A crack opened in the ground just before the front gate of the castle, then another opened up toward the eastern side.

Moments later, a fault developed in the gateway. The high wooden gate, raised early on to prevent access to the attackers, came loose on one side, swinging open with a clatter that even the quake could not mask. Part of the gateway came crashing down.

"'That'll be enough," Lanith remarked.

Belfour raised a hand. Almost instantly, the quake began to die down.

"Signal the advance."

Horns blared. Officers shouted commands. Inside the castle, people were still crying out. Only one or two figures still remained on the battlements and they appeared dazed.

They dared defy you, great king! They mocked you and cursed you! They should be punished! They should be . . . examples . . .

King Lanith of Zuu nodded. The imp was correct. The imp was always correct. This country aristocrat and his little army deserved to pay for their insult to him. "Belfour!"

"Yes, my liege?"

"Tell the officers that all inhabitants of the castle are to be executed."

The senior officer's expression tightened. "Are you-?"

You must not grow soft now! They must be made examples to those who would defy you in the future. A little fear goes a long way, doesn't it, 0 great one? More lives may be saved by the loss of these insignificant few.

"Yes, I can see that," the monarch of Zuu whispered. To his second, he roared, "You've been given an order by your king, Belfour. Are you questioning it?"

The warrior swallowed, then looked down. "No, my liege."

"Then go!"

The landscape between the king's position and the baron's stronghold had already become a living wave of roaring, eager riders, a mounted army that was awe-inspiring even to him. He thought about riding with them, but this battle was hardly worth his while. Let his men see that he had faith in them. He had already ridden untouched into the last town, killing more than half a dozen of the laughable defenders the elders had mustered from the inhabitants. Any weapon that had sought to mark him had been turned at the last moment. The imp had kept his promise then, just as he always did.

A pair of archers fired from the battlements, but they were the only visible defenders now. The first of Lanith's warriors reached the broken gate and rode their beasts inside, their swords raised high. Even though the first ones would probably die, there was no way that the defenders would be able to plug the gaps now. It was only a matter of time.

As he watched his forces swarm around and over the battered castle, his one true ally's voice worked to relieve him of any uncertainties concerning his chilling commands to his second. So much death, but it will all be worth it, 0 great one! You will unify the land, bring it to a glory that others have only dreamed of! Generations will sing the praise of Lanith the Conqueror, Lanith the Horse King!

Horses. That reminded him again of the one promise that so far his unseen companion had failed to keep. Where was the mount he desired that would befit his glorious status? Where was Darkhorse?

Patience, Emperor Lanith! The shadowy presence giggled. Already that is under way! Soon, very soon, you will have your wondrous, monstrous steed . . . and I will have my vengeance . . .

Chapter Four.

Jenna was already waiting for him. Aurim fought hard to control his eagerness, the dazzling smile that spread across her face as he entered not at all aiding his struggle. After checking with his sister Valea to make certain that all was well at the Manor, his parents had decided to stay longer as guests of the Gryphon. He had been given the choice of returning or staying, which, in the young spellcaster's eyes, had been no choice whatsoever. So long as Jenna was in Penacles, he wanted to be there, too.

He felt a bit guilty. His parents had stayed because of urgent news from the western reaches: the possibility of a war of some sort. Aurim had had trouble paying attention, more interested in when he would finally be able to see the merchant's daughter. She was the first woman that the mage felt he understood. There were few women his age at the Manor and most of those treated him with the same respect they did his parents. It made it difficult to truly know them. When he visited the royal families of Talak and Penacles, the situation was even worse. True, there were more choices, but they were generally the pampered, overly delicate daughters of men like Baron Vergoth. The baron's daughters had actually been some of the more tolerable females he had met.

Jenna was different. She spoke her mind, but respected his as well. She admitted to her shortcomings, but seemed to be able to turn those shortcomings into something useful. Everything she said or did seemed to reflect his own desires, his own dreams. Around her, he felt more confident, more independent from his famous parents. Independence was important to him.

