His musings, however, were distressing enough to compensate for the absence of physical discomfort. Somehow, over the course of the past few months, his grand strategy had begun to unravel. First, emissaries from Impiltur had gone forth across Faerûn, carrying tidings of the secret strongholds he’d established to spawn dracoliches, urging that the havens be found and destroyed, and a host of meddlers had answered the call. Next, the metallic wyrms had emerged from seclusion to aid the paladins, champions, and whomever in their struggle. The drakes were likewise striving to quell the chaos the Rage had spread across the continent, unrest the Cult of the Dragon depended upon to divert attention from its endeavors, and to weaken the kingdoms of men for the coming conquest.
The golds and silvers wouldn’t have dared venture among humans unless they had protection against frenzy. Their return could only mean that, against all probability, Malazan and her underlings had failed to take the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, allowing some genius of a scholar to discover the secrets buried in the archives.
Sammaster might have been inclined to blame such setbacks on the Harpers, the Chosen, or Mystra herself, formidable enemies all who’d thwarted him before. But his instincts told him that final responsibility for his troubles lay elsewhere, with the unknown foes who’d stolen his notes in Lyrabar.
In retrospect, it was obvious he should have exerted himself to identify and destroy the wretches as soon as he discovered the theft. The realization made him grind his rotting teeth in a spasm of self-loathing, the emotion that always overwhelmed him when he made a costly mistake.
Straining to compose himself, he insisted it wouldn’t matter in the long run. Knights and wizards might destroy some of the cult’s secret enclaves, but they wouldn’t get them all. The metallics could only slow the growth of the cancer that was frenzy, not excise it. Nobody else would ever find the heart of the Rage in time to spoil his plans, and even if someone could, Sammaster had an answer in place for that contingency as well. It was inevitable that at last, he’d win victory, vindication, and his heart’s desire. At last, the glorious future Maglas had prophesied would come to pass.
But still, even if his faceless foes were, at worst, a temporary inconvenience, it was past time to find and crush them. For all his power, though, it would be difficult to undertake the chore unaided. He had too many other crucial tasks to perform, calming frenzied wyrms across the length and breadth of Faerûn, convincing them to accept the transformation into dracoliches, and shepherding them to the appropriate locations.
Fortunately, he didn’t think he’d have to labor all alone, or even rely solely on his cultists. As he’d proved in Vaasa, a clever fellow could usually find someone to cozen into furthering his schemes.
He clambered to the crest of a rise and beheld his destination below him, a fortress molded of gleaming ice. With a twitch of his staff, he splashed a dragon-shaped shadow across the sky to announce his coming.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A resident of the Tampa Bay area, the setting for much of his horror fiction, Richard Lee Byers spends a good deal of his free time fencing foil, epee, and saber, often competing in local tournaments. He’s a devoted gamer (GMing mostly, since his lazy friends never want to do it) and a frequent guest at Florida SF conventions.
FORGOTTEN REALMS, WIZARDS OF THE COAST and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, LLC., in the U.S.A. and other countries. ©2009 Wizards.
THE RITE
The Year of Rogue Dragons, Book II
©2005 Wizards of the Coast LLC
All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Published by Wizards of the Coast. FORGOTTEN REALMS, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC, in the U.S.A. and other countries.
All Wizards of the Coast characters, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Map by Dennis Kauth
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004113602
eISBN: 978-0-7869-5696-8
U.S., CANADA, EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS
ASIA, PACIFIC, & LATIN AMERICA Hasbro UK Ltd.
Wizards of the Coast LLC Caswell Way
P.O. Box 707 Newport, Gwent NP9 0YH
Renton, WA 98057-0707 GREAT BRITAIN
+1-800-324-6496 Save this address for your records
Visit our web site at www.wizards.com
v3.0
The Rite Page 34
