Later that day, as the sun was setting beyond the wilderness far to the west, the dragons spread their wings and leaped into the darkening sky. While the others were returning to Wind-reach, Thelvyn and Kharendaen collected Sir George for their rather short flight back to Braejr. They would be passing across the vast eastern plains and light woods of the central Highlands, the most heavily settled region of the realm. While the northern frontier was the land of timber and mining, the east was a land of pastures, where cattle and sheep grazed in peace and fields of wheat were stirred by the soft winds of a gentler climate than that most of the Highlands endured.
Thelvyn hardly knew whether he dared to hope that Alessa would be able to tell him anything that would help in his quest to find the Collar of the Dragons. Alessa was supposed to be exploring new leads, but he had no idea of the nature of her discoveries, and so he could not begin to judge whether or not they would bear fruit. All he knew was that Solveig had come to trust Alessa completely, and Thelvyn trusted Solveig. But he had to admit that his trust did not yet extend all the way to the sorceress.
As the two dragons drifted on silent wings over the lights of Braejr, Thelvyn found that his instinct for direction was finally beginning to serve him better. Although one dark building looked much the same as the next from above, he found that he was drawn unerringly to one part of the city. Kharendaen remained in the lead, guiding him to their destination, but he thought that he could have found his old house without her help.
But his delight at his new talent was brief. As the dragons descended quickly out of the night toward the paved court, they were surprised to find that the old warehouse seemed to be full of griffons. The beasts were aware of the dragons as well, struggling and calling out fiercely in fury at the approach of their one natural enemy. Sir George leapt down from his saddle at the very moment Kharendaen settled to the ground, and both of the dragons hurried to release their leather straps so that they could change form and put an end to the uproar in the warehouse.
Thelvyn tossed his harness aside and immediately began to change his form, but in his haste, he failed to recall that he needed to rise to his hind legs as the transformation began. When he assumed human form, he was rather embarrassed to find himself on his hands and knees on the dusty paving stones of the court. Kharendaen changed form a moment later, in a more dignified manner, and the griffons within the warehouse began to quiet grudgingly.
Thelvyn turned to see Solveig and Korinn Bear Slayer hurrying across the yard from the house to join him. He was more embarrassed to have them see him pick himself up from the stones, until it occurred to him to wonder what Korinn was doing in Braejr. He realized at once that good news could not come from such a remarkable event, especially with the added curiosity of a warehouse full of griffons. Apparently messen-iters had been descending upon the Highlands in flocks.
"I hadn't expected you back so soon," Solveig said, needlessly helping him to stand. "Did you find the black dragon with the gold earring?"
"We did, for all the good it did us," Thelvyn said a bit sourly. "Is there some kind of trouble?"
"There's trouble of the worst kind," Korinn said. "But I'm pleased to see you again, all the same. Doubly pleased, under I he circumstances."
"That will take a few minutes of explanation," Solveig insisted. "It might as well be done over a quick dinner. Have you eaten?"
"Not since last night," Thelvyn said, still mystified.
Solveig had Taeryn and another servant collect the dragon saddle and Thelvyn's harness and move them to safekeeping in a storage room in the house. Since the tack smelled of dragon, they couldn't be kept with the griffons or even in the stables with the horses. Then Korinn collected Sir George's bag, and Solveig led them all into the house through the kitchen door. As they came into the soft light, Thelvyn saw for the first time that his hands and clothes were covered with a thick layer of gray dust, the result of his undignified transformation. He brushed his hands together, raising a small cloud of dust.
"What was that?" Korinn asked, sniffing the air suspiciously, as if he anticipated something magical.
"Pixie dust," Thelvyn said, disgruntled.
"Oh." The dwarf looked perplexed. "Where did you get pixie dust?"
"From grinding up dried pixies," Thelvyn answered impatiendy.
