suddenly far stronger, and far more dangerous.
Thelvyn began to wonder if he had come to trust too much in his fighting abilities as a dragon, forgetting his inexperience. Still crouching low in a menacing pose, he began to circle slowly around the amber dragon to buy a few moments more to consider his next move. The first thing that came to his mind was a trick that Kharendaen used successfully to put a dragon on his back. Suddenly he sprang forward toward his opponent. At the very last moment, he ducked his head low, driving his neck and shoulders under the chest of the amber dragon and then thrusting himself upward.
He had no idea what happened next, except that he was abruptly hurtled to the ground with such force that his breath was torn from his chest and his sight turned dark for a long moment. He hardly even recalled what he had been doing until the amber dragon's jaws suddenly fastened tight about his throat, seeking a death grip. For now, he could do nothing more than struggle weakly, still fighting for breath. At that moment, he could not have saved himself.
A pair of gold dragons in Thelvyn's bodyguard suddenly leapt upon the amber dragon from either side, desperate to protect the Dragonking. They should have been able to overwhelm the gemstone dragon easily, even though it was somewhat larger than either of them. As the golds ripped into its folded wings, it reluctantly released its death grip and arched its long neck to roar in pain and fury. Then it shook free from the two attacking dragons and tossed them aside easily, hurtling them across the plain before the gate of Dengar. Finally the gemstone dragon turned back to the Dragonking, determined to destroy its principal enemy while it could.
Thelvyn had been struggling to regain his breath and rise to a standing position, but suddenly he relaxed and lifted himself purposefully. For the first time since he had taken possession of it, the Collar of the Dragons began to surge with power, filling him in turn with renewed energy. He recalled that the collar was said to enhance the powers of its wearer, but no one had been able to tell him just what it could do or how he might command it. Now he understood that the collar had been created in anticipation of this very need, enhancing his abilities to make him more than an equal to the greatest of the Masters.
The amber dragon paused, as if puzzled by Thelvyn's sudden confidence. Then it elected to attack immediately, hoping perhaps to catch him off his guard, leaping forward with its head down in a tactic intended to strike him in the chest and sweep him backward over the edge of the escarpment. In response, Thelvyn rose abruptly to his hind legs and struck the amber dragon with a backhand smash against the side of its head. The blow had force enough to halt the creature's lunge and send it tumbling heavily onto its back, stunned by the impact.
The amber dragon struggled feebly for a moment, then shook its head and tried to rise. But even as it turned back to face him, Thelvyn struck the alien dragon a second blow that left it almost senseless. This time Thelvyn did not wait for his enemy to recover, but stepped forward to grab the amber dragon by the tail. Half- dragging the alien dragon, he carried it to the edge of the escarpment, its weak struggles unable to break his crushing hold. Commanding all his enhanced strength, Thelvyn tossed the amber dragon well out over the edge of the steep cliff, then drew a sharp breath to release a blast of dragonfire. The amber dragon disappeared in a tremendous explosion of fire, and its broken form fell in a fiery trail into the forest far below.
Thelvyn turned quickly, fearful for the safety of his fellow dragons, but he saw that he had little reason to be concerned. The other gemstone dragons seemed to lack the tremendous power of their leader, and the dragons had them vastly outnumbered. The Masters were getting the worst of it, and the death of their leader convinced them that they had had enough. Fighting to break free from the packs of dragons harassing them relentlessly, they leapt into flight and retreated to the north. But the dragons were not about to give up the battle so easily, and a dozen of them pursued the fleeing gemstone dragons into the sky.
For a moment, Thelvyn watched the retreating aliens and wondered whether he should follow them. His plan was to catch the Masters by surprise, which he seemed to have done, and drive them not only from Rockhome but from his world before they could summon forces to organize a counterattack. He decided instead that he could spare a minute more to speak with the dwarves. The dwarven defenders looked as if they needed some reassurance, still struggling to throw the last of the invaders from the wall.
