Land of the minotaurs lh-4

by Richard A. Knaak

  In the blink of an eye, before the gaping minotaur's astonished gaze, Honor's Face had become the very thing he needed for victory. Kaz now held a dragonlance, secured for battle.

  He had always wondered about the origin of his axe and now he realized that it had always been linked to the lances. The dwarf craftsman who had given it to Sardal Crystalthorn might have been one of the same group who had presented Huma with the first dragonlances.

  Kaz shifted the lance. Whatever the reason, he had what they needed. "Tiberia! Back away!"

  His companion did. Infernus did not at first realize why Kaz had given the command until his fiery eyes caught sight of the long, majestic weapon trained on him.

  "We have a knight among us," he mocked.

  "No knight," Kaz returned, fixing the point on the dragon's chest, "but a knight's dragonlance. Forward, Tiberia!"

  It was a sign of the young one's faith that she obeyed this latest command without hesitation. Tiberia charged forward. Infernus roared contemptuously, attempting to swat the lance aside, but somehow it shifted, moving away from its original target almost of its own accord. The point dug into the red dragon's wing, tearing through the tough membrane with as much ease as a burning knife in soft snow.

  Infernus roared in pain, glancing at the huge tear. The lance bit again while his attention was diverted. Kaz barely had to make sure of his aim. The dragonlance moved like a creature with a mission of its own… which perhaps it was. There had always seemed to be something lifelike about the weapons. Kaz recalled how they rarely seemed to miss their targets, even if inflicting only minor damage.

  Twice more the dragonlance nicked an increasingly baffled Infernus. None of the wounds was serious alone, but the total of the dragon's injuries could not help but begin to take a toll, even on such a massive beast as the red.

  Infernus backed up, destroying more wall and causing yet another segment of the ceiling to collapse. His eyes fixed on the dire weapon wielded by the minotaur. Kaz could almost sense the magic being deployed.

  The dragonlance suddenly glowed. A crimson aura surrounded it, slowly turning it as black as pitch. Kaz felt the dragonlance stiffen, grow cold.

  No! Not now! the minotaur desperately thought. We have him! Incredibly, the dragonlance seemed to react. The blackness faded and the weapon grew pleasantly warm. The aura vanished.

  "Not possible!" hissed Infernus. "Not possible!"

  Perhaps if the red dragon had been at full strength and concentration, he would have succeeded, but now his magic was not strong enough. The lance struck twice again in rapid succession, piercing the same wing again and, on the second attack, nicking the side of the dragon's neck just above the shoulders.

  Infernus pressed himself against what remained of the wall, his breath a little ragged. There was a hint of surprise in the fiery orbs, a hint of surprise and the first glimpses of fear. Nonetheless, he was not beaten. "I have worked hard and planned long! You will not deny me my destiny! You will not deny me my minotaurs!"

  Kaz's retort went unspoken, for the floor was suddenly aswarm with other minotaurs. They raced about, some carrying lances, others swords, and one group in particular carrying what looked like long, thick ropes ending in grappling hooks. They quickly cordoned off the dragons, those with grappling hooks beginning to spin them around and around.

  Leading the group was Scurn. Each man with him, Kaz realized, was a member of the State Guard, whose headquarters was not far away. Even with news of the coming announcement, the guard did not leave the city unprotected.

  Neither dragon paid the minotaurs much notice until the first of the grappling hooks went flying. One caught Infernus on a leg, another on his stomach. A third snagged the dragon on the long, sinewy throat. The lancers moved in, their long weapons balanced against the ground so that if a paw or tail tried to land on them, it would first encounter a very sturdy, pointed lance. They avoided Tiberia entirely, though many eyed her with some wariness.

  "What jest is this?" bellowed Infernus, affronted by the audacity of the small creatures. "Cease this!"

  He got one of the grappling hooks off, but in that time three others snagged him, two on one of his forelegs and another on his torso.

  The scene threw Kaz back a decade. He recalled the same techniques used by the minotaurs and others under rare circumstances when the enemy's dragon allies were caught on the ground. Grappling hooks to catch on to the scaled hide of the dragon, so great a number that even a leviathan would not be able to pull free.

