No one barred his path, demanding the reason for his coming. Nor did Darkhorse sense any more spells, although in the past the caverns had been riddled with defensive measures. Now he was glad that he had chosen to come here himself instead of allowing Yssa to do as she had planned.

At last he entered the first chamber of the cavern. It was huge, wide, and entirely devoid of any trace of the drake or his clan. Darkhorse turned in a circle, trying to find some sign of life, some clue as to where everyone had gone.

Where are you, drake? Where are your people? The stallion moved in silence as he tried to sense the presence of anyone other than himself. The first chamber appeared to have been systematically emptied of all contents. He had the growing suspicion that it would not be the only chamber he would find so.

The next chamber he reached was as devoid of evidence as the first had been. A pair of vine plants grew together like a wreath over the entrance to the next major chamber, the only things that the Dragon King had been unable to move.

At last he found the throne room. The dais and the chair remained, but their trappings had been stripped away. sent a probe toward the chair and sensed a slight trace of energy, but nothing significant enough to investigate further.

He had seen more than enough to convince him that the caverns of the Green Dragon were utterly empty. The entire clan plus those members of other races who served the drake had abandoned the ancient lair.

Why? Why abandon this place? Things could not have grown so dire in so short a time! What has happened here?

No longer worried about disturbing someone, the shadow steed transported himself to some of the deeper chambers. He soon verified that the birthing areas, the clan sleeping chambers, and even the private chambers of the Green Dragon himself had been emptied. That the last rooms had been stripped clean particularly surprised him considering the vastness of the drake's collection of sorcerous antiquities.

The Green Dragon would not abandon his homeland. He would never do that. What does he plan? The abandoned caverns revealed no answers, however, and before long, finally decided that he had had enough of the place. With one last, brief inspection of the drake lord's chambers, the shadow steed summoned power for a return to the surface.

Instead, he found himself in another of the countless chambers that made up the huge underground labyrinth. Darkhorse glanced around, not recognizing the place. It was not among those he had inspected earlier.

"Now what?" he muttered. His concentration had not been at its best. Yureel could twist his thoughts around so easily it was a wonder that Darkhorse had not ended up transporting himself to the icy Northern Wastes.

Once more the eternal summoned his strength, this time his mind focused on his destination.

The new chamber in which he found himself was virtually identical to the previous. Judging by the odor, riding drakes had clearly made much use of this location. However, the habits of the animalistic lesser drakes did not concern him nearly as much as the fact that twice now he had failed to reach his intended destination. Darkhorse searched the caverns as best he could with probes, seeking some trace of a spell, something that would explain how he could twice err so terribly.

Still nothing. This made no sense, no sense at all. He had to be missing something.

A third attempt landed him in a sulfur-ridden, steamy cave where the temperature was enough to make most non-drakes collapse from heat exhaustion. Another birthing chamber. Other than a few pieces of sh.e.l.l, there was no sign that drakes had ever been here. Someone had very carefully removed every unhatched egg.

Each time he tried to transport himself to the surface, he landed in yet a different part of the cavern complex. Sorcery was at work, that was obvious, but it was of a sort so subtle that even Darkhorse could not readily detect it. Trust the lord of the Dagora Forest to devise something so devious!

In order to test the limits of the trap, Darkhorse trotted to the exit of the birthing chamber. Traveling by spellwork had failed; perhaps a physical trek was called for. He stepped into the tunnel beyond, fully expecting to be shifted to another location, but to his surprise, nothing impeded his progress. Perplexed but pleased, the shadow steed trotted swiftly in the direction that he a.s.sumed led to the surface.

Darkhorse moved from pa.s.sage to pa.s.sage without any delay. He was glad that nothing more had happened, but not at all lulled by the fact. Escape could not be this simple, not if the Green Dragon had gone through all this trouble. Each corner he turned, he expected some new trick to be sprung.

