mandrake form, leaving him incapable of flight.
It was an advantage for the dragons to remain in the mountains as much as possible on such long journeys, since they could conserve their strength by riding the winds. Thelvyn wondered how long this flight would take. In the past,
Kharendaen had always made the trip from Braejr to Thyatis, as far apart as any two cities in the civilized eastern region of the continent, in a single day. The distance from Shadowmere to the sanctuary of Silvermist in Alfheim was considerably less. Kharendaen could easily reach their destination that same day. The only real question, he realized, was whether or not he could remain in flight for that long.
He was almost surprised when they passed southward from the Wendarian Range over the deep pass of the Northern Reach later that morning. He had traveled the Flaemish Frontier in the saddle of a horse often in the past, when a similar journey would have taken three days or more. He was surprised to find that he was holding up well, although Kharendaen insisted that they stop for a brief rest shortly after midday, when they were approaching the southern end of the rugged Colossus Mountains. Thelvyn felt he could have kept going, but he was glad for the rest. Sir George seemed to be having the hardest time of them all. He was no longer quite so used to long hours in the saddle, especially a rather wide dragon saddle.
'I can make it all the way to Silvermist today, I'm certain,' Thelvyn assured his mate. 'We should be nearly halfway there by now anyway.'
'That is just as well,' she responded. 'The Great One wants us to be there by tonight.'
They were on their way again soon, although they had only just returned to the sky when Kharendaen suddenly dropped back close to Thelvyn's side, slowing quickly. He looked around sharply, quickly spying a small band of six dragons approaching them from the west, hurtling forward with long, quick strokes of their wings on a course to intercept them. Since they were coming closer in a hurry, Thelvyn was soon able to see that they were all young red dragons, and he was immediately reminded of the rogue dragons from the time when he had first become the Dragonlord.
'Will they recognize me?' Thelvyn asked.
'I suspect they will,' Kharendaen replied. 'A dragon always knows another dragon by sight, even a dragon who has changed form. Some of them might have been in the Fox-woods on that night when you first took your true form. And, remember, you have rather remarkable features, so they might recognize you by appearance alone.'
Thelvyn realized it was unlikely that these dragons would not know him. And Kharendaen was right about his features being remarkable; his muzzle was long and slender, and his large eyes were set somewhat more forward than usual even for a gold, giving him a distinctly feral appearance. Even in dragon form, he deserved the name 'Fox-Eyes' more than ever.
'They are all young red dragons,' Kharendaen continued. ' 1 suspect that one of the red leaders such as Jherdar has sent this band to watch the Highlands secretly from here in the mountains.'
'Perhaps I should handle this,' Thelvyn said. 'I am an authority they have to respect, as both the Dragonlord and the Dragonking, whether they like it or not. And you have to watch out for Sir George.'
'It's good not to be completely forgotten,' the old knight remarked.
They turned and circled around toward the face of the mountain they had been skirting, preparing to land on the highest of a cluster of jagged boulders standing out from the steep, barren mountainside. This was one of the most difficult n icks that Thelvyn had yet attempted, landing atop a massive stone hardly large enough for him to stand with the cliff face blocking his approach from behind. He knew he needed to do it well, so that he would not appear awkward and inexperienced before the red dragons. He chose the highest of the rocky perches and landed without incident, and Kharendaen settled on a boulder close beside him, so that the young dragons were forced to land farther below them.
'Greetings, former Dragonlord,' the leader of the reds called up to him in a mocking tone.
Thelvyn glared, aware that he was being subtly challenged. His best bet was to bluff his way through this confrontation, since he still was an unknown factor to these dragons. They could not ignore the fact that he was the chosen of the Great One, destined to become the Dragonking.
'Whoever told you that was mistaken,' Thelvyn answered
coolly. 'I am still the Dragonlord.'
That gave them something to think about, and a few of them began to mutter softly among themselves. They were now more uncertain than ever about daring to confront him.
'But that is not an issue,' Thelvyn continued, not wanting to lose the initiative. 'I see that you are standing guard over the Highlands, Did Jherdar put you to this task, or are you here by the order of Marthaen and the parliament?'
'We are red dragons. We answer to Jherdar,' their leader responded proudly. 'But jherdar has made it known that he still defers to the leadership of the gold dragon Marthaen, and we are here by his order. But I do not recognize your authority to command us.'
'I have not given you any command,' Thelvyn replied. 'We are traveling to the sanctuary of Silvermist, and our business does not concern you. By the will of the Great One, you will allow us to pass.'
The leader of the red dragons lifted his head sharply, responding to the challenge, then dropped his neck slowly as he began to hackle in rising fury. His companions rose to stand with their wings half-furled, ready to leap into battle. Thelvyn stood slowly, a gesture that was quietly menacing in its confidence, and he arched his long neck and back so that his crest lifted. He was bluffing, only too aware that his inexperience left him overmatched if there were a fight, but dragons settled most of their differences with posturing and bluff. His advantage was not only in his size as a gold dragon, but also in the formidable weight of his reputation.
The red dragon did not back down at once, but the fact that neither did he spring proved that he was hesitant to take on the Dragonking. After another tense moment, Thelvyn crouched forward toward his enemy, arching his back and lifting his half-furled wings. If he pushed his opponent too hard, the red dragon's fury would be stirred past the point of no return. But the red dragon relaxed slowly, careful that he did not look frightened or ashamed for backing down.
'Then I can only wish you well,' he remarked darkly.
That seemed to be the end of the matter as far as the leader of the band was concerned. Without another word, he leapt outward from the large boulder on which he had been sitting, spreading his wings to head west, back toward the border of the Highlands. The other dragons followed him quickly. thelvyn waited until they were well away before he relaxed, lowering his head and laying back his ears.
'That went rather well,' Sir George commented. 'It was perhaps the first time I've seen you impress a dragon without to much threat of force. Except for Kharendaen, who had her own reasons for being impressed with you.'
'I have to agree,' Kharendaen said, bending her long neck lo glance briefly at the old knight. 'The great, almost mindless fear that the dragons have held for the Dragonlord seems to be lading, replaced with the seeds of respect. Of course, so far that respect is due mostly to the fact that the Great One has endorsed you, and they are tremendously relieved that the Great One has returned. They also will not forget that you did not kill dragons during their conflict with the Highlands.'
'Which is not to say that simply wearing the Collar of the Dragons will be enough to make me accepted as the true 1)ragonking,' Thelvyn said. 'I recognize that I must earn their respect, and I know that older dragons like Jherdar will be difficult to impress.'
They continued on, passing swiftly over the rugged, desolate wastelands of the northeastern fringe of the Broken Lands. They did not dare to land or even fly too low, since there was no guarantee the ores or other evil folk who dwelled there would have the sense not to attack a pair of dragons. Renegade dragons often made alliances with ores or goblins, buying their loyalty with plunder, or simply capturing and enslaving all the warriors they required to serve them. But gold dragons were never renegades, so Thelvyn and Kharendaen would be recognized as enemies. *
Night was falling swiftly by the time they began to descend over the dark woodlands of the Canolbarth Forest on the far northern border of Alfheim. Already it was too dark to spot the clearing of the sanctuary of Silvermist, so Thelvyn was forced to follow his mate and trust to her instinct to find her way. Kharendaen had been here often and had even lived here for several years in the guise of the elf maiden Sellianda, so she
found it relatively easy to know where she was going.
