'But can you move?' she asked anxiously.
'I have no choice but to try.'
At least he was spared the need to try to fly just yet; the spells that were healing his damaged back were still working, and he was in considerable pain even yet. Nor did he dare to attempt to fly through the walls of dark mist that filled the chamber, with no idea of its size or where he could find an exit. He climbed stiffly over the edge of the pit, waiting a moment for Kharendaen to join him before they began to hurry through the darkness, heading in the opposite direction from where they had last seen the Overlord. The mists parted slowly about them as they hurried across the stone floor at a half-run, unable to see more than a few yards ahead of them. They had to be careful not to lose sight of each other.
The two dragons ran for what seemed like several hundred yards, and they were beginning to wonder just how vast this chamber was when they suddenly encountered the wall looming suddenly out of the mist. Thelvyn paused for an instant, staring up as far as he could see along the featureless expanse of smooth, gray stone before he turned to run along the wall to his right. He had to find a way out of this chamber before it was sealed against them, just as the walls had materialized around the central pit to form their prison. When he did not find what he was seeking, he had to wonder if it was already too late. Only a few seconds had passed since they had escaped from the pit, but in that oppressive darkness, each second seemed to possess the weight of a hour.
When he came abrupdy to a corner, he had to pause a second time, trying to decide whether he should go back or search along the new wall. Taking a chance, he turned again to his right and began to race along the length of the new wall, running almost blindly in the darkness, certain that the next corner must be hundreds of yards ahead. Just as they approached what he thought should be about halfway along the wall, he began to slow somewhat in anticipation of finding a doorway. Instead, they came suddenly into an open pocket in the mists, as if the gray fog had been blown away from that portion of the wall.
Thelvyn stopped short and sat back on his tail so that he could lift his long neck to look up. Suddenly he realized that there might not be any floor-level entrances to this chamber. The only way in or out could be through passages set high in the wall; the gemstone dragons had the ability to fly, and the Overlord could probably come and go by will alone. Perhaps by chance, there was enough air moving through the passages of the stronghold to clear the air in this one small area as it poured through the unseen opening somewhere above.
Thelvyn stepped away from the wall and spread his wings. He was reassured to find that the pain and stiffness in his back had nearly disappeared. Then he leapt upward and began to climb in a tight spiral, with Kharendaen close behind him. He wondered how the Masters found their way through the mist, unless they possessed some magical instinct for direction. Moments later, he suddenly emerged into open air. The ceiling of the large chamber was more than a hundred yards high, and the misty clouds setded into only the lower portion, filling it like the bottom of a bowl. Now he could see several wide rectangular passageways opening into the chamber, one of them just before him.
He landed on the ledge at the front of the opening, still feeling a bit unsteady. The roof of the passage looked too low for him to try to fly through it. A short distance beyond the opening, the passageway began to climb upward at a steep angle. He folded away his wings and moved quickly out of the way, giving Kharendaen room to land beside him. Then, moving side by side, they began the difficult climb up the steep passage, their claws scratching against the smooth stone of the ramp as they struggled upward. The passage itself was dark, but there was a pale light in the opening above.
The passage was a long, difficult climb. It was less than fifty yards in actual length, but it was so steep that they were constantly in danger of slipping and falling. They were nearly at the top when the form of a gemstone dragon moved suddenly into the opening above, standing dark and menacing against the light. Although it appeared to be alone, it would be difficult to get by it because of the positional advantage it commanded at the top of the steep ramp. The two dragons continued their climb, acutely aware that they couldn't afford to be delayed.
Kharendaen decided it was her turn to get them to safety. Suddenly she darted forward up the ramp. On the steep ramp, she was the quicker of the two, being smaller and lighter, and Thelvyn was still slowed somewhat by his injuries. It was a brave choice, but it was more ill-considered than she had thought. When she came to the top of the ramp, she employed one of her favorite tricks, darting beneath the gemstone dragon and then thrusting herself upward sharply, throwing the gemstone dragon's greater bulk over her back and against the wall at the top of the opening. The maneuver stunned the alien dragon for a moment, long enough for Kharendaen to kick out with her hind legs and send the creature sliding down the ramp.
Unfortunately, Thelvyn was still on the ramp just below the opening. He pulled himself as far as he could to one side of the passage, trying to keep out of the way as the gemstone dragon slid by. For a moment it seemed that he had escaped, but in the last instant, the gemstone dragon caught the end of Thelvyn's tail and held on desperately. There wasn't much that Thelvyn could do about it, since he was barely able to keep his hold on the smooth stones to keep himself from sliding down the ramp with his enemy.
Then Kharendaen hurtled down the ramp, crashing into the gemstone dragon. At the same time, she caught the base of his neck in her jaws in a death hold. The Master released its hold on Thelvyn's tail immediately, and the two of them slid away into the darkness below. Alarmed, Thelvyn braced himself as best as he could and bent his head back to peer down the dark passage. He decided he should hurry to his mate's assistance, but a moment later he saw her swarming up the ramp to join him, looking none the worse for wear.
'Are you through playing?' he called down to her.
'I thought I was being helpful,' she insisted. 'Why? Are you in a hurry?'
'I was thinking about that big worldgate in the center of the stronghold,' he told her. 'If we hurry, we might just be lucky enough to get home the easy way.'
They climbed out of the ramp into a large passage, pausing briefly to look around. They had emerged into a wide corridor, large enough to easily fly side by side along its length. Other doorways and passages entered this one at intervals, but they were set fairly far apart. The walls and floor of massive gray stone blocks were smooth and featureless. The Masters were obviously not much concerned with beauty or ornamentation. The two dragons spread their wings to fly as fast as they dared along the passage, hoping to escape the stronghold before they had to fight yet again.
Thelvyn had no idea how to find his way out of this place.
The only thing he could think of was to keep heading as directly as he could away from the center. He recalled that most of the fortresses that he had seen in the city of the Masters had only one main entrance, and his dragon's sense of direction told him that the gate probably would face the south, to his left. Perhaps he would have done better to have looked for a way out somewhere above, but he was afraid it might take too much time to find a ledge or window. After a short distance, they came to the intersection of another wide corridor leading to the left.
Fortunately the passages of the fortress were straight and regular, laid out with a singular attention to efficiency. Soon the corridor turned once again, back the way they had first come, then opened suddenly upon a large chamber. The dragons found themselves on a high balcony that looked out over one end of a wide hall, the vast gateroom of the fortress. From where they stood, the massive doors of dark metal were set in the center of the opposite wall. The doors were shut and barred, and six gemstone dragons waited below, guarding the gate. More than a score of Veydran warriors, these doubtlessly subject to the will of the Overlord, also waited on the floor below or along the stairs at either end of the balcony. They stood with their wings spread, holding long spears in their hands. They looked small to the dragons but also lean and swift, decidedly dangerous adversaries.
'We can't afford the time to find another way out,' Thelvyn said as he stood beside Kharendaen at the center of the balcony.
'What can we do other than fight them?' she asked softly.
'We're going to have to fight,' he replied. 'I plan to make it a brief one. Be ready to follow me.'
Kharendaen did not doubt him, but she wondered how long his strength would hold out after the terrible injuries he had recently endured. She recalled that few clerical spells were particularly useful in a battle of magic, but Thelvyn had always had a few tricks entirely his own. He rose to stand with his forelegs braced on the sturdy rail along the edge of the balcony, as if challenging his enemies, but she could see his eyes glaze as he concentrated on commanding a spell. She wished he would hurry; the Veydran warriors spotted him, shook their spears over their heads, and rushed up the stairs to attack.