It was not until he pa.s.sed yet another birthing chamber that he began to see the cunning with which the drake lord had set his snare. There should have been no birthing chamber this close to the surface. They were generally buried deep in the cavern complex where they might best make use of the world's inner heat. By this time, Darkhorse should have been near the entrance through which he had entered, a region far too cool for the sensitive dragon eggs.

Thinking of eggs made him think of Yssa, whose birth would certainly have been unique among the drakes. From what the Dragon King and his daughter had told Darkhorse, Yssa had been born like a human even though part draconian. He wondered what the event had been like.

He dropped the interesting but useless line of thought and pondered again his quandary. Spells sent him from chamber to chamber at random, while journeying physically meant an endless trek through the same tunnels over and over in some insidious loop. Either one by itself would have been insidious enough a trick on invaders, but both guaranteed that even Lanith's mages would have been left baffled and frustrated . . . at least for a time.

A wonderful ploy, Dragon King, but I wish you had considered the possible arrival of one of your allies! Had this intricate spellwork already been prepared when last he had been here? If so, it would have behooved the drake lord to warn him.

"Very well, then! If I cannot escape like that, perhaps a little random destruction will do the trick!" He did not like the thought of damaging the caverns of the Green Dragon, but the latter had left him no choice. Darkhorse summoned up as much strength as he could muster. No half measures now, not when so much depended on his escape.

Energy flared from him, crackling blue bolts that darted in every direction. Darkhorse left no part of his immediate surroundings untouched. If there was a point of weakness, he would find it.

The cavern pa.s.sage was afire, the blue, flickering light blinding. Even Darkhorse had to readjust his vision. He did not lessen his a.s.sault, though. There was a way out of this trap, just as there had been a way out of so many others in the past.

Of course, he had required the aid of others to escape some of those traps . . .

A sense of displacement made him falter. His surroundings took on a surreal look, the walls shifting and the floor rising and curling. The disorientation grew worse, so much so that Darkhorse had difficulty even retaining his footing. His concentration faltered and with it his attack. The lightning storm dwindled, then faded away completely.

Nothing . . . the shadow steed tried to clear his thoughts in order to begin a second attempt, but the great weight of his failure made it nearly impossible to think of anything constructive.

"You have no idea how clossse you came to destroying my carefully desssigned trap. I am impressed, demon sssteed."

Still disoriented, Darkhorse sought out the source of the voice. As he did, his surroundings shifted again. Instead of the pa.s.sage, he now stood in the throne room, but a throne room not stripped of its trappings. More important, the great chair itself was no longer empty.

"My apologiesss for not rescuing you sssooner, demon steed," the Green Dragon remarked offhandedly. Despite the drake lord's seeming indifference, though, Darkhorse sensed a strong level of tension beneath. The effects of the war, no doubt. "My attention wa.s.ss focused elsewhere."

A pair of draconian guards flanked the throne and another pair watched from the entrance. All of them were very much on edge. While the eternal did not fear them, he knew that now was not the time to antagonize the warriors. He would have to control his temper, however much he might want to berate the Dragon King for leaving him trapped so long.

"A very cunning spell, Your Majesty! A new piece of work, is it not?"

"Very new. You never actually left thisss chamber; you only thought you did. A hundred sssoldiers could fill the throne room and all of them would fall victim to the same delusion that you did. They would then be sssimple prey for my ssservants, who are protected by talismans also of my creation. Extremely effective, albeit draining to create, I mussst admit. Circ.u.mstancesss demanded it, though. The . . . intrusion from the wessst ha.s.ss become more of an annoyance than previously expected. Measures were taken should the unthinkable happen."

That was not comforting news. Dragon Kings were not p.r.o.ne to pessimism when it came to battle. Generally they went down fighting, still certain that they could s.n.a.t.c.h victory from defeat. "That terrible?"

