required to renew the spell every two or three hours. The demand upon him became almost too much to handle when he was also required to employ the spell to protect the people of Braejr. Neverthe-
less, it was something that only he could accomplish. Not even the greatest of the dragon sorcerers could command even a portion of the powers that were his by right as the son of an Immortal.
Another company of dragons arrived during the night, and that insured the dominance of the dragons in the Highlands. Even so, no one could help ease the burden of Thelvyn's burden of defending the Flaem from the control of the Masters. He slept when he could at night, but he was required to renew one of the two protective spells he was maintaining every hour or so. By daybreak, he was so tired he could hardly rise.
He had one turn of good fortune the morning after arriving back in Braejr. After Alessa's Fire Wizards had experimented with the power of the Radiance for a day and a night, they had finally discovered a way to use its power to partially block the power of the Masters. He was able to speak briefly with Alessa Vyledaar that morning, and she had told him something of the search to find a way to use the Radiance against the Masters. Mostly, she had made certain that he understood its two main limitations. The power of the Radiance was great but limited; she had to be careful that the wizards maintaining the shield used its power no faster than it could renew itself. In addition, as he had known previously, the Radiance lost its strength steadily with distance. The limit of the shield was just barely enough to protect Braejr.
But Thelvyn still had to maintain his spell to protect the refugees. He spent most of the next day in the wilderness with the dragons guarding the retreat of the people from Braastar, shielding them from the cold, demanding will that kept trying to force them to turn back toward the north. The struggle was even greater than it had been the day before, since the Masters had grown somewhat in their own powers during th
e night, and they became even stronger during that third day of the invasion of the Highlands. Yet another company of dragons arrived late in the morning. There were now over a thousand dragons in the Highlands, and the latest arrivals brought the news that armies from the dwarves, the elves, and Darokin were already on their way.
As Thelvyn was returning to the lair at Solveig's house that evening, he noticed with some interest that every lamp and lantern from her home had been brought out to illuminate the court. The area around the house was full of dragons and people. Indeed, the court was so full that Thelvyn had to land in the street outside the gate. When he peered through the gate, he saw that Marthaen had arrived, together with a couple of older dragons he hoped were the sorcerers he had been anticipating. They were discussing something with Alessa Vyledaar, who looked rather sullen.
Thelvyn was surprised and delighted to see Ferrantin, mage and former adventuring partner, standing with Solveig and Sir George. The wizard hadn't returned to the Highlands in the last six years, and Thelvyn had never really expected to see him again. Perrantin looked much the same as ever, more like a baker or a street vendor than an experienced wizard, both in his appearance and in the way he dressed. Thelvyn was wearing the Collar of the Dragons, and the wizard realized that it was him at once.
"Thelvyn!" Perrantin exclaimed, hurrying to greet him as he entered the court. "My word, it's been a long time."
"It certainly has," Thelvyn agreed, laying back his ears. "And it has also been a long day for me. Did Sir George bring you here?"
"No, I commandeered one of your dragon couriers who was passing through Traladara bringing news of the invasion," Perrantin explained. "I thought you might need me, since I'm sure that Sir George is of no possible use to you as an advisor."
"Now, why should I suddenly no longer be of my usual incalculable worth to the lad?" the old knight asked indignantly.
"Possibly because you are so insufferably pleased at getting back your missing hand that you can't possibly appreciate just how desperate the situation really is."
"If you don't mind, the two of you can argue your alleged worth later," Thelvyn interrupted, although he was privately amused. Watching those two eccentric older men reminded him of the days he had lived with Sir George in the small frontier village of Graez, making him feel almost like a child again. He had matured enough lately that he no longer resented feeling young. "Is this a party to welcome old friends, or is this a serious discussion?"
"Alessa is having a problem with her Flaemish suspicion of strangers," Sir George explained. "She has some strong objections to allowing the dragon sorcerers to study the Radiance."
"We don't have time for this," Thelvyn remarked. "Come with me."
He walked slowly over to where Alessa Vyledaar was arguing quietly but firmly with Marthaen and the two dragon sorcerers. She was wearing a Flaemish wizard's robe with a high, stiffened collar, and Thelvyn was impressed by how much her appearance and demeanor reminded him of Byen Kalestraan. He sat back on his haunches facing them, sitting upright so that he was looking down at Alessa in a manner designed to be intimidating.
"What is the trouble?" he asked simply.
"The Radiance belongs to the Flaem," Alessa declared sullenly. "When the war is over, it is to be left in our control."
"And I keep reassuring her that it will be," Marthaen insisted. "It's not something that we can take with us, even if we wanted it. We just want to help you use it to defend yourselves. Did you discuss this with the other members of your order?"
"None of us are happy about this," she answered. "But they've left it up to me to decide."
