places at the ends of columns that now stretched for nearly a hundred miles. They would reach the mountains bordering the western frontier in another five days, although their intention was to head south of the great spur of the Wen-darian Range to enter the Highlands through the wide valley of Areste River. They expected to fight their last battle with the dragons before that happened.
They knew what the Dragonking's plans would be, since circumstances left him little choice. They knew that their own disadvantage was the very size of their army, forcing it to move slowly through open land. And they knew that the dragons would not wait to fight them in one last battle, but would harass them at every opportunity, steadily whittling away at their strength. The Masters were prepared to do anything to prevent themselves from being drawn into a contest that they would lose because of their smaller numbers, even if they had to sacrifice large portions of their armies of slaves to protect themselves.
Even so, the Dragonking managed to surprise them. He had realized that any plan that was obvious and simple to him was also apparent to the Masters. He had changed his tactics accordingly.
The dragons came not in small, swift raiding parties but in full strength, five thousand strong, flying as low and fast as they could. Darting in and out between the tops of the trees, they seemed to appear without warning from all directions at once, their attack runs carefully timed so that they all descended upon their enemies at the same moment. And they attacked not at one place but all along the twenty-mile length of the ranks of the invaders. The Masters were overwhelmed almost as quickly as they realized that they were under attack. They had kept their own numbers spread out along the columns of their armies to offer the best protection, and now they couldn't gather quickly enough to combine their strength against the overpowering numbers of their enemies.
The dragons descended upon the Masters in swarms, often five of six of them overtaking a single gemstone dragon at once. The Masters that were caught were driven sharply to the ground, their armor plowing through the torn earth among the scattered ranks of their soldiers, some crashing through the trees of the surrounding woods. Many of the gemstone dragons were slain immediately, their necks broken in death holds. Others were simply held to the ground for a brief moment while the dragons spoke the Overlord's secret name to them in soft voices before releasing their captives and withdrawing quickly. In the latter instance, the Masters would most often rise slowly, as if they were regaining their wits. Then they would spread their wings and leap into the morning sky, heading swiftly away into the wilderness like trapped animals fleeing a cage when the door has been opened.
As Thelvyn had expected, knowing the name of the Overlord had the power to free even the Masters from his control. Perhaps they had never before in their lives commanded their own thoughts and will, knowing only what the Overlord demanded of them. Now that they were free, they wanted to stay free.
Of course, not all the Masters were slain or freed. Some found openings between the attacking dragons and fled, although the swifter gold and red dragons were able to chase down many who managed to escape the initial attack. But enough of the Masters were gone that the advance of the invading army was brought to a stop for the remainder of the day until the Masters who had managed to escape returned cautiously from the wild and began to restore order to their disoriented fighters. As Thelvyn had predicted, it was obvious that the Overlord depended upon the Masters to convey his orders and redirect the force of his will among his many slaves.
The dragons continued to attack throughout the day, altering their tactics to raid quickly in small bands. They could come and go with relative impunity, although they still had to be swift and cautious during their attacks now that the enemy forces had stopped moving to take up a defensive position. The invaders had brought hundreds of mobile catapults that launched bolts large enough to do considerable harm to a dragon. Nevertheless, in one quick and simple move, the Dragonking had left his enemy at a serious disadvantage.
Thelvyn knew he had taken a chance in releasing some of the gemstone dragons rather than slaying them. If the plan hadn't worked as he hoped, many of the Masters would have been free to fight a second time. Jherdar and several other leaders among the red and black dragons had been uncomfortable with the plan, but their respect for the Dragonking had kept them from questioning his judgment. Now, as reports from their scouts came in during the day, Thelvyn's choice had been vindicated. Of the five hundred gemstone dragons that had accompanied the invasion force, more than a hundred were dead and approximately another three hundred had fled into the wilds.
Early that afternoon, Thelvyn received a message that the leader of the freed gemstone dragons wished to speak with the Dragonking. Thelvyn had been expecting something like this.
His hope was that they would be willing to help fight the remaining invaders, or at least provide him with some valuable information. He had been watching the enemy from a temporary camp only ten miles or so from the vanguard of the invading army, together with his chief advisors and his bodyguard.
Three of the freed Masters approached a short time later. Thelvyn hadn't forgotten that the gemstone dragons were larger than all but a few of the mature gold and red dragons, but he was still momentarily startled by their immense size. Their strange armor, like plates that appeared to have been carved from precious stones, made them look more like fanciful statues than living creatures. But there was a change in their bearing; their cold confidence was gone, replaced by uncertainty and fear. Their schemes, their will, even their courage had always come from the Overlord, and they clearly needed some time to learn how to decide matters for themselves.
'Do your people understand what has happened to you?' Thelvyn asked.
The leader of the gemstone dragons glanced quickly to either side before daring to look at the Dragonking. 'We understand. We have never been permitted to question our service to the Overlord, and therefore everything he made us believe had seemed right to us. Now we understand what it means to be free.'
'Will you fight with us to remain free?' Thelvyn asked.
'We would like to fight, but we dare not,' the crystal dragon said, looking very fearful. 'We are like the Flaem in that regard. We have been under the will of the Overlord for many generations, and his power remains in us even yet. When he comes into this world, he will be able to draw us back under his control once again. The name that protects you is not enough to keep us safe from him. We must stay far away from here when he comes, or he will enslave us again and make us fight you.'
'How far must you go before you escape his influence?'
'We can never really escape him,' the crystal dragon explained. 'There is no place in this world far enough distant that his will cannot reach us once he comes. But if we are not here, he will not know we are still alive. If he sees us fighting in your ranks, he will turn us against you. That is why we must not be here.'
Thelvyn nodded. 'I understand. Gather your people and lead them into the east. We will find you when the fighting is done.'
'You must be very careful,' the gemstone dragon said, becoming fearful again. 'The Overlord has changed the gemstone dragons in incredible ways so that we may better serve him. He can share his strength with us, making us stronger and our magic far more powerful.'
'Yes, I am aware of that,' Thelvyn told him.
'But you have not yet seen the worst. When the Overlord comes, he can command the Masters who remain under his will to transform into terrible creatures of fire and destruction. When this happens, you will not be able to fight them at all. Their touch will bring pain and death. Their breath will rend the sky and crack the earth. However, they will not be able to fly any faster than before, so at least you will be able to flee from them.'
Thelvyn stared at the ground while he listened to those words. He looked up after a long moment. 'Is there anything else I should know?'
'I can say nothing more,' the crystal dragon said. 'If the time should come that you must fight the Overlord himself, I am not sure what he will do. I can tell you this, however. What you see is only his magic, layer upon layer of powerful magic. To slay him, you must destroy the ancient spells he has woven about himself. I know not what you will discover hidden deep beneath the magic. No one has ever seen his true form.'
'I see.' Thelvyn straightened and sat upright. 'I do not know whether anything you have said will help me defeat the Overlord, but at least I have a better understanding of what I face. I thank you for that. Now gather your people and go.'
The three gemstone dragons bowed their heads in a gesture of respect, then turned and hurried away. Thelvyn continued to sit for a long moment, staring out across the miles of wilderness toward the distant armies of the invaders. The dragons remained silent, watching him closely. They could only wonder if he saw more hope in their situation than they did.
'Ah, well,' he sighed at last. 'Just when we seemed to be getting ahead, we find out just how far behind we really are.'