"They have begun burning my foressst again!" The Green Dragon nearly rose, but remembered himself at the last moment. "I have sssquelched a dozen fire wallsss of ever-increasing magnitude and I fear that sssoon I will reach my limits. In the meantime, their warriorsss, whether on foot or mount, advance through what should be an impenetrable shield of thick foliage. You were in that trap longer than you think, Darkhorssse. Sssunrise isss upon us. Within the next few hours, they will meet my firssst line of warriorsss, elves and drakes who shall be outnumbered twenty to one. Each warrior facesss the enemy knowing that all he isss meant to do isss hold them off while I further regroup my other forces and once more futilely requessst aid from my counterparts." The drake unleashed a sharp hiss of contempt. "Counterpartsss . . . only the emperor himself has clearly promised me any aid, but his meager forces will not be here in time to keep the wessstern half of my beloved forest from being rooted up or charred by thossse barbarians! Brother Blue ha.s.ss stated in principle that he will help, but much of his power is maritime, which does me little good."

The drake did not mention either Storm or Black, but was fully aware how little help either of them would be. In their minds, it would be better to weaken Green and the invaders. Only then might those two move. "What of the confederation formed by Sssaleese? Is there no aid there?"

"Sssaleese's confederation ssseems to be more interested in the lands just wessst of Gordag-Ai, landsss once belonging to Bronze. If I were a paranoid being, demon sssteed, I would almossst wonder if thisss fledgling confederation ha.s.ss joined the invaders."

As i f we do not have enough to concern us . . . Darkhorse remained silent on the subject. Sssaleese was a problem for another day. "If I may, Your Majesty, I know that events are at present demanding your attention, but I must tell you of terrible news."

A look of resignation on his face, the drake indicated that he should proceed. The shadow steed did, throwing himself into the events that had taken place since last the pair had met. He glossed over his enslavement in Zuu, especially the enchanted saddle and bridle, then focused on the details of Yureel's invasion of the Bedlams' domain. The Dragon King's expression became more and more unreadable as the eternal progressed, even when Darkhorse revealed what he knew of Yureel. The shadow steed saw no reason to keep hidden the truth about his adversary from the Green Dragon, who had ever been an ally of his friends. However, he was admittedly startled by the lack of emotion; it was almost as if the drake was not so surprised by Yureel's origins.

"A dreadful tale, demon sssteed, and very informative. You were right to sssend my daughter to speak to the lionbird. I would prefer her far from here at the moment and she can certainly deal with the lord of Penacles." The Dragon King steepled his fingers, red eyes narrowing in thought. "You give me sssome possible options, now that I know that the real threat lies not ssso much with the horse king and his insipid Magical Order, but with sssome creature from beyond the Dragonrealm! Yesss, I may have waysss of dealing with this monstrosity . . ."

"Oh?" This interested Darkhorse greatly. "And what manner of artifact or spell would that be?"

The Dragon King grew evasive. "Possibilitiesss, nothing more. There may not even be time to investigate them-"

The drake lord suddenly threw back his head and hissed. The guards nearest him dropped their weapons and went to his side, but he waved them off. Darkhorse's host was clearly in pain, but was not about to give in to it.

"Your Majesty," the shadow steed called. "What is it?"

"Can you not feel it, demon ssssteed? They've moved fa.s.sster than I thought they would! They're tearing my foressst apart again! My firssst warriorsss already prepare to meet them, but it will not be enough! They are hurting her, ssscarring her . . . my foressst!"

One of the guards tried again to help. "My lord! You mussst ressst! You have not ssslept sssince-"

"Away!" The lord of the Dagora Forest rose, his gaze burning. "Darkhorssse! Attend me!"

Before the eternal could reply, the Dragon King transported them to his personal chambers. They now stood in one of the rooms that the drake utilized for his researches. Shelves and shelves surrounded them. The Green Dragon's collection of sorcerous artifacts was unparalleled in the realm as far as Darkhorse knew. It seemed that each time the shadow steed saw it, the collection had changed greatly, as if his host continued to add so many finds that he constantly had to move the older ones elsewhere.