"I'll have dinner for you in a moment," Solveig said, looking quietly amused. "And if our good dwarf friend will oblige, he might fetch a bottle of cherry liqueur from the den."
Sir George smiled contentedly. "Ah, child, you haven't forgotten."
Korinn returned with the bottle of cherry liqueur, plus less distinctive drinks for the others, even before the plates were set on the table. Thelvyn had gone to wash up, and he returned to find that Darius Glantri had joined the others at the table. While the others ate in silence, Darius and Korinn told about the attacks on Thyatis and Rockhome two nights ago. Alessa arrived on horseback before they finished their meal. She explained quickly that most of Braejr had heard the screams of the griffons, which she assumed to have been in response to the arrival of dragons.
"Anyway, I sent the griffon riders in my company to check for reports of attacks in other lands," Darius concluded. "There were attacks that same night in Darokin and Alfheim, although Traladara seems to have been spared. Or perhaps ignored. In all cases, witnesses spoke of seeing the dark shapes of dragons against the night sky."
Solveig nodded grimly. "Since no one seems to have seen the attackers very clearly, at first I wondered if this was some trick of the Alphatians to breed fear and distrust between the Highlands and the dragons. But a griffon rider arrived from Thyatis this afternoon with the report that Alphatia was attacked at the same time."
"I can assure you that these attacks did not come from the Nation of Dragons," Kharendaen volunteered. "From last night until late this afternoon, we were in the company of First Speaker Marthaen and Jherdar, the leader of the red dragons. If something was happening among the dragons, they would have known about it. I also don't think that this was the work of rogue dragons."
"But we don't know for certain that dragons weren't involved," Alessa insisted. "This could have been the work of a band of rogues or renegades."
Kharendaen shook her head hopelessly. "No, I cannot deny that it might have been dragons. I just don't expect it."
"We know a few things you don't," Thelvyn began cautiously, taking stock of his secrets and which ones he might share now that it was important. "The Great One himself assigned me the quest of finding the Collar of the Dragons, and he told me that the dragons face a time of great trouble from an unexpected enemy. These attacks might have been
the work of this unknown enemy."
"What were the exact words of the prophecy that the Great One related to you?" Solveig asked.
"It wasn't exactly a prophecy," Thelvyn explained. "The Great One sat down with us and told us these things in plain language. No riddles. No vague warnings that don't make sense until it happens. He wasn't yet able to tell me exactly what we face, but there was no question of his warning. All I can tell you is that the Great One has taken some pretty remarkable and drastic steps to prepare for this threat, which he has apparently anticipated for years."
"But we still have only your word," Alessa insisted.
"Thelvyn's word is enough for most of us," Korinn declared gruffly.
"That's almost beside the point just now," Sir George said. "Whoever the attackers are, only the Dragonking can stop them, and he needs the Collar of the Dragons to do that."
Alessa paused a moment, as if in contemplation. Perhaps she was only putting a rein to her own fears and suspicions, since she seemed much calmer and more reasonable when she looked up. "Yes, of course. As it happens, I have discovered just what you need to know. The funny thing is that we've always known where to look, if we had just thought about it. As you know, the Flaem traveled between worlds for hundreds of years before setding here. In some of the places our ancestors passed
through, they stayed for decades at a time, but they hardly lived in tents like the Ethengar."
"The Flaem don't talk much about their time of wandering," Thelvyn remarked, having always found that curious.
"No, we put that behind us when we decided to settle here," she explained. "But the wizards did keep records of those times. According to the records, the Flaem came into this world through a gateway that was opened in the wilderness near the city of Braastar."
Sir George looked up. "That's where Murodhir said he brought the Collar of the Dragons after he stole it."
"Then that would seem to prove my suspicion," Alessa said. "The wizards had a stronghold of their own in the last world where they dwelled, near the place where they opened the
gateway. That must be where Byen Kalestraan hid the collar."
"Then the missing conspirators would also be there?" Thelvyn asked.
