time before he would be as swift and limber as he had been before his back had been injured in the stronghold of the Overlord. The wounds of his many battles and the great weariness from his many long journeys would not leave him for long. Perhaps soon such things would no longer matter to him. He had made his final decision. The dragons had shown him the courage and nobility he had always believed they possessed, and that had helped him to face his final choice.
The others followed him closely, confused and anxious. He did not dare to look at his mate, fearful of what Kharendaen would think of his choice. He wondered if she realized what his destiny must be.
A little way farther on, they came to a small clearing. Thelvyn paused at the edge of the clearing, saying nothing as he lifted his head to stare up into the night sky. Jherdar and
Marthaen moved to join him, staying just at the edge of the deepest shadows under the trees, and Kharendaen remained at his side. The great storm in the west had continued to grow over the last hour. It was now a dark mass that stretched from the north to the south horizons, flashing constantly with lightning. A cool wind stirred the trees, but above, the sky was clear and the stars were shining brightly.
Thelvyn stepped forward until he was just within the clearing, still staring up into the night. 'Father!'
His companions looked up, startled. Marthaen and Jherdar had never known the identity of his father, while the others were surprised that he chose to acknowledge that tie. As far as Thelvyn as concerned, the time for secrets was past. The time of the Dragonking was almost at an end.
'Father!' he called again. 'It is my time.'
The air in the center of the clearing shimmered as if illuminated by a shaft of silver moonlight, although the moon was hidden behind the mountains to the east. Then the Great One appeared, standing before them. He did not wear his guise of the great three-headed dragon, but rather appeared as what he had been in life long ago, an old, wise dragon of some ancient breed, more gray than gold.
'Your time is indeed at hand,' the Great One said resolutely. 'The time of evasions and well-laid plans is behind you. Speak your thoughts, and I will answer you plainly.'
'I suspect that the reason you have not been able to act directly is that the Immortals are split into factions,' Thelvyn said. 'Some would defend our world, while others support the invaders.'
'That is so,' the Great One said. 'The Overlord does not know he has supporters among the Immortals, those who champion the cause of evil or seek the oblivion of entropy. He thinks himself above the Immortals, when he is really just another piece in the game. But he is a powerful piece, powerful enough to influence the course of the game, as are you.'
'Now is the time for me to become an active player, for I cannot remain simply a piece and hope to win the game,' Thelvyn said. 'Can you grant me the power to defeat the Overlord?'
'I cannot grant you such power,' the Great One explained. 'What you are to become depends entirely upon you. There is indeed hope, much hope, but you are still young, and what you are to become will be the work of many long years.'
'What of Kharendaen and our child?'
The Great One seemed to share his sadness. 'The life you might have had is no longer possible, for you must move on to the place where you belong. You have taught the dragons much in your short time. Not the least the two of you have taught them is just how deeply dragons can love.'
Thelvyn turned his head to look at Kharendaen. At first she looked frightened and uncertain, but then she smiled at him and brought her head around to rub her cheek against his breast and along the side of his neck, assuring him that she understood. She understood that only their duty to the dragons and the Great One could come before their own happiness, but that was the price they were now required to pay.
'What must I do?' Thelvyn asked.
'Go to the Citadel of the Ancients, where you first became the Dragonlord years ago,' the Great One said. 'Wait in the valley below the peak of Dragonwatch Keep. Your companions may accompany you that far, but no farther. When all is ready, I will tell you what you must do next.'
Then his form faded, leaving the dragons alone in the night. Thelvyn sat back on his haunches, balancing on his tail, so that he could reach out and draw Kharendaen close to him. For the moment, he was content to hold her tightly.
'I will go with you,' Marthaen offered. 'You are my king, and it has been my honor to serve you. And when you go on ahead, I will be there with my sister.'
'I'm going, too, of course,' Sir George declared.
Thelvyn looked at the old knight, smiling. 'I wouldn't dream of trying to leave you behind.'
'He can ride in a dragon saddle that one of the couriers brought in this afternoon,' Jherdar said, then looked up when he realized that the others were watching him. 'If you don't mind, I also would like to go with my king.'
'I would be pleased to have you,' Thelvyn said. 'But our company must be limited in numbers. And arrangements must be made for the dragons to keep themselves safely hidden while I am not here to defend them. They must not try to fight the Masters while I am gone under any circumstances.'
'I'll see that it is taken care of,' Marthaen said. 'When do we leave?'
'There is no time to spare,' Thelvyn said. 'We must leave for the west as soon as possible to guarantee that we reach the Citadel of the Ancients by tomorrow night.'
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The dragons lifted over the final ridge and descended into the deep, narrow valley below the peak of Dragonwatch Keep just as the sun was sinking behind the mountains of the End-line Range to the west. The towering bulk of the citadel stood on a ledge high on the side of the peak, nearly level with the dragons when they first came into the valley, although they were careful to keep their distance. For most dragons, the citadel was a place of evil legend, the place where the Dragonlord had slept for more than thirty centuries waiting for his return to the world. They knew now that history had proven very different from the legends, but the tales of death and fear they had heard since the time of their hatching remained to haunt their imaginations.
But for Thelvyn, this was almost like coming home. His life seemed almost to have begun in this place, on the day when he first put on the armor of the Dragonlord. This was where he first began to learn of the prophecies that surrounded him and the duty he was required to fulfill. It was also the place where he had first met Kharendaen. They were events that now
seemed like a very long time ago, a part of a life he would soon be leaving behind.
Kharendaen led the way, since she was the only member of their party who had been to this place before. Of course, both Thelvyn and Sir George had been here once as well, but they had approached by the trails from the south, while only Kharendaen knew the way on the wing. She selected the place where they would wait, descending into the evening shadows deep within the valley, gliding low over the towering trees until she found a meadow beside a swift mountain stream. When Thelvyn landed beside her, he glanced back over his shoulder to see that there was a clear view of the Citadel. Now he knew why she had chosen this place.
Marthaen circled around to land closer to the woods, while Jherdar came down near the edge of the stream. Sir George quickly dropped down from the saddle worn by the red dragon. The old knight immediately turned to stare up at the Citadel of the Ancients, over a mile distant.
'I never thought I'd be coming back to this place,' he said. 'At least not so soon. Perrantin will burst with jealousy when he learns that he missed this trip. My word, it seems like only yesterday.'
Thelvyn glanced at the old knight, smiling fondly. Apparently they had very different views regarding the passage of time in the last few years. His life had changed tremendously in those six years. Sir George was still very much his old self, although somewhat wealthier for his troubles and with his left hand restored, a gift from the Great One. He had had the adventure of his life and more than enough dragons to satisfy him.
'I suppose that we should hunt up something to eat before it gets completely dark,' Marthaen remarked, looking around at the rapidly darkening sky. 'Jherdar, we should be able to catch a couple of elk in, say, an hour or so.'
'Yes, an hour sounds sufficient,' the red dragon agreed. 'Back in your saddle, worthy knight.'
