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.
Suddenly the floor of the fortress began to shake violently. The tremor was no more than three seconds in duration but very strong; blocks of the fortress walls began to shift and separate slightly, and long cracks split the floor of the gateroom. A large section of the balcony crumbled and fell away, and the gemstone dragons were forced to spread their wings and leap aside. The brief tremor was enough to shatter the outer wall of the fortress. The massive blocks of stone were too large and solid to collapse easily, but they were split by deep cracks, and the doors of the main gate shifted on bent hinges.
But the dragons had not escaped yet. Although the crossbars were broken, the doors remained shut and were now jammed together. Their enemies were disoriented, but Thelvyn knew he wouldn't have the time to try to force the damaged gate open before he was attacked. Looking quickly over his shoulder to see that Kharendaen was safe, he drew a deep breath and released the full fury of his breath weapon. A jet of blue flames that materialized into crackling bolts of lighting leapt and danced over the floor, ripping apart the stones as if they were dried mud. The Veydran warriors were chased down by the branching spears of lighting, their broken and smoking bodies hurled across the chamber. The gemstone dragons who were not immediately slain fled from the merciless destruction.
Kharendaen was alarmed by the ferocity of the attack, and as they flew, she kept herself slightly behind and above Thelvyn so that her mate was free to release his terrible destruction without fear for her safety. At last he turned and headed toward the gate, directing a full blast of lightning against the jammed doors until they exploded outward. Free at last, the dragons darted forward through the gate just as the stones began to collapse in a cloud of dust and rubble.
Thelvyn continued to lead the way, staying low as he followed the streets between the maze of fortresses. The sky above was tilled with the winged forms of the Masters and the smaller Veydran warriors, and soldiers of many other races hurried through the streets, but they seemed uncertain of what they were expected to fight. The confusion gave the two dragons enough time to search through the streets for the route to escape.
Following the larger streets, Thelvyn quickly found what he was looking for. Emerging between the long rows of
strongholds, the dragons suddenly found themselves in the milling confusion of the central square. Companies of soldiers scattered and heavy freight wagons careened out of their path, but the dragons were too late. The immense worldgate had already been closed.
Seeing that he had no choice, Thelvyn turned and led the way out of the central square, staying low in the streets between the buildings to remain hidden as long as possible. The Masters and whole companies of Veydran had already seen them and were now in hot pursuit. Their only hope now was to avoid having to fight until they were away from the stronghold and able to disappear into the dusty twilight wilderness of that cold, dry world.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
If Thelvyn had still wanted to learn more about the strength of the Masters and their armies, this was certainly the time. He could see at least two hundred gemstone dragons darting back and forth over the stronghold, although in their alarm and confusion, they didn't seem to know what they were looking for. He hoped to take advantage of their uncertainty, remaining half hidden in the streets between the imposing, massive forms of the fortresses until he and Kharendaen were able to escape into the wild.
But he had never dared to hope that they would be able to get away entirely unobserved. Even as the two dragons weaved an elusive path through the streets, still more gemstone dragons began to fall in behind them, taking up the pursuit. That was no immediate concern in itself; Thelvyn knew that gold dragons were faster than the Masters, but when he glanced back, he saw that Veydran warriors were taking up the chase as well. That was a matter of some concern, since he had no idea of their speed and endurance.
Suddenly the street they were following ended, and the
dragons came out from among the great hulks of the fortresses. Now they had to make a desperate dash across the open ground and into the southwestern pass through the mountains that surrounded the stronghold. They entered the pass as quickly as they could fly, passing right over the heads of countless companies of soldiers waiting to be moved forward through the worldgate. Thelvyn waited for the rattle of arrows against his armor and hoped that nothing worse would be brought to bear against them, but it seemed that their enemy was still taken by surprise, unprepared to fight back. Moments later, the dragons were beyond the pass, turning sharply to head west across the fields toward the seclusion of distant mountains.
Thelvyn glanced back after a moment to check on their pursuers. The gemstone dragons were already beginning to fall well behind them, unable to match the furious pace of the gold dragons. But he saw at least twoscore Veydran warriors in pursuit, strung out over more than a quarter of a mile, the nearest only a few dozen yards behind Kharendaen. And as he watched, he saw that they were neither gaining on them nor losing distance. He had no desire to fight so many of the small, powerful warriors, but he realized that if they didn't begin to tire or fall behind soon, he would have to do something.
"How are you holding up?" Kharendaen asked.
"I'm not at my best," he said, surprised at how much he was forced to pant when he tried to talk. "I can't keep up this pace for long."
She bent her head to look at him. "If you want to avoid a light, would you mind a suggestion?"
"Of course not."
"Then let's begin to climb, as high and as fast as we can," she said. "If my guess is correct, the Veydran are not equipped to fly in high, thin air."
Thelvyn didn't have the breath to reply, but he was grateful tor the idea. Because his own experience with flight was limited, he would never have thought of such a thing. The two dragons began to climb at once, rising as steeply as they could with long, powerful sweeps of their wings, even though climbing sacrificed some speed. Thelvyn knew he couldn't endure much more of this, but he was encouraged to see that the Veydran were steadily falling farther behind. Obviously the Veydran were tiring even more quickly than the dragons, and that might put an end to the chase.