"I suspect so," she said. "Although I don't think they would present you any serious problems in finding the collar and bringing it back with you. I have to admit that I really don't know any more than that. If you can locate the gateway, you should be able to force it to respond to your will. I don't know what you can expect to find on the other side."
Thelvyn was all for leaving at once, considering the seriousness of the situation following the new attacks. Kharendaen would have accompanied him immediately without complaint, but Sir George begged for a night in a real bed, especially since it was already late. Kharendaen was still a bit put out with Solveig over converting her lair into a stable for the griffons. Although she didn't say anything, Thelvyn knew that she preferred to sleep in her true form.
Sir George and the two dragons left Braejr at dawn the next morning, departing early because they had to go out into the street before they could change form without upsetting the griffons. Darius Glantri would be returning to Thyatis that same day, taking Korinn back to Dengar on his way. Darius intended to return once he had reported to Emperor Cornelius. Korinn would do his best to soothe the fears of the dwarves and assure them that the dragons were not preparing to make war upon them.
Still, Korinn doubted that King Daroban would be ready to place any strong faith in the Dragonlord even yet. Most dwarves would not be willing to trust the Dragonlord until that trust was proven by deeds that they could see for themselves, and they would insist that King Daroban continue to prepare for war.
The flight north along the Aalban River to Braastar was a fairly brief one. In the past, during the five years that Kharendaen had served as the companion of the Dragonlord, she had often flown this far on her morning hunt. The hilly region on the eastern side of the river was heavily forested and still quite wild, the only inhabited areas being those close to the city of Braastar. Farther south, the lands east of the river were said to belong to the elves, although even Kharendaen had seen elves in those rugged woods only rarely. The lands in the shadows of the Colossus Mountains were untamed and not entirely safe, all the more so farther south because of the ominous proximity of the Broken Lands.
Soon they came to the wooded area south of Braastar where they had been told to search for the worldgate. The two dragons descended until they were passing just above the treetops, slowing their speed and drifting on the cool morning wind. Sir George leaned well out from his saddle, looking down from Kharendaen's neck.
"How are we supposed to fmd this thing?" Thelvyn asked. "You used to fly over this forest often enough. Did you ever sense anything unusual?"
"Not that I recall," Kharendaen replied. "You yourself know that there are many places of old magic throughout the continent. Some are good, some are evil, and some are simply so old and forgotten that they are nothing more than shadows of their former power. Dragons sense many such things in their flights, so many that you must simply ignore those that do not threaten you. Worldgates are rare things, best left alone, and they are not commonly connected with the duties of a cleric. As such, they are outside my own experience."
"If the Fire Wizards are still using it, they must have some way of getting there," Thelvyn said. "Murodhir said he placed the collar in a wagon the Fire Wizards had brought, and that he tried to follow them. The first thing, obviously, is to find that road."
After drifting back and forth over the trees for a time, they came upon an old forest road that seemed to be the one that Murodhir had described. Thelvyn was somewhat surprised, since he had suspected that the renegade dragon had not been telling the truth. They followed the road eastward for several miles as it led deeper into the wild, rugged lands below the towering Colossus Mountains. When the dragons caught glimpses of the road through the trees, they saw only a simple dirt path beaten by the hooves of horses and the wheels of wagons, obviously little used but not yet overgrown by the forest. Since there were no settlements this far to the east of
Braastar, there was no practical purpose for having a road here.
Thelvyn suddenly felt a faint touch of magic somewhere below, and he turned sharply to circle back. Although the road continued on toward the mountains, he thought they should investigate this place before searching even farther into the wilderness. There was nothing to be seen, not even a small clearing in the forest to show that this might be the place where an entire race of wanderers had arrived from another world. Still, the gate would have been opened from the other side, and the wizards working their magic would have had no way to know where their portal would lead. It would have been just as likely to open here, in the middle of the forest, as anywhere.
"I think this might be it," Thelvyn told his companions.