"Then will you listen to Perrantin?" Thelvyn asked. "He's come all the way from his dark hole in Traladara to advise you in your time of trouble. Perrantin is a wizard and scholar of great renown. When the renegade dragons were attacking six years ago, he took on the task of finding an answer when no one else knew what to do. They ended up making me the Dragonlord. I've never forgiven him. You can tell your young colleague what she should do, can't you, Perry?"
"Yes, I believe so," Perrantin agreed, nodding vigorously. "You have to let the dragons help you or the Masters are going to toss your pot, as the saying goes."
"How pithy and direct," Thelvyn commented. "How can you refute such wisdom?"
Alessa had been glaring more and more fiercely with each
passing moment. "You're getting to be as bad as Sir George."
Thelvyn feigned surprise. "I think I've just been insulted."
"You can take that the way it was intended," she told him, with a stern glance at the old knight that made him shut his mouth before he could comment. Then she frowned. "Very well. Better to have the Radiance in the hands of the dragons than let the Masters take it. But you have to promise me that you will tell us everything that you learn about it."
"I promise you will be told," Marthaen assured her. "What you do with such secrets will be up to you."
Watching Alessa, Thelvyn was certain she was still rather suspicious, or at least angry. He hadn't understood the real problem at first, until he realized that her annoyance was not with the dragons but with herself. The Radiance was one of the greatest heirlooms of the Fire Wizards, much as the collar had been for the dragons. Alessa's instincts told her to refuse to allow the dragons to work with the Radiance because she very much wanted to uncover its secrets for herself. She might need a little more persuasion in the morning, but she would be more agreeable once the dragons had actually begun their research.
"If that's the last problem I need to handle tonight, then I plan to have my dinner and go to bed," he said, turning his head to look at Kharendaen, seated patiently behind him. "I've been fighting the will of the Masters all day, and frankly, I've had enough. Is there anything to eat around here, or do I have to hunt for my supper?"
"You've earned your dinner," Solveig told him. "It took some work, but we managed to scare up three virgins for you."
"I don't find that amusing," Thelvyn said as he rose slowly and began to move toward the warehouse.
"Wait in your lair," she called after him. "We'll have something brought to you right away."
The next day brought new problems in need of answers. Thelvyn had been afraid from the first that the Masters would press their attack on Braejr as soon as they could, and he was not prepared for that. That was why he had resented the two days he had spent getting the people of Braastar to safety while he had needed to be making preparations for war. Of course, he was able to remind himself that there was little he could have done while he waited for the dragon sorcerers to arrive, and Marthaen had brought them only the previous evening. But while the time lost had been unavoidable, it had allowed the Masters to move ahead in their plans while he had accomplished nothing of real value in the interim.
Nor had he forgotten the mysterious voice that was the true master behind the Masters, the powerful will he had fought to rescue Alessa when her mind had been held captive. By necessity, he had been forced to fight the underlings of the true leader behind the invasion, dealing with the Masters and their armies first and often forgetting that his greatest enemy had not yet challenged him directly. That was why he found it so important to discover the secret to commanding the full power of the Radiance.
At least he had been able to enlist spies who kept him informed of the situation in Braastar, now a stronghold of the enemy. His dragons didn't dare fly near enough to the fallen city to see anything for themselves, but dragon messengers were able to secretly carry elvish scouts to within a few short miles of Braastar. They reported that an army of some fifty thousand was gathered in and around the city, and that perhaps two hundred gemstone dragons were gathered there as well.
The scouts also brought back reports of strange creatures that had been set loose in the woods and hills of the Highlands, terrifying, unworldly creatures that posed strange and unexpected dangers. Thelvyn had heard such reports during the invasion of Rockhome, tales of monsters with ma
ny eyes on short stalks, eyes that did not see but which possessed various magical weapons that could slay from a distance; flowing, formless creatures that hid in the shadows to trap the unwary; and huge insects with deadly bites and stings. Many types of monsters had been seen, creatures that had never before existed in Mystara, gathered by the Masters from many strange worlds.
Unfortunately, the release of such monsters was the least of the problems that Thelvyn and his allies faced right now. Just after dawn, the will of the Masters increased, so that many of the people of Braejr now struggled against the call of that strange distant voice. It was not yet so great that anyone was in danger of being enslaved, but it was enough to leave many of the Flaem troubled and distracted. The wizards tried to compensate by increasing the power of the Radiance, but they did not dare exhaust its reserves.
Thelvyn knew that he could no longer spend all his time fighting the will of the Masters. If he did not prepare to fight the Masters themselves, he would ultimately lose the Highlands to them. But he thought he might have one answer to the problem of combatting the relentless call of the Masters. Early that morning, he requested that six large stones should be brought to him. He didn't specify the shape of the stones, but they had to be of a certain type, a dense, dark stone with the sparkle of crystal, at least the size of a large trunk but not much larger. Within the hour, workmen had found building stones that suited his needs perfectly and brought them in a wagon to the court of Solveig's house.
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.
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