"Aurim!" The beautiful young woman rose as he neared what had become their favored table. She was clad in a forest- green riding outfit with gold trim, a fairly conservative outfit for someone from Gordag-Ai. Her hair was done up behind her and on her head she wore a peaked hat with feathers on one side of it.

He sat down. "I'm sorry I'm late, Jenna. My parents-"

"Should give you more freedom, Aurim." She frowned. "You are a great mage in your own right. You're more than old enough to be on your own. They should have to understand that."

"It's not that simple. They often leave me in charge of the Manor and its grounds. That's a big responsibility. I have to watch over what amounts to a village."

The frown vanished. "Your home sounds fascinating. I'd like to see it someday. I can't imagine drakes and humans living together in such cooperation. I know they live together in Irillian By the Sea, but humans have always taken a secondary standing there. Where you live, they work as friends!"

"It started when my parents were asked to raise Kyl, the Dragon Emperor, and it just grew into so much more. Many of the drakes decided to stay after Kyl departed."

Her hand slid forward, just barely touching his. "Do you think that we could go there? Just for a few minutes, I mean. You can do that, can't you? Transport us there? I know you could."

When she spoke to him in the tone she was presently using, Aurim was nearly willing to believe that he could do anything. He almost agreed to bring her to the Manor there and then, but just as the words reached his tongue, Aurim recalled that no one was allowed entrance into the magical domain of the Bedlams unless his parents knew first. They had good reason for setting such a rule. More than once, foes had sought entrance using false ident.i.ties. Spies for a few of the Dragon Kings still sought to gain the secrets of the Manor for their respective masters.

"I'm sorry, Jenna. I've promised. Maybe if I introduce you to my parents and they got to know you-"

The hand quickly withdrew. "No, that's all right. Another time, perhaps. I understand if it's too much to ask."

Aurim knew that his face had turned scarlet. He had let her down. "I'm sorry."

"Please don't be." Her eyes appeared to sparkle. "I've an even better idea. Maybe you can help me. Would you teach me how to better control my abilities?"

Her request both flattered and worried him. Aurim wanted to help her, but then she might find out just how uncertain his own control was. Still, if he only had to make suggestions and didn't have to risk doing anything significant himself, then . . . "I guess that I could-"

"Oh, thank you!" Jenna leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Let's go to my room! We'll be able to work better there."

"Your room?" Aurim, raised to observe proprieties, shook his head. "That wouldn't be right, Jenna. I don't want you to get in trouble-"

"Oh, don't be silly, Aurim. I trust you . . . and you trust me, don't you?" She gave him a smile that would brook no dissension. "Besides, Gullivan speaks very highly of your family. I'm sure that he would see nothing improper about the two of us going to my room to talk, do you?"

Whatever misgivings he might have had, they were no defense against her beauty. Aurim finally nodded.

"Let's go now." Jenna practically had to lead him from the table. It was not until they reached the stairs that Aurim recovered enough to pretend that he was no longer concerned about what anyone might say. He did glance at Gullivan, but the innkeeper was busy with a customer.

Gullivan had a dozen rooms above the inn, most of them small but serviceable. There were two larger rooms, though, and one of these was where Jenna stayed. The furnishings were clean and well kept and the place in general was above the standards of all but the best inns. All in all, Gullivan provided something of a bargain, which was perhaps another reason why his business did so well.

Although there was some illumination from without, Jenna lit two oil lamps. Aurim now saw that other than one chair by a small table, there was nowhere to sit but the floor or the bed.

"We'll probably have more room if we just use the floor. Is that all right with you, Aurim?"

"Of course." Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good." The merchant's daughter sat down on a wide animal skin that served as the only rug in the room. Aurim sat across from her, folding his legs as he generally did before beginning concentration exercises.

"I said I could only do this." She stared at her hand. It briefly glowed, then returned to normal. "But I can also do this." Staring at her hand again, she started to draw in the air with her index finger. A streak of light formed wherever her finger had been. In seconds, she had drawn the crude outline of what was possibly a horse.