The Dragon King marched directly to a triangular, crystal array fixed on a stand set in the center of the chamber. The tiny emerald crystals, all identical, glittered even in the semidarkness of the chamber. He waved a hand over the center. "Show me!"

The array pulsated twice, then an image formed about a foot above it. Darkhorse was impressed by the clarity of the vision; this latest device of the Green Dragon's, whether new or some recent artifact uncovered, far outdid the previous viewing devices the eternal had seen his host utilize.

Regrettably, the scene it revealed was one that made the shadow steed's fascination with the construct irrelevant. Once more magical flames overran the mighty trees but this time the flames were a brilliant golden hue. They danced around the wooded region as if almost alive. In fact-Darkhorse peered closely-some of the smaller blazes did move as if they knew what they were about.

Even from here, he could sense Aurim's part in the spell. Yureel had set his prize puppet to work the moment they had returned to Lanith's encampment.

"They know my warriorsss await them! That ssserpent Lanith boasts of hisss hordes, but can only fight them with sorcery! He callsss himssself a warrior king? He isss a ssspoiled child with a.s.sspirations of greatness!"

As he spoke, however, the flames flickered out of existence, one merry blaze doing so just as it leaped for yet another defenseless tree. The Dragon King let out a weary gasp, as if the forest's reprieve physically affected him as well. He was not relieved, though.

"They come," he announced to the eternal. "Now that the morale of my warriorsss ha.s.ss been tested by their sssorcery, he sends hisss armiesss . . ."

The vision shifted, filling with row after row of armored, yellow-haired riders, each well armed. True to their tradition, the Zuu horde consisted of both men and women and many of the more capable ones that Darkhorse noted were of the latter s.e.x. The look in the eyes of each told Darkhorse how terrible the odds were that the invaders might be turned early. The horse king, or possibly his hidden ally, had stirred them up, made them see themselves as their nomadic ancestors, whose fury even the Dragon Kings had long respected.

"They are about to meet." Without warning, the Green Dragon waved his hand over the array, eradicating the image just as the forces of Zuu reached the untouched forest.

"Why did you do that? Do you not want to see?"

"I know what will happen, jussst a.s.ss my commanders there do, too. Nevertheless, they will fight a.s.ss well as they can. The horse king will find out what it isss truly like to fight dragonsss. I have also already ssset other ssspells in motion." The drake lord hung his head, looking exhausted. "There isss nothing more I can do and yet I ssstill feel as if I have done nothing adequate. Thanksss to this creature you mentioned, this Yureel, and his puppet sssorcerers, I am at a great disadvantage." He looked up again, eyes brighter, a thoughtful expression crossing the flat, reptilian visage half-hidden under the helm. "Perhapsss, though, perhaps, now that I have your information, I have another option. Yes, a way of dealing Lanith a crippling blow by removing the threat of this creature and dessstroying hisss cursed Magical Order all in one blow . . ."

The last words startled Darkhorse. Any aid against Yureel was welcome, but not if it meant endangering Cabe's son at the same time. He took a step toward his host, a.s.suring that he now had the Dragon King's attention. "You cannot touch the Order until I free Aurim!"

"I will do what I mussst do, demon steed, to preserve my kingdom and my own! Lanith mussst be stopped, and the bessst way to slow him isss to deal with the true power behind him. I regret any danger that might confront Cabe and Gwendolyn's ssson, but I am facing desssperate times here!" The drake took up a defiant stance before him. "If Aurim Bedlam must die to sssave so many more, then ss...o...b.. it. I will regret hisss death, but I will not regret causssing it, not when the other choice isss worse . . ."

The Dragon King turned away, his interest now focused on a shelf containing part of his collection. Darkhorse stared at the drake's back, but was so stunned by his host's decision that he could not yet bring himself to reply to the other's cold words. The Green Dragon intended to protect his kingdom at the cost of those dearest to the eternal and Darkhorse could think of no good reason why he should prevent that from happening. The Dragon King was correct; to leave Yureel and the Order untouched was to condemn many others to their deaths. Darkhorse's monstrous twin would not cease his horrendous crusade until someone forced him to cease.