He descended quickly through a break in the roof of the forest, moving quickly out of the way so that Kharendaen could follow him down. They folded away their wings and cautiously approached the area where they could sense the alien magic, pausing while they were still a safe distance away. The road made a sudden, inexplicable loop to avoid passing beneath the broad branches of a single massive oak tree. A pair of curious carved posts of gray stone, not unlike mileposts, had been set several yards apart beneath the tree, half hidden in the deep grass and the litter of leaves and twigs.
"Your flying skills are improving," Sir George observed, having no apparent interest in leaving his place in Kharen-daen's saddle.
"I'm getting a lot of practice," Thelvyn said absently, then moved slowly closer to the pair of small stone posts. "If this is the gate, then those might be markers or even a part of the gateway."
"The gate would have been opened from the other side before they were set in place," his mate explained, staying back in the road with the old knight. "They might have been set to help to direct or focus the worldgate after it was opened. The first question we must deal with is to discover how we can open the gateway."
Thelvyn stepped forward a bit more boldly, standing so that he was facing the space between the two stones. He sniffed the Grass tentatively. "Someone has been through here recently, perhaps within the last few days. A Flaem, I'd say. They have a distinct scent."
"You are learning quickly," Kharendaen said approvingly.
"I'm still getting used to having such a sharp sense of smell," Thelvyn said, then turned his head to look at her. "I am not particularly concerned about getting through the gate. Alessa said that it would probably respond to our will, and I am inclined to trust her on that. My concern is for what we may find on the other side. If the traitor Fire Wizards are waiting for us, surely they would have set a trap in case their secret was discovered."
"What kind of trap could harm a dragon?" Sir George asked.
"I have no wish to find out the hard way," Thelvyn said as he moved to one side to examine one of the stone posts. "Considering that they probably have the Collar of the Dragons on the other side of this gateway, I imagine that they must be very concerned about dragons coming through after them."
"We could pitch Sir George through first to see what happens," Kharendaen suggested. "Or we could open the gateway and do what we can to detect any traps."
"Open the gateway," Sir George said as he dropped down from his saddle. "Remember, I was once a master thief. The ability to detect traps is second nature to me."
Thelvyn turned his head to face the area between the two gray stones. A moment later, a great oval of blackness seemed to leap out of the shadows beneath the tree. The far end of the gateway could be seen deep within the oval of blackness, as if it were a tunnel to some other place, but very distant and indistinct, as if viewed through the wrong end of a spyglass. Sir George waved the two dragons back a safe distance, then approached the center of the gateway and stood motionless before it, as if deep in thought.
After a time, Sir George began to approach the gateway very slowly and cautiously, extending his right arm before him as if he were feeling his way with his only remaining hand. Just as he was about to step within the darkness of the gate, some unseen force seemed to suddenly take hold of him and draw him sharply forward. He struggled against the force, only managing to break its hold with considerable effort, so that he was thrown backward into the deep grass. Once he was on the ground, he was content to remain there, rolling over quickly and covering his head. In the next instant, a great flash of flame shot out from the gateway, the edges of the fire curling upward into the branches of the broad oak. Fortunately the tree was too green to burn easily, although it would have soon gone up in a great bloom of flame if Thelvyn hadn't used a spell to suppress the fires licking at the ends of the branches.
"That appears to have been the only trap," Sir George declared, picking himself up and walking back to the center of the gateway. "It's safe to enter now."
True to his word, he stepped into the worldgate and allowed the mysterious force to draw him into the darkness.
Thelvyn muttered an oath under his breath and leaped into the gateway, fearful of what the old knight might face alone. That same force lifted him up and drew him swiftly forward. The sensation was so much like flying that he had to resist the instinct to spread his wings to steady himself. A moment later the darkness drew away, and he found himself in a place utterly different from the one he had left. He stepped aside quickly to allow Kharendaen to come through behind him before he dared to look about.
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