Aurim blinked. The horse lifted its head, put one leg forward . . . then faded away.

"I can draw things like that and make them move a little, but that's all."

That's all? That she was able to do as much as this indicated that Jenna had more power than he had a.s.sumed. She was, in fact, what his father would have called a prime candidate for the school of sorcery.

Now there was a notion that appealed to him. Aurim wondered if he could somehow convince the merchant's daughter to leave her father's business for a time and study at the school. Not only would it enable her to better learn about the limitations of her skills, but it would put her nearby whenever he was able to get to Penacles. Although it was possible that he could transport himself to Gordag-Ai, his lack of knowledge of the kingdom coupled with his distrust of his ability to correctly perform such a long-range spell made it doubtful that he would ever see her again if she returned home.

It was too soon to approach such a subject. After they practiced a bit, perhaps.

"You're better than you think, Jenna. You could become an excellent sorcerer if you put your mind to it."

"You're just saying that." She smiled wistfully. "It would be interesting. The things you must be able to do. Can you show me something now? I know you don't like to show off, but it would really mean a lot to me."

What could he say? He wanted so much to impress her, but since the incident in the palace, what little confidence he had once had in himself was virtually nonexistent now. If he failed, Jenna might laugh at him and ask him to leave.

"My concentration's been a little off today, Jenna. Couldn't I try to help you learn a little more about your power? Maybe we can get your images to last longer."

"Please, Aurim? It would encourage me if I saw some of what you were capable of performing." She looked down. "Not that I could ever be as good as you, but I want to experience what it must be like to have such power under your control."

Under my control . . . if Jenna only knew. Still, looking at her, Aurim found he could not resist another attempt. He would keep it small and simple, completely avoiding animation whatsoever. Well . . . maybe not. There were some old concentration techniques that he had once been good at-had been good at until his debacle in the Gryphon's palace-and if he cast the spells exactly the way he had, it was possible he might keep on going for a few seconds. Just long enough to impress his companion before things fell apart again.

"All right. Watch closely. I'm only going to do this for a breath or two." As she nodded, the young mage held out his hands, palms upward, and summoned up power.

An indistinct haze formed above his palms. The haze quickly defined itself into several tiny forms. The longer Aurim stared at them, the more distinct each became until at last he had re-created what had once been one of his favorite practice spells.

Each harlequin was colored blue and red and stood about two inches tall. They floated counterclockwise in a circle, but that was not all. Each little figure also performed a somersault. Over and over they went, much to the delight of Aurim's audience.

Without warning, the circle collapsed and the harlequins plummeted to the floor, where they faded upon contact.

Aurim cursed without realizing it. He slammed a fist on the wooden surface, sending shockwaves of pain through his entire arm.

"Aurim! Are you all right?" Jenna reached forward and took his hand in hers, studying it closely for any cut or bruise.

He tried to pull back, but her grip was surprisingly strong. The merchant's daughter locked gazes with him. "You shouldn't do something like that. You startled me."

"I'm sorry. It's just that the circle should have stayed in motion until I dismissed it! I've gotten worse, not better!"

"You're having problems with your spellcasting?" A look of concern crossed her features. "But you're supposed to be even more powerful than your parents! You are, aren't you?"

"As my father keeps saying, I have the potential. It's there, but I just can't seem to concentrate properly. I thought I was getting better with my control just prior to Kyl's ascension to the throne of Dragon Emperor, but afterward it all began to fall apart again. I don't know why, but it did. Very little I do works right."

She leaned forward and took both hands. "You must have gone through so much during that time. I imagine there were also a lot of changes afterward, maybe more work, more stress. I can appreciate the pressure you've been under. It's not easy being a merchant's daughter, being taught the business because my father has no son to turn it over to when he gets too old. Your parents act as representatives to the Dragon Emperor's court, too, don't they?"

"Yes."

Jenna nodded. "And you are left with more responsibilities when they are away."

"So's Valea."

