reinforcements. But how long would that be? With any luck, the dragons could already be on their way, although it seemed more realistic not to expect them for another three or four days.
Even if there was nothing else he could do, he wanted to return to Dengar immediately. If the lower city was in danger of falling to the enemy, he wanted to be there.
The dwarves marched at a swift and steady pace for nearly two hours before they came to another small chamber, where they paused to rest. They didn't dare wait long, because soon they would have to take to the open. Dwarves were industrious and patient tunnelers, but cutting tunnels took a great deal of time, even small passages such as the one they were in.
After resting a short time, they followed a side tunnel for several hundred yards before it brought them to a hidden door deep within the ravine of the Styrdal River. Korinn paused a moment to look toward the north, fearful of seeing Fort Denwarf in flames. When he saw only a few tiny yellow lights flickering in the distance, he was reassured that the fortress itself was not burning. His companions were already filing across a simple rope bridge that had been erected only days before. It was cut down again once they were all across. When daylight came, there was to be no trace of their passage.
After that, they disappeared into the mountains to the west of the Styrdal Valley, following narrow, hidden paths through the wilderness. Keeping in deep ravines or beneath the cover of trees, they weren't likely to be seen by a passing dragon. The distance from Fort Denwarf to the city of Stahl was nearly forty-five miles, and even the sturdy dwarves couldn't march that far in one night. The sun was peeking above the summit of Denwarf Spur on the east side of the river when they came at last to another hidden door leading down into another tunnel. They paused to rest for some time before they went on. They would march another ten miles through the tunnels before they reached Stahl.
They did not move on again until noon, having reached the end of their endurance. After a final determined march through the tunnels, they entered the remote passages of the lower city of Stahl late that afternoon. Soldiers from Fort Denwarf had been arriving all day. One of the commanders of the city garrison was there to meet them as they emerged through the hidden entrance to the tunnel.
'Korinn Bear Slayer,' the soldier said, recognizing him. 'Then it's true that Fort Denwarf has fallen?'
'We've been forced to leave Denwarf to the Masters,' Korinn said as he moved aside so that the door of the tunnel could be closed. 'What about Stahl? Have you sealed the entrance to the upper city yet?'
'Just about. The Masters have been battering at our defenses since the night before last, but we're still trying to move needed supplies down here between their attacks. We hope we won't have to abandon the upper city until the actual siege begins.'
Korinn was taken to the residence of the governor of Stahl, where he was able to wash and had his first real meal in some time. What he wanted most was news of the invasion of Rockhome, but there was litde to hear. For the most part, the only things moving between the cities and towns of Rockhome were the Masters. Because the roads were closed, the cities themselves were effectively already under siege.
Having the garrison from Fort Denwarf at hand could make a good deal of difference to the defense of Stahl. The invaders would most likely attack here first, so it appeared that Stahl would have to endure the longest siege of any of the cities of Rockhome. Korinn feared there might be another army of invaders coming through one of the passes to the northeast, which would place the eastern cities, perhaps even Dengar itself, in immediate danger. He suspected that the Masters might pass by some of the lesser cities to attack Dengar first, and so he sent part of the Fort Denwarf garrison on to Dengar at once.
The invaders began to descend from the pass the next morning. The road crossed the Styrdal a few miles beyond Fort Denwarf, and their army could be seen marching down from the mountains on the west side of the river. Standing on the wall of the city near the north gate, Korinn could see them clearly. They appeared to be entirely lacking in siege weapons. That might help slow down the assault of Stahl, unless the gemstone dragons arrived.
'They should be here by tonight,' General Balar said. 'I wonder if they've learned to keep their distance after the welcome we gave them at Fort Denwarf.'
'They'll be more wary of traps,' Korinn replied. 'The only question I have is whether they'll attack right away, or if they'll wait for the Masters.'
'Stahl is a difficult place to defend,' Governor Konar said, stroking his long, white beard. Although he was not a soldier, he seemed eager for a fight. 'Our problem is having no less than eight gates to defend, seven crossing the rivers on the east and west sides and one facing south.'
Korinn was aware of the problem. Stahl sat on a hilly point of land at the fork of two rivers. While the rivers made the final approach to the walls difficult, there were simply too many gates to defend. If the Masters did level the place, he thought grimly, the city would be rebuilt a litde differently.
'Will you be staying here at Stahl?' he asked General Balar.
'That was my plan,' the older dwarf said. 'I want to stay with my lads through this. And if I stay here, you can head out to Dengar right away. You might as well go now, before the Masters arrive.'
Korinn nodded. 'I suppose I should be on my way. Even if I leave now, I won't reach Dengar any sooner than the day after tomorrow. With any luck, the dragons will be here to help us about the same time.'
CHAPTER NINE
Thelvyn and Kharendaen approached the hidden city of Windreach boldly, for the first time unconcerned about what kind of welcome they would receive. But when dragons began rising swiftly out of the city of Windreach, Thelvyn wondered if their opinion of him had taken a bad turn during his absence. Kharendaen remained unconcerned about the reception. In fact, she actually looked rather pleased, so he ignored his apprehension and continued his approach toward the city. He was still a bit confused when a dozen dragons of every breed began to circle around quickly to move ahead of him and his mate. More dragons soon joined them.
Only then did he realize that this was an impromptu honor guard to welcome the return of the Dragonking. To his even greater surprise, he realized that he was actually rather touched by the gesture, and also quite impressed. He had always found dragons to be solitary and aloof creatures.
Following their honor guard, Thelvyn and Kharendaen began a slow descent into Windreach, dropping down into the deep late-afternoon shadows of the wall of the city. Looking enormously pleased, Sir George was all but standing in his saddle. He looked as if he would have waved a flag or blown a trumpet if he had one. Thelvyn was beginning to wonder just where he was being taken, but a moment later he saw First Speaker Marthaen moving up to fly close beside him.
'I assume that the dragons have already learned about the invasion of the steppes,' Thelvyn said, looking over his shoulder at the gold dragon.
'News arrived last night,' Marthaen answered, dropping his sails to slow his flight. 'I felt certain you would arrive soon, and I ordered the dragons to begin to prepare for war this morning.'
'Good thinking,' Thelvyn said. 'They no longer seem averse to the idea of going to war.'
'They've had a few days to think about it since you were here last,' the older dragon replied. 'The full extent of the danger we face has become much more apparent to them. You can see for yourself that they've finally begun to understand that you are no threat to them.'
Marthaen suggested that they retreat to Thelvyn's lair in the Hall of the Great One, which was large enough to accommodate a hasty council of war. That proved to be a wise course of action. Jherdar joined them while they were still circling to land, and a number of other dragon leaders continued to arrive over the next half hour while Thelvyn and Kharendaen rested briefly, dining on roast elk, bread, and cheese.
'We tried to get a look at the invaders on our way here,' Thelvyn told the dragons a short time later. 'I cannot say how many gemstone dragons there are, since we had to be careful to keep our distance, but they've brought an army of perhaps a hundred thousand with them into this world. As you know, they're burning off the steppes in a single, immense wall of fire. I've never seen anything like it. By tomorrow night, they will have left the steppes completely destroyed.'
'I've sent scouts to do some judicious spying,' Marthaen said. 'We have already heard that there may be as
