flesh and launched right back at Nusair. The Red Wizard barely had time to let loose yet another cry of terror that disappeared into the magical silence, before the first of the ball lighting bolts tore into him. The explosions wracked his body. He convulsed as the power of the charges surged through him, leaving him broken, burned, and writhing in pain.
Terribly wounded but still alive, Nusair rolled over and crawled desperately for the door, his bloody fingers digging holes into the fine wood floor, and leaving a bloody streak of glistening crimson behind. But before he could cover the last few feet to the door, the dragon leaped upon him, landing square on his back with sharp talons that punched clean through his torso to splinter the floor beneath.
At that moment, Nusair expired.
The dragon let the ring of silence fall. It flipped Nusair's lifeless body over and looked into the dead wizard's eyes. Then, with a final roar, the Scalamagdrion snatched the wizard up, and leaped once again upon the book to disappear into its pages. All that remained of the once powerful Red Wizard was a torn and destroyed red robe and a bloody trail that told of his demise.
A few moments passed before Saura emerged from a darkened corner, naked and holding her serrated dirk. She walked into the room and to the wizard's robe. She shivered then smiled smugly. Saura crouched over the object of her greatest desire and considered the implications of her betrayal for the shortest of seconds. Then she pulled the tattered and burned remains of Nusair's robe over her sleek shoulders and walked to the closed book.
'You have underestimated my powers, Nusair. I learned the secret of The Scalamagdrion long before I ever returned,' she said, speaking to the tome. She added, 'Samas Kul cares little about my parentage, and he will be most pleased with your gift.'
Saura strode from the room carrying the ancient artifact and cloaked in her coveted robes, however tattered.
FREEDOM'S PROMISE
Kythorn, the Year of Wild Magic (1372 DR)
The ancient blue wyrm rolled lazily onto his stomach, fully rousing himself from his long slumber. He shifted, and coins and gems embedded in his azure hide fell from his body and clanked in the pool of treasure upon which he rested. His enormous orbs peered around the cave as he took note of every precious item that sprawled around him. The titanic beast magically dismissed the remaining wards around his lair with a sigh, allowing the visitor entrance to this innermost portion of the cavern.
'Well met, Gerinvioch,' said the unfortunate intruder as he finally came into view, brushing sand and dust from his violet cloak.
Dampened by sweat, short, graying hair was matted so tightly against the human's steeply sloped forehead that it almost seemed as if his face simply continued on into his hair, flesh becoming strands of gray. The emblems embroidered on the sleeves of the man's robes announced him as a citizen of Estagund.
'You are Gerinvioch, are you not?' the man said as he continued to primp his robe.
A long moment passed as the dragon considered the human who stood before him, a wizard to judge from appearances. Gerinvioch blinked and let out a slow yawn.
'Dragon! You will hear me!'
The old wyrm sprang to his feet, lunging forward, coming to a stop with his single-horned snout mere inches from the stunned human's face. A smile widened on his reptilian lips as he slowly pulled his head back.
'I would ask you some questions, dragon,' the wizard said as his body slowly gave up its rigid posture and went slack.
Laughter erupted from Gerinvioch's belly, resounding off the stone walls in a cacophony of mirth. 'Would you give audience to an ant?' the wyrm responded. He continued, not allowing the human a chance to speak. 'Seeking to procure some of my treasure for yourself? Where are your fellow thieves then, bug?'
'Treasure? Why would I want a pile of such worthless refuse as this?' the wizard replied, extending his arm to sweep across the cache of riches in the cavern. 'What I seek, you could never own. What I seek requires real power to wield.'
Gerinvioch stared silently at the man, the anticipation welling up in him.
'The item is somewhere here in the Dust Desert,' the man began after clearing his throat. 'You have made your home in these lands for many years, so I thought I might be able to use one relic,' the wizard continued with a beaming grin, 'to find another.'
Gerinvioch returned the human's grin and replied, 'Truly, you believe this item is valuable since you have come to face me, a Great Blue' the dragon said, emphasizing his heritage. 'What is this object you seek, human?'
'It is called the Evise Jhontil. It was a divinely inspired gift from Set to his disciples,' he responded sanctimoniously, obviously doubtful of the item's ecclesiastical origin.
Gerinvioch quickly cast his eyes downward.
'You've heard of it,' the man stated more than asked. 'Where is it? You must tell me!' he exclaimed, his bottom lip quivering.
'You do not want that item, wizard.'
'Where is it?' the man replied, almost lunging forward.
'The finest clergy of Set and wizards in their employ could not control it,' Gerinvioch asserted, pleased to see the man's anxious reaction.
'Where they failed, Kinase Bronihim will succeed, as he always does.'
'Bronihim?' the wyrm said, his booming voice trailing off sharply. 'Of Estagund…'
'Yes,' the wizard replied as his head gave a slow turn.
'You are the one who defeated the Ancient Green, Ronatsi-naderin?' the dragon said, hoping the man would take the bait.
'Yes, I dispatched the sniveling coward,' Bronihim said, standing taller, his face flushing at the same time. 'How did you hear of that?'
'All of my kind for hundreds of miles know of it,' Gerinvioch replied, doing his best not to smile at the man's lie. The wyrm congratulated himself on the ruse. Ronatsinaderin's death-of old age Gerinvioch reminded himself- would serve an enjoyable purpose on this day. To be sure, the old green was no friend of Gerinvioch's, but no wyrm deserved to have his death attributed to some human peasant. 'I battled Ronatsinaderin myself, once,' Gerinvioch said, lifting one of his enormous wings to reveal a deep, pale scar of two long, jagged lines. If the human insisted upon lying, why shouldn't he?
'I see I fared better than you did,' the wizard said, his arms wide, as he slowly spun around once in place.
'So it would seem,' Gerinvioch replied.
'Where is the artifact? I did not come here to discuss the worthless carcass of that miserable beast,' the man said, obviously anxious to steer the conversation back to his desired goal.
'Why do you seek it?' Gerinvioch asked, peering at the man closely. 'For its power?'
'For the same reason you lust after treasure, I'd imagine. Because I want it, and it should be mine,' the wizard said, sweat now forming on his face.
'Its power is too great, human. No one could control it forever,' Gerinvioch said, closing his enormous eyes slowly and pulling in a long, haggard breath. 'No one.'
'I, unlike many,' Bronihim said, casting a sideways glance toward the dragon, 'am more than capable of mastering its secrets.'
A soft growl began wafting from the dragon's throat, building to a grating rumble, though he wanted nothing more than to laugh. The human was perfect in his arrogance. The wizard's hands began the gestures of a spell. The dragon ceased his vocalization and took a slow step back. The man's gesticulations stopped.