"But you're oldest. In general, you're the one left in charge, aren't you?"

It was true, and sometimes he felt that the pressure was overwhelming. Valea sometimes said that he tried too hard, that he could not make himself responsible for every single matter going on in the Manor. Most of the activities that took place in and around the Manor did not require his watchful eye.

"I think that you've tried to do too much at once, Aurim. That's all. You need to turn away from everything else and let sorcery be your entire focus . . . but in a more relaxed manner. You need to become your strength, your power."

He laughed. "I thought I was supposed to be the instructor."

"Even a teacher can learn," Jenna countered, smiling again. Before Aurim realized what she was doing, the beautiful young woman leaned forward and kissed him. It was a brief, light kiss, but it left him completely befuddled. "I've got an idea. First, I'll teach you how to relax properly, then you teach me how to better utilize my skills."

It certainly sounded enticing to him, admittedly for more reasons than one. "How do you plan to make me relax?"

"My father taught me a few techniques." Jenna slid back a foot or two. "Turn your back to me."

Aurim did. The next thing he knew, Jenna had slid forward again, nearly nestling herself in his back. His heart beat faster. If this was intended to relax him, it was having the opposite effect.

"Close your eyes. Good. Now breathe slowly and let me do the rest."

The mage obeyed, although it was difficult to breathe slowly with her so near. Suddenly he felt her hands slide past his shoulders. Aurim twitched without meaning to, but Jenna stilled him with a single word. She touched his temples with her fingertips.

A tingling sensation spread over him.

Darkhorse and Cabe materialized at the edge of the Dagora Forest just a few miles west of the barony of Adderly. The sun was fast setting, which was just what they wanted. At the Gryphon's request, the pair had come to investigate the truth behind the message, and Adderly was the appropriate place to begin. If the horse king was testing his might, Adderly was his nearest reasonable target.

"I still do not see why we do not just return to Zuu, Cabe! We've visited the kingdom in secret before!"

"Yes, and the last time we were nearly caught by Lanith's pet sorcerers. I think they've learned a little since then, Dark- horse, especially if their numbers include the missing students:"

Deep down, the eternal knew that his companion was correct, but he still doubted that their present course of action would tell them anything worthwhile. Find Lanith, Darkhorse surmised, and one found the center of activity. They would learn more that way. The king of Zuu might have his own spellcasters, but Darkhorse doubted that any of them had skills worth fearing. Those that Cabe and he had encountered on their previous excursions a few years back had been as organized and competent as panicked sheep.

The shadow steed peered at the landscape before them. Adderly's eastern border seemed tranquil. There was no evidence of any battle. However, the castle of the baron was a few miles to the west and very much out of sight. If any struggle had taken place, the signs would be evident there, not here in this emptiness.

"Thank goodness there's no one here," the sorcerer remarked.

"Why would they bother to come here? There is nothing here, Cabe."

"True, but if they intended on invading the Dagora Forest, this entire area would now be overrun by more cavalry than I doubt anyone outside of Zuu has ever seen."

"I have witnessed the ma.s.sing of hordesss far more va.s.sst than what this human conqueror can gather," responded a harsh voice from behind them. "But I, too, am plea.s.ssed that no such force camps jussst beyond my domain"

That Cabe was at least as startled as he was no compensation to Darkhorse. He did not like being spied upon, especially when he should have been able to sense this particular newcomer.

Cabe Bedlam's tone grew icy. "Lord Green. We were trying our best not to disturb you."

"Disssturb me?" The tall, armored figure walked closer. The setting sun left much in shadow, but it was clear that the dragon-helmed knight was not human. With the exception of his eyes--bloodred this time, although not always-the warrior was emerald-green. His armor was scaled, save for the helm, the crest of which was the startlingly realistic head of the menacing dragon. The lower half of the helm was open, revealing a flat, lipless mouth and daggerlike teeth. The scaled skin perfectly matched the scales of the armor and with good reason, for they were one and the same, the tough hide of a draconian shapeshifter.