The deep passages of Dengar seemed very dark and close to the Ethengar, who were riders and warriors of the open, windswept grass, used to the sun and the stars. The only roofs they had known in the past were no more solid than the canvas and skins of their tents. The nomads were not actually frightened to find themselves in such an alien place, but they did look about the tunnels nervously for a time. But mindful of their pride, they marched behind their escort, trying to appear calm and unconcerned as they were led across the length of the lower city to the palace.
As they were led into the throne room, they found that they had arrived at a busy time. King Daroban was seated at his throne. Both of his sons stood close at hand, while many generals and advisors were gathered as well. They had all been listening to a report from a foreign messenger, a Thyatian captain to judge from his uniform, while the king was glancing at a written report at the same time. They all turned to stare as the escort announced these new visitors to the court.
The Ethengar spokesman approached the throne, bowing upon one knee in the manner of his people. 'Great King of Rockhome, I am Kaihatu of the clan of the Red Horse. My companions and I have left our people in their time of greatest need to bring you news of great danger. We are all of many clans, once enemies, now brothers brought together by urgent need, for invaders have come among us, and the steppes have been overrun.
'The first attacks came three nights ago, when dragonlike creatures fell upon our clans like eagles descending upon their prey, scattering our herds and setting fires among our wagons and our yurts. I say that they were like dragons in shape and size, and yet they were unlike dragons in appearance. They did not hide themselves by the light of day but flew swiftly over the steppes, spreading their terror and destruction. Their armor is like the facets of costly jewels, some like rubies or sapphires, or like amber, or white crystal or dark onyx. Never before have we heard of such dragons.'
'The gemstone dragons,' King Daroban said, nodding slowly. Then he glanced at the Thyatian. 'The Dragonking spoke true. Not that I was inclined to doubt the message you brought from the Dragonking, but I'm certain that even he never expected an attack so soon.'
'Perhaps not,' the Thyatian answered. 'The Masters know that they have been unmasked, and their attempt to sow fear and distrust of the dragons has failed. Now that the time for secrecy has passed, they might believe they would be best served by moving quickly, before we can gather our defenses. The Dragonking may have anticipated such a thing, but what more could he have done?'
'True enough,' Daroban agreed, then turned back to the Ethengar. 'This is Darius Glantri,' who left Braejr this very morning on his way to Thyatis, bearing the Dragonking's warning of these gemstone dragons. He has been kind enough to pause for a brief time to share that news with us, unaware just how relevant that news would become. At least now we know many things that might have otherwise remained a mystery to us for days yet to come.'
'You call them the Masters,' Kaihatu said. 'The name suits them well, for they were soon followed by other invaders, men and also many strange creatures who are not like men or elves or dwarves. Hordes of terrible monsters have been released upon the steppes to spread their own terror. The Masters guide and command all the others.'
'Those would be slave races subject to the will of the Masters,' Darius explained. 'Do you have any idea of the number of these Masters and their warriors?'
Kaihatu could only shake his head. 'They move too swiftly and they are spread all across the northern steppes from east to west, but they are strong and the clans have no choice but flee before them. Their numbers are like the blades of grass. There are scores of the gemstone dragons but not, I think, more than a hundred altogether. Their warriors are gathered in armies of perhaps five thousand, and we know of at least five such armies. There could be even more farther to the east and the west, beyond sight of our clans.'
Daroban sighed. 'What can we do? Your enemy is the enemy of all the people of our world, and we stand with you against them. Even so, we do not have the strength to help the clans drive them from the steppes.'
'The steppes are lost already,' Kaihatu answered. 'The clans flee before these invaders. I have come only to bear you this warning, for we cannot say yet whether they will be satisfied to hold the steppes, or if they will drive on south into your land. The best that you can do is to prepare all the strength you have to protect your border. I bring only this one plea, for in truth, the clans cannot remain in the steppes or they will die. Allow our people to flee into your own wild lands, to hide themselves in your northern mountains.'
The king considered only for a moment, then nodded. 'So be it. Take your people into whatever safety they can find in the mountains. It may be that soon we will be standing together against these enemies.'
'The dragons have pledged themselves to fight this same enemy,' Darius assured them. 'By your leave, I will be returning to Braejr at once to warn the Dragonking. He will need some time to gather the dragons and lead them here, so you must be prepared to hold out on your own for a few days.'
The Ethengar thanked the dwarves and left with Darius Glantri, returning quickly to upper Dengar. King Daroban hardly waited until they had left the room before he rose, leaving his crown on his throne as he began to pace nervously while he considered the problem of the defense of Rockhome.
'I see no hope for it,' he said after only a moment. 'These gemstone dragons can come and go as they please, and I fear that they will be our chief problem from the first. Their wings can take them anywhere swiftly, and their flames can destroy our fortresses. But they cannot easily get at our underground cities. In our tunnels, their size is against them. We must prepare to close all the upper cities at once. All the goods that can be moved, all the children and those too old or too weak to fight, even the foreigners who live among us and choose not to flee, must be brought down into the tunnels at once. We will not surrender our upper cities and fortresses without a fight, but our main defense will be below ground.'
Korinn nodded. 'That will give us time to hold out until the dragons come.'
Daroban turned to him. 'You still trust that your old friend can convince the dragons to fight for us? Do not mistake me; I hope that you are correct. But I only hope, and nothing more. I cannot yet bring myself to trust in dragons until I have seen such a thing for myself.'
'They will come,' Korinn insisted. 'But there will be whole armies following these Masters, and they might be able to crack open our defenses and invade our underground strongholds. When these armies come down from the steppes, they will have to enter Rockhome through the Styrdal Pass. Better, it seems, to keep them out of Rockhome as long as possible. I would like to take all the soldiers we can spare to strengthen Fort Denwarf.' *
'Yes, that was my own thought,' Daroban agreed. 'You must go there at once. We will send all the soldiers and supplies we can spare as soon as we can. But we must also give some thought to Fort Evekarr to the northeast, and to the undefended pass on the Hrap River. Your brother Dorinn will prepare the defenses of Dengar.'
Dorinn looked surprised to hear that, and quietly grateful.
He hadn't commanded a military force since his injury several years before, having served as an advisor to his father in Dengar while he recovered. Commanding the defenses of Dengar spared him the need to make swift rides or long, hard marches, which his disabilities would not allow.
Needing to reach Fort Denwarf as soon as possible, Korinn sent a messenger to ask the Ethengar to wait a brief time so that he could ride north with them. No one but a dragon or a griffon rider could travel more quickly than the warriors of the clans, even in the mountains of Rockhome. Korinn hurried to put on his armor and collect his weapons, and then he all but ran up the passages to upper Dengar. So it was that he reached the garrison stables only shortly after the Ethengar.
As it happened, the young warriors were pleased to have him in their company. They considered it a remarkably generous gesture on the part of the dwarves to allow the clans to flee into the mountains of Rockhome, and they had come prepared to be refused. And so they were very grateful and would have taken him anywhere, although Korinn knew that they were desperate to return to the defense of their own people and he promised not to slow their ride. He selected two of the best courier horses from the garrison for his own, and he rode away with the Ethengar only minutes later.
Unlike most dwarves, Korinn was not only used to riding but was also quite good at it, skills he had learned during his travels with Solveig White-Gold and Sir George Kirbey. Just the same, he wasn't used to keeping such a swift pace, and riding with the nomads required more concentration on his part. But he still had several hours of riding that day alone with his thoughts and his concerns.
Thelvyn Fox-Eye's finding of the Collar of the Dragons and his ascendancy as the Dragonking had come just