Every advantage now seemed to belong to the dragons. There was a high but solid blanket of pale, light clouds above them, and the brisk wind felt cold and curiously wet for such an arid place. If they could only climb into those high clouds, their escape was certain. More than that, the sun was already setting, and night came quickly to this desolate land. Thelvyn desperately needed a chance to rest and recover from his injuries, and he realized that he hadn't eaten or drank in at least three days. He didn't expect to find food or water in this place, but he had to have some rest before he could find a way to escape the world of their enemies.
The miles and miles of neatly laid fields and pastures were falling away below them steadily, but Thelvyn thought the ceiling of clouds overhead remained as remote and unreachable as ever. He began to fear that the clouds were too high, beyond the reach of even dragons. He desperately needed to reach those clouds, which would conceal their escape into the wild, losing their pursuers and giving him some time to rest. The shoulders of his wings were weak and numb, and the damaged muscles all along his back were burning in pain. He had to constantly remind himself to hold his tail erect so his rear sails wouldn't drop down to catch the air and slow him.
The Veydran were no longer falling behind, expending every last bit of their strength to catch the dragons before they disappeared into the clouds. Thelvyn was beginning to doubt that he would make it to safety, but then he noticed that, by some trick of the fading light of day, the clouds had looked farther away than they were. A thousand yards or more remained, but he was beginning to hope that he could last that long. Even so, the last few minutes became a desperate race. The Veydran began to close once again as Thelvyn's strength began to fail and the dragons were forced to slow their steep climb.
Kharendaen dropped back behind her mate. If necessary, she intended to hold off the pursuing Veydrans with her flames long enough for them to escape, but then they moved up into the clouds, and the mists and the gathering night closed about them. They turned immediately to the south, not daring to level off until they were well inside the clouds. Then rhey turned once again, back toward the west, locking their wings to rest briefly while they rode the winds.
"Can you keep going for a while?" Kharendaen asked, flying close at his side so that they would not become separated in the clouds.
"I guess I'll have to," he answered, still panting heavily. "There's no place for us to hide until we get well beyond the cultivated lands. That will be another hour, at least. I can ride the wind that long."
"Do you know where we're going?" she asked.
"Back to the ruined town, I think. Perhaps we'll run into the free Veydran again. There are things that I need to know."
Tired and in pain, Thelvyn wondered with each long minute whether he would be able to keep going till the next. He began to fear there would be no point to all his efforts. Their failure to reach the large worldgate at the main stronghold before it was closed against them may have been their last chance to escape this world. Long hours would pass before they could reach any of the lesser gates, more than enough time for the gates to be closed or placed under heavy guard. Then the dragons would be trapped, condemned to wander this desolate world in a never-ending race against their pursuers.
They remained within the cover of the clouds to avoid being seen, trusting their instinct for direction. The clouds began to break up somewhat after the first half hour or so as the winds became stronger and more fitful. Their pursuers seemed to have long since given up the chase, frustrated by the speed of the gold dragons and their tremendous height. The air was cold and thin, making it difficult for Thelvyn to catch his breath, adding to his fatigue.
In time they spotted the wild, rugged land where they had found the ancient town, and they began to descend in a wide, steep spiral. It was difficult even for the sharp eyes of dragons to see much. The crumbling buildings of the ancient village were hidden by the darkness and by the fact that their appearance was so much like the color and rugged texture of the surrounding lands. Finally they spotted the remains of the ruined settlement sheltered in
a deep valley, and they searched for a safe place to land, a place where they could observe the sky and the surrounding lands but still remain at least partly hidden. Kharendaen led the way now, landing in what had been the town square.
"I think it's safe to stay here for a time," she said, watching with concern as Thelvyn slowly folded away his wings, obviously in pain.
"Were you able to rest any of the time that we were held captive?" he asked.
"I had time to sleep while I was waiting for you," she assured him, though her answer seemed vague. "I was also given food and drink, but the Overlord wouldn't leave any for you. You haven't had food or drink since before we came into this world, have you?"
"No, but I'll be all right," Thelvyn said as he lowered himself painfully to the ground, stretching out his full length. "I wouldn't know where to look for water, and I haven't seen anything alive in the wild to hunt."
"The free Veydran must exist on something," she observed. "If we must, we could always return to raid the farmlands."
"I don't plan on being here that long."
Kharendaen walked over to look at him closely. Then she sat up on her haunches, bracing herself with her tail so that she could reach out and begin to rub his back gently. Thelvyn lifted his head to protest, then thought better of it. He laid down his head and closed his eyes, and after a moment he gave a deep, rumbling sigh of pleasure. Kharendaen smiled, thinking that he sounded like a gruff old dragon enjoying the hidden contentment of his lair.
"Are you fully recovered from your injuries now?" she asked.
"For the most part," he answered. "I'm in no danger of hurting myself again, but I need a little time to get back to normal."
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