'Not too many yet,' the mayor said. 'Our problem is that their influence is becoming stronger, and it's becoming harder for us to resist.'
Thelvyn glanced at Kharendaen, who was frowning. 'It will only get worse, especially when the Masters themselves arrive. The city is indefensible, even with the help of myself and my dragons. I suggest that all those who still command their own minds flee Braastar at once. Even your garrison force, which should follow as a rear guard. We will hold this gate until the Masters themselves force us to withdraw.'
'But where should we go?' the mayor asked.
'South, to Braejr. I'm hoping that the Fire Wizards can make use of their special powers to break the influence of the Masters, and the dragon sorcerers will be gathering there tomorrow. Our best hope to protect your people from domination rests in Braejr.'
The defenders of Braastar hated to abandon their city, but they were quick to agree to Thelvyn's plan. The mayor left to make preparations for the retreat of all those who still were in control of their wills and desired to leave. Fortunately many of the people could be placed on barges and small boats to float down the Aalban River to Braejr, arriving considerably sooner than those who would walk or ride. The soldiers of the city garrison closed and barred the east gate, then hurried to assist with the evacuation of the city.
As soon as the gate was shut, Thelvyn prepared to do what he could to buy some time for the evacuation of the Braastar. The other dragons in his company stayed close beside him, lying on the ground near the wall of the city so that they could not easily be seen across the couple of miles of open fields between them and the distant forest. So far, Thelvyn had yet to see the gemstone dragons themselves, and that led him to wonder if they even knew that he had arrived with his small force to defend Braastar. They were bound to know soon enough, once he attacked their army. That was why he was holding back, buying every possible minute for the evacuation of the city.
Even if the Masters didn't know he was at Braastar, he would soon be forced to reveal his presence. Moving out a short way from the gate, he sat upright with his head lifted and his tail looped around his legs. Then he closed his eyes and tried to open himself to the powers of the Great One. He knew he was asking for something the Immortals might not be able or willing to grant him, powers far beyond those commonly extended to their clerics. And yet he had to chase all thoughts that he might not succeed from of his mind, believing with all his heart that he was asking for powers that were within his right to possess. He was, after all, the Dragonking, and nearly an Immortal in his own right.
'What are you going to do?' Kharendaen asked quietly.
'I'm going to try to fight the will of the Masters,' he answered. 'If I can dispel their magical influence over this city, then the people of Braastar will be able to evacuate much easier and faster.'
She looked uncertain. 'Can you cast a spell to dispel magic on such a vast scale?'
'I have no idea,' he admitted. 'Perhaps, if the Immortals are willing to add their powers to my own, I might be able to cast such a spell.'
Thelvyn stared toward the east with the intent, penetrating gaze that was unique to dragons, as if he faced the Masters directly and was locking his will against their own. Then he concentrated all his powers upon his spell, as if weaving layer upon layer of magic upon that one spell until it had grown many hundreds of times greater than usual. When he released the spell, it was as if it pulled away a large part of himself as it was cast, leaving him so empty and weak that he felt dizzy and could hardly lift his long neck for several moments.
Then the Masters recovered from their surprise and began their own attack, increasing the force of their summons. They
i ouldn't break Thelvyn's defense, and yet he could not completely shield the people of Braastar from their summons. because Thelvyn had cast the spell on so many people at once,
it had affected them all to different degrees, failing entirely on some of them. While this spell was ordinarily a permanent one, the massive scale at which it had been cast made it weak unci vulnerable to the influence of the Masters, so that it would hide over several hours. At least he was able to give many of
i he Flaem some relief from the distraction and the pain, freeing some who had not previously been able to flee and making
ii easier for others to escape from the city.
For now, Thelvyn could only wait, resting while he could, us the invading army drew slowly but steadily closer. His spell of protection wouldn't last very long, and he had poured so much of his own energy into working his magic that he would have to regain his strength before he could cast another spell.
'Are you well?' Kharendaen asked, concerned.
He nodded slowly. 'I just need to rest. Can you go into the eity and find the mayor? Tell him to keep his people together in one group when they leave the city. I can protect them better with my magic if they're close together.'
Kharendaen looked dubious. 'If they remain together, we're going to have a difficult time protecting them from the gemstone dragons.'
'Actually, it should be easier,' Thelvyn said. 'There aren't enough of us to confront the gemstone dragons if we have to divide up to protect the people of Braastar.'
The dragons waited patiently, remaining hidden by lying flat in the deep grass while they awaited the approach of the invading army. Kharendaen returned a few minutes later, reporting that the evacuation of the city was proceeding quickly, although it was not particularly well organized. Most of the people seemed to have decided on their own to flee the
city once they heard that the invading army was only a few miles away. Consequently there was a great deal of chaos, which hampered the Mayor's efforts to organize an orderly evacuation. Many of the refugees were already on their way south on horseback, in carriages, or even in farm wagons. Since they seemed to be moving along fairly quickly, they probably weren't in much danger from the Masters, and so they would have to be on their own. The rest were heading to the river a few miles to the west, where boats and barges would transport them directly to Braejr.
The problem for the dragons would be to hold the city long enough for everyone to get away, then guard the disorderly fleet of boats and barges as it drifted along the river. It would be a tall order for only ten dragons, and their success would depend greatly upon whether or not the gemstone dragons moved against them in numbers they could not fight.
By late that morning, the army of the invaders was only about two miles from the city. For the first time, they could be seen; fairly clearly as they followed the road through the scattered woods just beyond the open fields. Thelvyn guessed that there were at least twenty or twenty-five thousand troops in all, and he was privately amazed that the Masters had been able to summon such a large force through the gate in such a short time. Beyond an occasional draconic form riding the winds in the distance, there was little to be seen of the Masters, a tactic that made it hard to guess their numbers or their intentions.
Thelvyn considered his options quickly and then had his dragons withdraw back inside the city. If the invaders attacked, ten dragons were more than enough to keep an army of soldiers from scaling the wall. If the Masters themselves attacked in superior numbers, the dragons might be able to hold their own briefly by using the protection of the wall. Next he sent Kharendaen back through the city a final time to check the progress of the evacuation.
Kharendaen returned a short time later with her report. 'The last of the barges and boats have just set out. More people are on the road to the south. There are only a few stragglers still leaving the city.'
'After we are forced to leave, I will still have to do what I can to shield those who are fleeing south from the summons of the Masters. I only hope that Alessa can find some way to use the Radiance to help me.'
'Do you think we will have to fight?' she asked.
Thelvyn considered that. 'The invaders are still two miles or so away. They won't be near enough to challenge us for another hour, and there is no reason for us to be concerned until the Masters come. We must fight them for as long as we can, to keep their attention on us rather than the people fleeing south.'
The invading army began to move out into the fields just to the east of Braastar shortly after noon. They gave every indication of preparing for an immediate attack. Thelvyn left the wall of the city briefly to make final preparations. He found that the ragged collection of boats and barges had already drifted several miles down the river. He began to hope that they might actually escape. He stayed just long enough to renew his spell of protection over the citizens of Braastar, although he had to rest a few minutes before he could fly back to the city