  Scurn had evidently remembered the technique.

  "Kaz!" called Tiberia. "What do I do?"

  It was tempting to retreat and hope that the enterprising Scum and the guard could pull Infernus down, but Kaz suspected this was one dragon that would not be caught for very long. He doubted that Scurn thought otherwise. The guard captain was doing what he could to give Kaz and Tiberia some advantage.

  "Back a step!" he called. "Watch your footing! We charge for the chest. Let the lance do the final work!"

  The silver dragon obeyed, carefully avoiding the minotaurs near her feet. Kaz lowered and aimed the dragonlance. One swift thrust and Infernus would be but a bad memory.

  As Tiberia steadied herself, Infernus ceased his attempts to pry away the hooks and stared at the younger dragon and his rider. His fiery orbs narrowed, and a knowing look crossed his visage.

  All of a sudden, Infernus leapt skyward, his head striking the ceiling hard. The dragon's skull was thick, and the ceiling broke, raining destruction and death down upon the guard. Most of the ropes from the hooks fell loose as the red dragon burst free of the temple, but one minotaur was carried aloft to a point just above the ceiling before he lost his grip and plummeted to his death.

  Only when the battered corpse struck the floor did Kaz recognize that it had been Scurn, tenacious to the end. Kaz doubted he would ever fully understand the other minotaur, a warrior who had been rival, foe, and, finally, ally. Honor's Face had once revealed Scurn to have had little honor of his own, but Kaz wondered if, had he taken a second look minutes ago, the reflection would have been strong.

  Scurn was only one of many who had died because of Infernus, however, and now the dragon was in the air and flying, revealed to all. There was only one choice left to the minotaur and the silver dragon. They had to follow.

  "Stand back!" he commanded the remaining members of the guard. They obeyed without further encouragement. Kaz waited, then leaned close to Tiberia. In a quieter voice he said, "We have to go after him, if you think you can fly."

  "I think I can, Kaz. I know I can," Tiberia answered, sounding much older than when the battle had started. A dragon's instincts, perhaps. Kaz held on tight as the silver flexed her wings for the first time… and leapt through the hole in the ceiling.

  Somewhere above them, they both knew, Infernus waited.

  Chapter 18

  Aerial Combat

  At Toron's and, surprisingly enough, Delbin's insistence, Hecar and the others headed for the circus instead of returning to the temple. Surrounded by the other minotaurs of the Orilg clan, they looked like simply one more group of interested warriors late for the grand announcement.

  "I still don't like it!" Fliara muttered to Hecar. "I don't care what Toron says we should do… and I certainly do not care what that little monster insists, either! We should go back! There's Scurn to consider, if nothing else. That one has hated my brother for years."

  "Toron's words aside," Hecar returned, "Delbin was as serious about us not going back as I've ever seen him serious about anything. I know a kender's word generally doesn't count for much, but I know this one enough to understand that his insistence means a great deal. I was also next to Kaz… or what seemed to be Kaz, if I understand Delbin… before the rescue. He was acting strangely. I don't know. I can't say why. But I think we should go to the circus."

  "And what can we solve there? We're just a few among many!"

  "Is that what you think?" asked Toron, suddenly
nearby. Taller than even Kaz, he moved stealthily for a minotaur. He grinned. "Wait until you hear what Helati had planned…" His grin grew wider. "Too bad we might not need it, what with Kaz not coming here after all and the rest of you free. Your sister's quite a speaker, from what I understand, Hecar. She gave Dastrun a good scolding."

  "But I thought she wasn't here at all. What do you mean?"

  "I'll explain later-" was as far as Toron got when the entire party heard the crash.

  The sound reminded Hecar of the war, when siege weapons could level half a city in the name of Takhisis. As part of the advance force, he had watched many a rock crash down on buildings and walls, killing defenders and civilians alike. Hecar had never liked siege warfare; it made no distinctions between worthy opponents and innocent children.

