The hammer snapped up and into a striking position. Huma's blade was out, yet he was loath to use it, even on them. The choice was taken from him, though, for the brigand leader's hammer came screaming past Huma's face, narrowly missing.

Five forms converged on the single knight-or tried to. Suddenly, Huma's right foot caught an attacker in the stomach. His free hand stunned the giggling lad, who thought to slip under his guard with a rusty old short sword. With the flat of his blade, Huma brought the lad to the ground, unconscious. With ease, he disarmed the watery-eyed old man. Weaponless, that one retreated quickly from the fight, leaving Huma free to take care of the two still standing, one of them the apparent leader.

Despair suffused Huma as he realized these last two were not about to yield. The one remaining swordsman fought from desperation, which added dangerous strength to his otherwise unremarkable form. The brigand leader smiled viciously as he advanced again and again.

With great sadness, Huma made his choice. Before the startled eyes of the other villagers, the Knight of the Crown broke through the swordsman's guard and thrust deep into the chest. The man gurgled something and collapsed. Even as his one opponent fell, Huma was beating back the leader with one stinging blow after another. The burly thug began swinging wildly at the knight, and Huma waited. When the opening came, as he knew it would, a single chop put an end to the last of the desperate band.

Huma, his breath ragged, looked up at the spectators. They showed no emotion. He could not guess whether they were pleased or angered.

He looked around for the three survivors. Two were unconscious, and the third had run off. They would be no more trouble.

Disgusted, Huma wiped off his sword, sheathed it, and stalked north once more. He was not even out of the village before arguments flared as human vultures fought over the meager belongings of the dead thieves.

When he had first stood before Vingaard Keep, home of the knighthood since Vinas Solamnus had ordered its construction all those centuries ago, Huma had felt like a mote before the palace of the gods.

The feeling lessened only ever so slightly.

Vingaard Keep's walls rose to a great height. Only a few adversaries dared scale such walls. The walls surrounded the citadel and were punctuated by slits for archers. The only gap in the walls was where the massive iron gates stood guard. They were as thick as Huma's arm was long, and they could stand the full force of a dragon charge. Each of the gates was decorated with the three-part symbol of the knighthood-the majestic kingfisher, with wings half-extended, which grasped in its sharp claws a sword on which a rose was centered. Above its head was a crown.

After a long, wet wait, a sentry came in response to Huma's hoarse shouts. He peered down at the bedraggled figure clad in a mixture of Solamnic and Ergothian armor, and shouted, "Who goes there? State your name and mission!"

Huma removed his helmet. "I am Huma, Knight of the Order of the Crown, returned from lands far beyond. I must speak to Lord Oswal, or even the Grand Master himself! It is urgent!"

"The Grand Master?" Huma could not see the man's face well, but the surprise in his tone was obvious. "Wait!"

Huma wondered at the strange reaction.

At last, the gates began to swing slowly open.

The same sentry who had questioned him stood by the gate. At the guard's signal, Huma followed him into the Keep. Those knights who had opened the gate wore expressions matching that of Huma's guide. The mystery deepened.

The sentry, a young Knight of the Crown, pulled Huma over to a dark corner and out of the drizzle that had developed. "I know who you are, for Master Rennard speaks highly of you in training, so I have taken this chance to warn you before you make a slip."

"Warn me? About what?"

"Only this morning-" The other knight looked around. "-the Grand Master, Lord Trake, passed away, victim of some foul, wasting disease."

No! Huma nearly shouted. The Grand Master dead! Trake had never cared for Huma-in fact, despised him as did his son, Bennett-but Huma could not help feeling the grief, as would all his fellows at the death of the head of the knighthood.

"I did not know. The people in the village seemed uneasy, but they did not-"

"They do not know!" the other knight hissed. "Lord Oswal has decreed that no word shall pass from the Keep until a new Grand Master has been chosen! If word should leak out that we are in such disarray, our last defenses will crumble!"

Last defenses? "Tell me-"

"Garvin."

'Tell me, Garvin, what happened when the darkness overcame our lines? Where do we stand now?" Huma clutched at the arms of the other knight.

"Didn't you come through it?" Garvin eyed Huma curiously. 'The front is no more than two days' ride either east or west. The warlord's Black Guard moves untouched through the south. Most of our outposts are cut off. We are cut off."

"Is there no hope?"

Garvin stiffened. "We are Knights of Solamnia, Huma."

Huma nodded, knowing they would fight to the end, regardless. His mind turned to the cavern, the challenges, and, mostly, to the sword. He yearned for it now. In his hand, it would cleave through the Queen's evil forces. Solamnia would be victorious. Huma might even carve for himself some tiny kingdom- He shook his head violently, and Garvin frowned in puzzlement. Huma forced the ungodly thoughts from his mind. The sword was not Paladine's legacy to the knighthood. For all its majesty and power, something about it sickened Huma even as he yearned for it. Not that it mattered; he had lost everything when he had fallen through the mirror. It was hopeless.

