anything he could to protect the dragons and take the greatest risks himself. He still believed that the greatest risks were his to take, simply because he possessed the greatest ability to defend himself. If nothing else, he could always retreat into the armor of the Dragonlord, which left him invulnerable to nearly any attack.
But not invulnerable to every attack, he reminded himself. The Fire Wizards had once used the power of the Radiance to inhibit the enchantments of his armor and had nearly defeated him, an attack he now knew had been directed by the Masters themselves. Possibly the Masters commanded such power that they could overcome the enchantments of his armor. And there was nothing he could do about their metal warriors, assuming they had any more of the hulking war machines. At least he was quick enough to stay out of their way.
He was glad when he finally got to bed that night. Although he had been a dragon only a short time, his neck had been hurting him these last few days from all his long journeys and his many fights. Kharendaen's bed wasn't as comfortable as those he had slept in during his brief visits to Windreach, but far better than sleeping on the ground. And while the bed was somewhat small for the two of them, that kept his mate close beside him during the night. He was content.
That night he dreamed that he and Kharendaen were riding the cool winds over a rugged, deeply forested land between tall, rocky mountains. The place reminded him so much of the wilds of Wendar that for a brief time he thought he had returned to those happy weeks they had spent together in Shadowmere and the Foxwoods, when he had still been learning what it meant to be a dragon and war and desperation were forgotten. Then he realized that this was a dream, one of those rare dreams he had experienced in the past in which he would receive instructions from the Great One.
The two dragons turned toward the mountains, guided by some strange instinct rather than any actual instructions. They were flying high over the forest with tremendous speed and yet with almost no effort, hardly even feeling the pull of their own weight on their wings. Moments later they were hurtling over the ridges and slopes of the mountains, sailing on the ever-shifting winds. Circling tightly to break their speed, they descended quickly into a high meadow of deep, green grass surrounded by a forest of tall, narrow pines.
They stood for just a moment staring out across the meadow into the distant forests below the mountains. Then Thelvyn saw Kharendaen start and turn quickly, and he turned as well to see a gold dragon sitting in the soft grass a short distance away. She was tall and lean, long and slender but well muscled, and her narrow face and large blue eyes gave her an expression of grace and wisdom. He realized that this was his mother, the dragon cleric Arbendael.
'We have met so I can warn you to change your plans,' she told them. 'You propose to seek the main stronghold of the Masters to judge their strength. You search for knowledge that the Great One already possesses and can share with you. Have his clerics forgotten that they can ask?'
Kharendaen bowed her head, but Thelvyn was undaunted. 'The Great One has been reluctant to speak with us in the past. Perhaps we can be forgiven for not expecting him to answer now.'
'That was never by his own choice,' Arbendael told him. 'Your time is short, and you must not waste it. Do you wish to know the true strength of the Masters and their army? They have built themselves a fortress as large as any city in your own world in the wilderness. The dragons could hardly hope to stand against them, and they have not yet gathered their fullest strength. But that is not your most immediate concern. Have you forgotten that the Masters serve an even greater master of their own?'
'I have not forgotten,' Thelvyn insisted. 'But I must face my challenges as they come. It has been all I could do to keep the Masters at bay. I'm afraid that left me no time to concern myself with the mystery of the one who calls himself the Overlord.'
'And yet the Overlord is your true enemy,' a deeper voice said, speaking from behind him. 'You cannot ignore him.'
Thelvyn turned quickly to see that the Great One himself now stood in the meadow behind him, wearing his common guise of an older dragon of some ancient breed. Apparently he was impatient to speak his mind about such important matters and was no longer content to leave the discussion to his servant.
'What can you tell me of the Overlord?' Thelvyn asked plainly.
'There is very little that I can tell you,' the Great One said. 'Neither my own powers nor those of any of the Immortals can extend into his world, and so he remains a mystery even to us. I suspect that his powers rival those of a lesser Immortal, although I doubt that he is an Immortal himself. I know that his powers can be channeled to his servants in this world, or else his slaves would no longer be under his will. You have seen that for yourself, with the crystal that was used to control the mage, Alessa. That is why the Masters possess greater powers than they should have.'
'Can we block his influence from our world?' Thelvyn asked.
'Unfortunately, no,' the Great One said. 'The power of the Radiance, or perhaps the combined magic of the dragon sorcerers, might accomplish that, but then the Overlord would only come himself.'
'What must I do?' Thelvyn asked, confused. 'You seem to be telling me my true enemy is one whom I cannot hope to fight.'
'Your true enemy is one you know nothing about,' the Great One corrected him. 'When the first Dragonlord and I fought the gemstone dragons long ago, they had not yet fled into the world of the Overlord and fallen under his will. I know nothing about him, and so I cannot guide you. And you cannot afford to continue to fight an enemy you know so little about. The time has come for you to go secretly into the world of the Masters to learn all that you can. Unfortunately, the Immortals cannot help you, because our powers do not extend into that world.'
Thelvyn lowered his head. 'I think I understand. That is why the Dragonking exists, is it not? To go where you cannot, to act when you are forbidden to?'
'You must be very careful,' the Great One cautioned. 'You must have the dragon sorcerers open a worldgate for you in a place where the Masters will not suspect it. And you must not go alone. Kharendaen will accompany you.'
Thelvyn looked surprised. 'I believe I would be able to move more swiftly and safely alone.'
'Perhaps in many ways you are right,' Arbendael said, moving around to stand closer to the Great One. 'Your powers might be far greater than Kharendaen's, but they are still different. Kharendaen is a true cleric. If the Immortals are to have any contact with that world, it will be through her.'
Arbendael sat close at the Great One's side and rubbed her cheek gently against his breast, a gesture that he accepted graciously. Thelvyn was surprised. Suddenly he realized that, for the first time in his life, he was in the company of his parents, even if it was only in a dream. They had never seemed particularly real to him before now. They had been like two strangers he had never known in life, their mating a mere matter of necessity. He felt much better in knowing that they were still together in this extraordinary dream world. In some odd way he could not define, he felt better about himself.
'Under no circumstances is the old drake to go with you,' the Great One added. 'Learn what you can without risking capture and then return at once. Remember above all else that the most important thing is to return safely, even if you learn nothing. Without you, there is no hope for this world.'
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Marthaen was beside himself when he went to the lair early the next morning and learned that Thelvyn and Kharendaen would be leaving at once for the world of the Masters. He tried hard not to show his disapproval, since the instructions had come from the Great One himself, but he wasn't able to completely hide his agitation. He obviously considered the whole thing ill-advised. He did not believe that the Dragonking should subject himself to such a risk, not to mention his own sister.
'There is only one good thing I can say about it,' he grumbled at last. 'With Kharendaen along, you might be more careful to stay out of trouble.'
'I'm not happy about bringing Kharendaen along,' Thelvyn insisted. 'I'd still prefer to go alone, but I dare not second-guess the Great One. For now, I need to know if you can open a worldgate someplace where the Masters will not suspect it.'
Marthaen considered that briefly. 'I believe it can be done, but I must consult with my sorcerers before I can
