Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol. III

. and then had fallen. A few scattered remnants of some of their predecessors still existed, but most of the land’s previous tyrants had faded with the lengthy passage of history. It now appeared as if the dragon folk themselves were headed into oblivion . . . and all here knew the reason why.

Mankind. Weak, clawless creatures, their race yet prospered. The Dragon Kings knew that they themselves were to blame for much of that progress and expansion. Humans had proven so useful in many ways, more than making up for the drakes’ own lack of numbers. In time, their inventiveness and drive had made them indispensable to most of the Dragon Kings. Human cities had sprouted up and grown, their inhabitants loyal at first to their respective masters. But it was inevitable that as their own power grew, the new kingdoms chafed at the rule of monsters. Rebellions rose and were suppressed. Human kingdoms then grew subservient for a time, but when a new generation came into power, the cycle would often repeat itself.

Then came the sorcerers.

The Dragon Masters.

Human mages had always existed, and many had found their way into the services of the Dragon Kings. A few had desired to cause havoc, but ever the drake lords had kept a wary eye out for the strongest, the ones with the most potential for destruction. These were either recruited or destroyed. Some sorcerers, however, succeeded in remaining hidden from the drakes. They gathered others to them and bided their time, their only attacks being to undermine the foundation of drake rule. The Dragon Kings began to suffer a number of mishaps, small by themselves, but cumulative in effect. Despite the many mishaps, however, they did not realize what was happening. Only after many generations, when the mages decided the time was ripe for revolution and at last revealed themselves for what they were, did the draconian rulers realize the instability of their reign.

Thus began the Turning War. For nearly five years the battle was fought. For nearly five years the Dragon Kings lived in fear that they were at last to fall.

The Dragon Masters, though, had also underestimated a number of things, first and foremost the treachery of one of their number. Serving his own purpose, the traitor had killed several of the most prominent mages in the ranks, then fled before their leader, his father, could deal with him. Weakened, the sorcerers were finally defeated; but the victory was bittersweet, for in one of the final struggles, the drake lords had lost one of their own. Lord Purple, who had guided them in the actual fighting, died with the Dragon Master Nathan Bedlam. Both Purple’s kingdom and the secrets of his great sorcery fell into the claws of the Gryphon, ally to the Dragon Masters. Weakened as they were, the other Dragon Kings could not oust him.

Those gathered now had long ago come to realize that the victory they had garnered in the war had been only a temporary reprieve. They had won themselves two centuries of anxiety and suspicion. When all was said and done, the empire had still crumbled. Infighting and misjudgment had done what the Dragon Masters could not.

For some time, the remaining Dragon Kings eyed one another. Then, at last, the ruined voice of the Black Dragon, he who controlled the domain of the Gray Mists, broke the uneasy silence. “Of what need have we of an emperor . . . essspecially one raised by humanssss?”

“More to the point,” interjected a dusky green drake with touches of brown along his underside, “a Dragon Emperor raisssed by the grandssson of Nathan Bedlam!”

The dragon’s name was Sssaleese. Some of the others looked at the new speaker, open disdain on their reptilian countenances. In their eyes, this one was not a true Dragon King but a usurper, a pretender using the devastation of the drake race to his benefit. No birth markings had decorated his egg, of that they were certain. Yet, because he spoke for a loose confederation of clan survivors who had lost their own lords, it had been decided by the majority that his presence was required if this was to succeed.

Black had not been a part of that majority. The ebony drake sneered at the other and started to speak, but Green, recognizing the potential danger of those words, quickly replied, “Worthy comments both, but it would be well for all to remember that it wasss our rivalries and divisionsss which brought us to our present sssorry state.”

That drew the attention away from Sssaleese, but kindled a new disruption. Storm, the gray, looked mildly amused. “As we recall, the dissension was a part of life before the death of Gold.”

“Gold wasss Gold. Kyl, his heir, will be Gold in title only. He will ssstill be Kyl.” Green’s gaze swept across the cavern. “In that there isss all the difference! If we but give him our allegiance, our cooperation, then will we have what we desssire!”

“I ask again,” Black hissed. “What need have we of an emperor?”

Green shook his massive head. To the side, he heard Blue hiss in frustration. Blue understood what some of the others did not. The drake race was on the brink. If they did not come together soon, they faced extinction. The humans outbred them and now had clawholds everywhere. Green firmly believed that the tiny mammals now had the strength to annihilate his kind, and there were more than a few of the creatures who desired just that. Melicard I of Talak, whose father had been driven mad by the drake Kyrg, had already tried genocide. Worse, it appeared that the king of Zuu, Lanith, was massing an army and gathering what human mages of skill he could find. No one knew what he planned, but Zuu was a particularly disturbing point since it lay in the boundaries of the emerald giant’s domain. Lanith still gave his respects to Green, but grew ever more lax in responding to questions concerning Zuu’s increase in military strength.

“We need an emperor to give our kind focusss,” Blue returned, speaking in a manner one might use more for a child. “We need an emperor to show the humans that we are one, not many!”

“Yet you would give usss an emperor raisssed by humansss,” reminded Sssaleese, eyes darting to Black, who remained silent. “How could we trussst one raisssed by a Bedlam?”

“Raised by human and drake.” Green shook his head. “You sssee the disadvantages but not the advantagesss!”

“Could we not . . . ssspeak with him firssst?” an almost tentative voice asked.

The assembled drakes turned as one to the blood-red figure on the edge of the inner group. Although a Dragon King, Red was fairly new into his reign, a mere two decades or so. He had achieved his place upon the death of his progenitor on the sword of yet another Bedlam, Nathan’s mad son Azran. Unprepared, he had never found his proper place among his fellows. Even Sssaleese, who had clawed his way to his position, was more comfortable in the role of ruler.

“Ssspeak to him?” repeated the Green Dragon.

“Yesss . . .” Storm nodded. “We have only your word asss to his worth.” The gray behemoth met Green’s eyes. “We would be happier in thisss instance if we knew that the emperor-to-be isss worthy of the august title.”

“A notable suggestion,” agreed Blue.

Sssaleese added, “I would be interesssted alssso in the opportunity to make a judgment.”

Black merely nodded curtly. Red basked in the afterglow of his success and thus missed the look the Green Dragon briefly sent his way.

“Very well,” the emerald beast muttered. “I shall sssee to arranging sssuch a talk.”

“The Bedlamsss will never agree to it!” gasped the Black Dragon.

“Wait and sssee! I shall do what I can.” A pause, then, “And if the heir meetsss your questionsss? Then will you acknowledge his rightful place?”

The others acquiesced one by one with Black, of course, last.

“Ssso, then. The matter is settled. That leavesss but the details. . . .”

A short time later, the Dragon Kings departed through the broken bronze gate. In silence the band took charge of their steeds, mounted, and quickly left behind what had once been and might yet again be the Dragon Emperor’s stronghold. They rode together through the mountains, but when the Tybers gave way to more open land, the band quickly split into pairs. Some headed in an easterly direction, others more south. Only one pair headed directly west. Sssaleese and his second.

The would-be Dragon King and his companion rode hard for more than a quarter hour, never looking back once. They rode hard until they came upon a small range of hills, in truth a stunted outreach of the Tyber Mountains. Slowing their mounts, the two drakes entered the hills by one of the narrow paths that wound through the range.

When they were well within the protection of the hills, Sssaleese turned and glanced at his companion. The