No! He straightened and gave Garvin an apologetic smile for his odd actions. There was still time if he could make someone listen.

"Garvin, where might I find Lord Oswal?"

"Now?" The other knight stared at the darkened sky from the shelter. "It is past supper, I know that. He would be in his quarters. He is preparing for the Knightly Council tomorrow night."

'They are going to wait until tomorrow night before choosing a new Grand Master? The Queen's servants could be at our gates tonight! The dragons at the very least!"

Garvin nodded. "So Lord Oswal said, but the Council will be the Council."

"I must speak with him now, then."

Huma hurried out into the rain.

It had never really rained like this since the war's beginning, Lord Oswal decided. In the past, it had always been nothing more than a mist. Now, it was almost as if the rain could wash it all away.

The High Warrior started from his daydreaming. He was becoming senile, he decided, to be thinking of rain when the fate of the knighthood and of the world might rest on getting the dunderheads of the Council to speed up their decision on who would be Grand Master. He had ruined his own chances by admitting to his indecision at the rout. It had been only a momentary lapse, shock at the sudden turn in events and the realization that they could not fight this attack. The losses had been costly.

Oswal's nephew Bennett was maneuvering his own faction. He always remained within the bounds of the Oath and the Measure, but he was ambitious and would try to manipulate the decision. Logically, one of the three heads of the Orders should be the late Grand Master's successor. But Bennett believed he should follow his father. Trake had always desired that. Only Oswal stood in his way, now.

"Lord Oswal?"

He looked up to see Rennard watching him intently. The pale knight stood next to the only other chair in Oswal's room.

Rennard. Despite his cold exterior, the High Warrior had almost as much regard for Rennard as he did for Huma. Only-Huma had been lost in the debacle. Huma apparently had stood fast in the end.

"What is it, Rennard?"

"You've still not formulated your plans. I think it might be wise-"

There was a commotion outside as the two guards stationed at his chamber doors argued with someone. The newcomer was insistent, and there was something familiar about his voice.

"Rennard, what-?"

The pale knight had opened the door and-the elder knight could scarcely believe it-now gaped open-mouthed at a bedraggled knight struggling with the two guards. It took only seconds for Lord Oswal to recognize the newcomer, and then he, too, was staring in surprise and delight.

"Huma!"

The sentries immediately stopped struggling as they noted the tone of their superior. Rennard recovered also and, typically, simply said, "Let him by."

Released, Huma burst into the room. "My Lord Oswal, Rennard-"

"At attention, Huma," the gaunt knight interrupted.

Huma immediately stiffened. Rennard turned to the High Warrior, who nodded. To the guards, Rennard said, "Resume your posts; that is the High Warrior's orders."

Once the door was closed, Lord Oswal stared at the trembling knight. Huma had something to say and wanted to say it before it burst from his head, it seemed.

"At ease, Huma. Come and sit down. Tell us about the miracle that allows you to return from the dead."

Huma knelt before the elder knight. Relieved at last, the story spilled from him in a torrent.

Lord Oswal and Rennard listened intently as each part of Huma's tale unfolded. The quest of Magius-the chase of the Black Guard-the ever-present dreadwolves-the mountains, the cavern, the dragon, the sword ... Had it not been Huma who spoke, neither of the knights would have believed a word. As it was, they truly believed.

The great clang of metal upon metal, so much like the sounds of the Keep's own forge, interested Lord Oswal most. He asked Huma his opinion of the noise.

"A workplace of the gods. There is no other way to describe it. If it is not Reorx who shapes the metal somewhere within that mountain ... I can add nothing more, save that I feel I must go back," Huma said, adding, "If Paladine wills it."

"Well." It was all the High Warrior could say at first. Rennard simply nodded.

Lord Oswal thought for a moment. 'This sword sounds fascinating. Could it-?"

Huma interjected immediately. "I fear it is lost to us. Wyrmfather acts as its tomb."

His tone was cautious. He wanted them to forget the sword, not only because of his wariness of it, but because of the temptation Huma felt to grip the blade and wield it.

The High Warrior took his words at face value. "I'll trust to your judgment." He looked from Huma to Rennard and then back again. "It seems to me that we cannot let this matter sit for very long. Time is running out for all of us."

Nervous enthusiasm in control, Huma quickly spoke. "I need only transportation. A horse-are the dragons about? One of them, maybe?"

The High Warrior frowned. "There is nothing I can do for you anyway, Huma. Not at present. If I send you off on some wild quest, I lose the chance of keeping the knighthood from the hands of those more interested in power and esteem than the Oath and the Measure. You will have to wait until a new Grand Master is chosen."

Huma looked perplexed. "But, surely you-"

"I have been found wanting. It may be another."

"But-" Huma could not believe his mission was to be delayed-possibly denied-for such a petty reason.

"I believe I can win my case, Huma. I'm sorry, but you will have to wait. Rennard, he is one of yours. See to it that he is cleaned up, fed, and allowed to sleep. I'll want to see a clearer head on his shoulders come the morrow."