  , "By the horns of Kiri-Jolith, what is that?" roared Toron, suddenly gazing skyward. "It can't be a-"

  But it was. Hecar and the others knew what word Kaz's brother could not bring himself to utter. They knew the word, but could no more speak it than the dark-furred warrior, so stunned were they by the sight.

  A dragon. A red dragon soaring high into the sky, burying itself in the clouds above.

  They stood there, trying to make sense of it, but just as the first shock finally passed, they heard a smaller but no less significant crash.

  This time a smaller, sleeker dragon, gleaming silver, raced skyward. There was something on its back, something that Hecar was fairly certain was a rider.

  "Silver and red," he whispered. He could never forget the battles he had watched in the sky during the war. "Deadly foes. They'll fight to the death. The rider…" It seemed a voice spoke in his head. He nodded to himself, not caring whether the others heard or not. "Yes, it is Kaz. It would have to be."

  Belatedly he realized that both dragons flew in the general direction of the circus.

  Clouds had gathered over some parts of Nethosak, and Kaz knew that among them hid Infernus. Not for a moment did he think the red dragon was hiding in fear. Rather, Infernus was simply using the heavens to his best advantage, counting on Tiberia's inexperience. This was the first time the silver had flown and, although flight was natural to dragons, Tiberia's unsteady journey so far was an indication of just how much practice she needed.

  "What do I do, Kaz?" the silver dragon gasped, pushing hard to gain more altitude. She was clearly frightened, but trusted Kaz to guide her along. "I don't see him!"

  "He's in the clouds just above that tower." Infernus might be a master of aerial combat, but the minotaur had picked up a few things during his time as a dragon rider. A creature as large as a red dragon could not hide forever. "Go up! Do it now!"

  Arcing awkwardly, the silver dragon rose. Kaz gripped Tiberia and the lance tightly, hoping they would break through the clouds without being attacked. Infernus would not flee. He had to defeat the pair if he hoped to salvage his plan. Fortunately for Tiberia, the red suffered the disadvantage of needing the silver alive. That did not mean Infernus had any intention of sparing Kaz. The minotaur was certain that his death was a priority.

  They broke through the clouds… and found nothing.

  Kaz craned his neck, searching. "Move ahead, but slowly."

  "Should I go higher?"

  "No, we-" It suddenly occurred to him what Infernus had probably done. "Yes, higher! Higher! Now!"

  Startled, the young dragon was slow to react.

  Infernus burst from the clouds just below them, colliding into Tiberia's underside. As soon as they touched, the red dragon twisted so that he could sink his claws into his younger counterpart's sides.

  Only by sheer luck did Kaz hold on. He cursed himself for being a fool. Infernus had flown back down and come up under them. It was a simple tactic he should have predicted. Evidently he had been away from war much too long.

  "I will shake you loose, gnat!" roared Infernus, twisting both dragons around and around. His greater wing-span gave him more control. Tiberia sought to counter his weight, but could not. "I will watch you plummet to your death as Captain Scurn did so nicely!"

  It was impossible to get the dragonlance into position. A long tentacle nearly swatted him from his already precarious angle. The minotaur looked around and saw that what had nearly hit him was not a tentacle but rather one of the ropes left over from the guards' attempt to drag Infernus down. At least two of them whipped about as if alive.

  Again the rope flew by. Kaz glanced at it, then he pulled himself tighter against Tiberia and shouted, "The rope! Grab the rope with your mouth and pull back!"

  Tiberia did not understand at first. Then, as Infernus increased their spinning, the silver dragon snapped at the tether. She missed, but it hovered within range. Tiberia timed her next attempt better, catching hold of a long length of the rope. Immediately she followed the rest of Kaz's instructions.

  The grappling hook was lodged deep in the lower scales of the red's neck. As Tiberia pulled, the hook tore deeper. The sudden pull by the other dragon caused Infernus to lose his momentum and, in part, his grip. He shifted his position to regain his advantage.

  Kaz stared at the wings, now closer. He made an estimate of Tiberia's jaws and neck. "The wing! Let the rope loose and bite!"

  Below them, the red dragon had obviously decided on the same tactic, but Tiberia was small, and her wings, flapping somewhat erratically, made for a more difficult target than the red dragon's much larger ones. Infernus could not stretch his wings back far enough. The silver stretched as far as she could, opened her maw wide, and bit.

