against their former masters. The only problem was that, like the Flaem, they did not dare leave the Highlands and the protection of the Radiance.
For now, at least, the Flaem were happy to have a well-sup-plied army on hand to help protect their homelands, and Solveig was already arranging for them to be given land to settle in the eastern and far northern portions of the realm. Of course, Thelvyn hadn't forgotten the natural Flaemish suspicion of foreigners, which he had endured often himself. He suspected they would be less willing to have people from various off-world races sharing their land once the threat of war was past. His only comfort was knowing that the problem would be left for someone else to resolve, probably Solveig White-Gold.
There was considerable celebration in Braejr that evening when Thelvyn and Kharendaen returned to the city with news that the Masters had either been destroyed or had fled into the wilderness. He could appreciate the relief of the Flaem, who had been living in fear not only of conquest but also of enslavement. Those who had already been evacuated to the south would be returning the next day, and the people who had fled Braastar were eager to go home again. Thelvyn regretted how much the city of Braastar had suffered in the invasion, for there had been much damage by fire and the Masters had looted the city.
Of course, few people even knew about the existence of the Radiance. The general assumption was that the powers employed by the dragon sorcerers had been their own. It seemed best that the Radiance should remain a secret, so that people of other lands would not someday be tempted to try to invade the Highlands to capture it for themselves. The only way to protect that secret was to continue to allow most people to believe that the dragon sorcerers alone, under the guidance of the Dragonking, had been responsible for vanquishing the will of the Masters. Alessa Vyledaar was somewhat annoyed at having to allow the dragons to take the full credit, but she had to admit that it was better than revealing the secrets of the Radiance.
Now that the invasion of the Highlands seemed to be settled, Thelvyn was already thinking ahead to the next problem. Every time that he had fought and defeated the Masters, they had responded quickly and in even greater strength than before. This time was no different. He knew that they would strike again, and soon. His problem now was anticipating their next move, and he needed more information before he could guess what it might be. Fortunately Jherdar returned early that night, having pursued the surviving gemstone dragons as far as he could. Thelvyn quickly called together his chief advisors to meet with him in the lair at Solveig's house.
'I was not able to learn all the answers you would have liked,' Jherdar began, pausing as he devoured a roasted haunch of elk that had been brought for him. 'We followed the Masters who fled into the wilderness of the northwest until we were perhaps a couple hours west of Wendar. I had my fastest golds and young red dragons after them, so the gemstone dragons had to push themselves hard to stay ahead. But then we began to see other gemstone dragons coming toward us, more than we could hope to fight.'
'More of them?' Thelvyn asked. He was trying to maintain his dignity while Kharendaen rubbed oil into the scorched armor on his lower back and rump, having already washed him thoroughly in the court outside the lair a short time earlier.
'At least another hundred, probably more,' the red dragon said. 'I followed as long as I dared, trying to discover where they were coming from, but I never saw anything.'
'At least we know they must have a base somewhere in that direction,' Sir George observed. 'It might have been only a few miles ahead.'
'I've learned all that I hoped to at this time,' Thelvyn said. 'There is a vast area west of Wendar and the Highlands where few seldom go, not even many dragons, and all the kingdoms of dragons in that region have long since been summoned to war in the east. I was fairly certain the Masters had a stronghold there somewhere.'
'What good does it do them?' Solveig asked. 'You don't fortify a stronghold if you never expect the enemy to come.'
'The Masters have some very serious problems to solve before their plans of conquest can proceed,' Thelvyn said, although he seemed mostly to be thinking aloud. 'They didn't expect the dragons to fight them. They didn't expect me to be a serious problem. They didn't expect the Flaem to fight them, and they thought the Radiance could be easily taken, and now both are lost. Now they have to deal with me and with the dragons, and they have to stop losing battles. Obviously there aren't enough gemstone dragons to take on the dragons directly, or they would have done that by now.'
'How do you think they expect to fight us effectively?' Marthaen asked. 'The only thing that seemed to work for them was that metal monster.'
Thelvyn stared at the ground for a long moment while he considered that carefully. 'They have two options. If they can, they might try constant, random attacks everywhere at once and divide our strength. Or they can assemble everything they have to throw at us, even if they must empty the resources of their own world, and force us into a battle we cannot win. I suspect that the second plan is the more likely one. I have to know, and I must have that answer now.'
Sir George frowned. 'You mean to find that stronghold of theirs, don't you?'
Marthaen lifted his ears in alarm. 'You must not take such a risk. I can find dragon scouts willing to take that chance. They could plant elvish scouts as close to their hidden stronghold as possible, as we have done here in the Highlands.'
'You are forgetting that I am still the Dragonlord,' Thelvyn said. 'As a dragon, I have the speed to avoid their metal warriors. As the Dragonlord, I can hold my own against any number of the Masters.'
No one was happy with such a plan, but there was no dissuading Thelvyn. His best hope of an effective reconnaissance of the secret stronghold of the Mastfers was to go alone, getting in and back out again as quickly as he could. He agreed to allow Kharendaen and several of his bodyguards to accompany him partway. Once he had made his plans, he dismissed his companions for a well-earned night of rest. He thanked them all for their efforts as they filed out the door of the lair into the yard.
'You need rest more than anyone right now,' Solveig told him. 'We're still trying to find you a virgin or two, if you still want them. Do they taste better?'
'I have no idea,' Thelvyn said, frowning fiercely. 'I haven't had a virgin recently.'
Kharendaen put on a very innocent expression. 'I have.'
'Oh, enough,' Thelvyn declared. 'Is this any way to show respect for the Dragonking?'
'Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the ancient prophecies of the dragons,' Marthaen remarked. 'Thus it was said: 'Verily shall you know the true Dragonking, for he shall be the butt of many jokes.' '
After a good laugh, the others all left. Marthaen was about to depart as well when Thelvyn asked him to wait a moment. 'I haven't forgotten that you are still the First Speaker of the parliament, or that you are the lord of your own kingdom of dragons. And I certainly haven't forgotten how capable you proved yourself to be as a leader last year. Perhaps it has seemed that I have usurped your authority, but I do not claim power for its own sake.'
'You are the Dragonking, chosen by the Great One to lead us,' Marthaen assured him. 'You have done things to lead and protect the dragons that I could never do. Do not forget that you have called upon me to support you from the first, or that you turned to me to find a way to drive the Masters from the Highlands when you could not. I am content with my role.'
'Perhaps I am concerned that you should remain content,' Thelvyn admitted. 'As much as you have done, this war is far from over. If you or Jherdar should come to begrudge me your support, we are doomed.'
'You must never fear that my support will waver,' the older dragon said. 'I believe the trust and support you have from all the dragons is absolute. They have seen that the Masters are an enemy that will destroy them if they are not entirely committed to this fight. As for Jherdar, he is happy as long as he has enemies to slay. I think that you have taught even the red dragons the value of being patient and wise.'
'The dragons have always been wise,' Thelvyn remarked. 'Their problem has always been that they forget their wisdom when it matters most. I have never understood that.'
'Perhaps you have never been angry or frightened enough,' Marthaen said. 'A frightened or angry dragon knows only what it feels, and the most basic instincts seems like wisdom. That is why I feel you should not try to fight all the battles and take all the risks yourself in your need to protect your people. Do not forget that, above all else, you are our only hope to defeat the Masters. Do not risk unnecessarily the weapon that the Great One has prepared for us for our defense.'
Thelvyn took that advice very much to heart. He had to admit to himself that his inclination was always to do