"Yes, milord." Rennard put a friendly but firm hand on Huma's shoulders. The younger knight stood up reluctantly.

They parted silently. Huma's depression deepened. Not only was his quest threatened, but so was the life of a man who had been the closest thing to a father he had ever had. No one but Lord Oswal could lead the knights in this time. Bennett, for all his prowess, lacked experience. Even Huma knew that. The Knights of Solamnia needed strong leadership, leadership that only Lord Oswal could provide, Huma believed. Without Oswal, the knighthood would splinter.

Without the High Warrior in command, Huma suddenly realized, he could never return to the mountain.

Chapter 18.

The rain did not let up that night. Exhausted as he was, Huma could not sleep. Like Lord Oswal, he saw some significance in the sudden change from perpetual cloud cover to the incessant rain that so affected nerves as time passed.

He heard horses trotting past. Even in the dead of night, there was always activity. Some men slept, others worked. Vingaard Keep would never be caught off-guard.

A returning patrol, he decided. The sounds dwindled off in the direction of the stables. Huma wondered what news, if any, they would bring. Had the lines backed up even farther? Would the knights soon be able to view the front from the Keep itself? How long before the pincer finally closed upon the cradle of the knighthood?

Huma stood up slowly, so as not to disturb those around him in the common quarters shared by Knights of the Crown. The building was essentially one great room with row upon row of hard, flat beds and small storage areas for each occupant. As the knights slept in shifts, the room was never full. Also, many were away from the Keep for one reason or another. Only the higher-ranking knights had quarters of their own.

A breath of fresh air, he decided, would do him good. With careful steps, he maneuvered around his fellows and eventually made his way to the door.

The air was cool and the wind a little more brisk than he had imagined. He breathed in deeply, thankful for the moment when he could briefly relax from all the sorrows and confusion. Huma prayed that all would go well tomorrow.

He blinked. His eyes began to play tricks on him, and he was sure for a brief moment that a dark figure had moved near Lord Oswal's chambers, just behind the two guards. He considered alerting someone, but neither guard seemed disturbed, and when he looked again there was no sign of the supposed intruder. Huma had no desire to bring ridicule upon himself. Not now. He stared out into the night and, after a few minutes, retired. Sleep came more swiftly this time.

The next day passed far too quickly. It had been Huma's intention to steer clear of the other knights, at least until the question of leadership was resolved. Too much had happened to him, and he did not trust himself to remain neutral on the subject. What he said, he knew, would be a reflection on Lord Oswal, who had always stood by him. Even Rennard might be affected.

Yet Lord Oswal summoned Huma just two hours before the Knightly Council was to meet. The Knight of the Rose who brought the message eyed Huma with great curiosity, but, loyal as he was to the High Warrior, he asked no questions.

As Huma was crossing to Lord Oswal's quarters, he was confronted by the very figure he had intended to avoid.

"They told me you were alive. I had my doubts, though, until I saw you just now."

Bennett was clad in formal attire, including a purple cloak bearing the standard of both the knighthood and his family's personal holdings. A black sash ran diagonally across his breastplate. Even now, with the rain still lightly falling and the true night almost upon them, he seemed to gleam. Regardless of all else, Bennett was his father's son. The hawklike features were a copy of the elder knight.

"My apologies, Lord Bennett." The family holdings had been ruled equally by Oswal and Trake until the latter's rise to Grand Master. Now, as Trake's heir, Bennett held that title with his uncle. As Oswal had no heirs of his own, the holdings would someday be under the rule of only one man. "I had meant to offer my sympathies sooner-"

"Do not play me for a fool, goatherder," Bennett rejoined. "You have stayed away from me because we have ever been enemies. I still do not believe you belong among us, but my own good heart has made your ouster all but impossible now. Little did I know when I praised you-posthumously, I thought-that you would return."

Huma's entire body felt taut, but he would not allow himself to be provoked by Bennett. He was sure much of the anger in the son of the late Grand Master was due to his father's untimely death.

"I have never been your enemy, milord. Rather, I have always admired you, despite your protest over my selection." Bennett's face actually evidenced mild surprise as Huma spoke. "Your bearing, your skill, your ability to command under the most adverse conditions-you are what I strive to be, what I may never be. I only ask for the opportunity to do my duty."

Bennett's mouth clamped shut. He stared at Huma briefly, then muttered, "Perhaps."

"Perhaps?" Huma raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

The newest Lord of Baxtrey, though, had already turned away. All Huma could do was watch him vanish into the midst of the Keep.

Huma proceeded to meet with Lord Oswal.

Rennard was there. Huma interrupted them as they inspected a map. Lord Oswal was pointing to a spot near the north. They looked up as Huma was admitted, and the High Warrior smiled thinly. Rennard merely nodded.

Lord Oswal rolled up the map. "Were you away from the Crown's general quarters?"

"No. I had the misfortune of confronting your nephew, milord."