  Her foe shuddered and, for a moment, the three simply dropped. Tiberia's jaw remained clamped on the wing.

  With a snarl, Infernus brought his lower paws up and, using the incredible strength of his legs, pushed the two leviathans apart. By doing so, he further damaged his wing, for Tiberia did not let go willingly. The red dragon fluttered awkwardly around, trying to compensate for the terrible injury.

  Less injured, the silver dragon regained control almost immediately. Kaz shifted. They had to strike now before Infernus was able to adjust. He lowered the dragonlance, aimed, and called out, "Fly at him, Tiberia! Fly at him with every ounce of speed you can muster!"

  Her companion nodded, spread her wings to their fullest, and pushed herself toward her foe.

  They were too near one another for the silver to pick up much speed, but likewise were they too near for the red to maneuver away in any direction without his younger counterpart compensating.

  Kaz gritted his teeth for the collision.

  The dragonlance pierced its target in the left side of the chest. Infernus roared in agony and, out of sheer reflex, seized hold of Tiberia. Unable to concentrate hilly on flying, the red dragon began to drop… taking his adversaries with him.

  Around and around they spun as they dropped through the clouds. Tiberia flapped her wings as hard as she could, trying to slow if not stop their descent. Kaz realized there was no way the silver dragon could support the three of them, and that Infernus had no intention of releasing his grip. The minotaur tried to pry the dragonlance from the red's chest in the hopes that Infernus might then let them loose, but the lance would not pull free. It was as determined to remain impaled in its target as its target was determined to hold on to Tiberia.

  We're going to die! Kaz thought as the first tower tops came into sight below them. We're going to die. Damn you, gray man, we're going to die. I hope you and your balance are happy.

  "I… won't… let you… get… hurt… Kaz!" bellowed the silver dragon. "I won't!"

  In desperation, Tiberia stretched her neck down as far as she could, focusing on her target. A fireball barely half as large as Kaz struck one of the red dragon's injured paws. Under other circumstances, Infernus might have shrugged it off. Wounded as he was, however, the crimson leviathan reacted with a shriek of agony.

  Tiberia flapped her wings with all the strength she could muster, at the same time pushing away from her dark counterpart with her legs and tail.
Infernus tried to grab hold again, but the other injured forepaw could not maintain its grip.

  The red dragon fell below, backside down. Infernus might have righted himself had he had more time, but they were already too close to the ground.

  Only then did Kaz see that they were over the circus.

  The streets and stands were already filled with running and milling figures, all trying to avoid the massive forms plummeting down at them. Tiberia could regain control before they reached the circus, but Kaz saw that Infernus was going to land half in the field and half on the stands, crushing hundreds.

  "Tiberia! Knock him into the field!" The field was large enough to contain four beasts the size of Infernus if only they could shove him to the side.

  He could have saved his breath, for the young silver dragon was already swooping down, evidently having come to the same realization as the minotaur. Tiberia strained with her talons, trying to gain some hold on the hapless, writhing red. Infernus no longer seemed aware of what was happening to him. He merely snapped at the smaller dragon and tried to slash one of Tiberia's legs with his own claws.

  The silver dragon seized the one limb. Infernus dug into her paw. Tiberia did not cry out. Her wings shifted.

  Infernus crashed into the ground, Tiberia landing on him, then rolling away. Kaz was thrown toward the red dragon.

  He bounced against Infernus, then slid helplessly down the crimson terror's side. Belatedly Kaz realized that Tiberia had prevented a major disaster. Both dragons had managed to land on the field.

  But what had happened to the silver dragon? Kaz stumbled to his feet and looked around, trying to orient himself at the same time. His left leg seemed on the verge of collapse, his wounded arm was half numb, and his ribs hurt, but he refused to allow the pain to overwhelm him as he searched. Kaz could not see the silver dragon's immense form, though.

  Then he saw the small, very human shape lying against one wall of the field. So accustomed to the human form, Tiberia had reverted to it upon unconsciousness.