When he turned back to face the city, he was surprised to see Korinn Bear Slayer waving to him from the north wall of the ruined gate. Dwarves built the highest walls in the world, and Thelvyn had to stretch his hind legs to lift his head level with the young dwarf. The soldiers along the wall cheered loudly.
'Everyone seems happy to see me,' he commented wryly. 'Did they perchance think I would not come?'
'Not for a moment,' Korinn declared. 'Not to complain, but you might have arrived just a bit sooner.'
'Not really,' Thelvyn replied. 'I had to wait until I had gathered the numbers necessary to destroy the Masters or drive them from our world before they can get organized to strike back against us. I must go after the Masters as soon as possible, but you still have a large army to deal with here. Do you think you can handle the problem if I leave a few dragons behind with you?'
'Of course,' Korinn said without hesitation, realizing that the dragons would be doing most of the work. 'Your dragons do understand that the dwarves are now their allies, don't they?'
'I think so.'
Korinn laughed to himself; he had asked the question in jest, and he hoped Thelvyn had been jesting in turn. Then he turned to see his brother, who had made his way through the tower where the gatehouse joined the main wall. Dorinn was moving with even more difficulty than usual, obviously near-ing the end of his strength, and his abused armor was mute testimony that he had seen his own share of fighting. He paused, a bit shaken to see the head of a gold dragon only a few yards away.
'Thelvyn Fox-Eyes, you recall my older brother, Dorinn,' Korinn said quickly, to remind Dorinn that this dragon was an old friend. 'I take it the city is secure once again?'
'We're rounding up the last of the invaders who made it over the wall,' Dorinn explained, still somewhat hesitant. 'I was coming to look for you. I was concerned for your safety
when the gate wall collapsed.'
'I need to gather a large force of fighters and lead them down through the secret ways,' Korinn explained quickly. 'The dragons are helping to destroy our enemies, but we must still help them in any way we can.'
'Yes, of course,' Dorinn agreed without hesitation. Dwarves always wanted to play as large a part in any fight as they could. 'I must begin to set things in order here, especially the repair of the road. And I should send a message to the lower city so that father will know that the danger is over. It is over, isn't it?'
'It should be over by nightfall,' Thelvyn answered. 'We still have to hunt down the remaining Masters and either slay them or drive them from this world. They seem to have entered our world somewhere in the mountains north of the steppes. We might have to chase them all the way back there. If you can manage things here yourself, I'd like to take Korinn with me.'
'Me?' Korinn asked, confused.
'Every city in Rockhome has been under siege. They might be pleased to see the dragons destroying their enemies, but they might need to be reassured about their new allies.'
Dorinn was obviously pleased to continue his duties as the leader of the defenders of Dengar, even if it meant going into battle once again with his warriors. Making himself useful at such a time of need was very important to him, important enough that he was able to overcome his physical limitations by will alone. Aside from the ruined gate, the upper city had suffered little damage during the battle, although the gemstone dragons had once again inflicted damage on a number of the highest towers.
As it happened, the battle in the valley below was well on its way to being over. The dragons had already destroyed or driven away the Masters, and Kharendaen had led a score of red dragons against the invading army. By surrounding the invaders, the dragons were steadily driving them into a trap in a blind canyon a few miles north of Dengar. So far, Kharen-daen's chief concern had been struggling to prevent the red dragons from being needlessly cruel. All the gold dragons except for Thelvyn's bodyguards had left in pursuit of the Musters, since their greater size, speed, and magic were needed to fight the gemstone dragons.
Thelvyn selected one of the gold dragon clerics among his bodyguards to take command of the young reds. Then Korinn Hear Slayer mounted Kharendaen's saddle, which she had brought along in anticipation of this very need. Flying as itwiftly as they could, Thelvyn and Kharendaen made a complete circuit of the cities of Rockhome, beginning in the east with Kurdal and Smaggeft on the shores of Lake Klintest, then crossing the mountains to Evemur and on to Stahl. The dragons had already driven the Masters from all the cities, leaving behind a small force to deal with the invading forces abandoned by the gemstone dragons. Korinn spoke briefly with the leaders