To save a continent, Cabe's son might have to die . . .

Chapter Fifteen.

"What're you do-?" was all that Yssa managed to blurt before her surroundings became the interior of the palace of Penacles. She clamped her mouth shut instantly, not wanting to accidentally bring every guard in the building to her.

Too late. Darkhorse had dropped her in the midst of the throne room itself and although the Gryphon was not there, sentries stood watch over the room. Four of them charged toward her, their swords ready. Yssa prepared herself, knowing that she might have to injure them.

"Stop!"

The single word acted like a thunderbolt, causing the guards to freeze where they were and the enchantress to leap in surprise. Only a few steps behind her stood the lionbird himself. Clad in the robes of state and standing much, much taller than she, the Gryphon was a sight that Yssa, who had lived among drakes, still found daunting. He was a creature of magical origin, it was said, the only one of his kind. Standing so near to him and sensing his great power, she could believe the tales.

"You are Yssa. I received notice of your coming just before you arrived." To the soldiers, he said, "This woman's no threat. Your speed is commended, but you may all return to your positions now. As for you, young woman, you will come with me."

While the guards returned to their posts, the Gryphon led Yssa out of the throne room and down the hall. After a short walk they came to a chamber that appeared to her to have been unused for quite some time. The lionbird ushered her inside.

"This palace is far too large for my needs, even with a family. However, this was the domain of the Dragon King Purple before me and he and his predecessors for some reason chose to build this structure over the site of their former caverns. They also had a preference for large chambers, of course. You've no idea how deep down this edifice goes and so much of it is wasted s.p.a.ce." The Gryphon chuckled. "A strange lot, the drake clan Purple."

The chamber was nearly empty, which made it look even more immense. There were chairs and tables to one side, as if on a rare occasion the room was used for gatherings, but the last such gathering had evidently taken place some time past.

"I was here already, looking out the window, when I heard Darkhorse's summons. I come here to think sometimes, especially during a rising crisis such as that which plagues my neighbor to the west. No one will disturb us here and I'll be better able to concentrate." He grunted, a somewhat feline sound. "Toos used this for various occasions, especially when he was regent during my absence. At one time, it was where he entertained his military officers-" The Gryphon cut off. "Forgive me. My mind wanders sometimes. Old wars, old friends . . . the past."

From her father and the Bedlams Yssa knew that the Gryphon was more than two hundred years old, possibly even older. It was not just because he was a spellcaster, but because of his peculiar origins. The Green Dragon had not known the truth about those origins, though, and the Bedlams had not enlightened her either. She wanted to ask him about himself, but decided it was best to wait until a better time. Darkhorse had, after all, sent her with a task in mind.

"Did he tell you why I came, Your Majesty?" The Gryphon had such a regal aura around him that she wanted to curtsy.

"Only that it was urgent . . . which was why you were able to arrive in the palace in the first place. Did you think it was this simple to enter my home?"

She had not thought about that. A good thing that her host respected the word of Darkhorse. The king of Penacles had a reputation for taking the warrior's outlook on things and that probably included unexpected visitors trying to magically pop in. "It is urgent, Your Majesty! Very, very urgent! The Bedlams and their people are prisoners!"

"Explain slowly and precisely," he commanded in a tone that indicated he would brook no other manner of explanation.

She did, careful not to diverge at all lest the Gryphon's gaze turn baleful. His beak was far too sharp and his hands far too strong for her not to think of his predatory nature. The monarch was neither cruel nor capricious, but Yssa could not help being a bit fearful.

By the time the Gryphon had heard all, the mixture of fur and feather lining his neck stood fully ruffled. "Bad news. Worse than I feared. So this thing is not only like Darkhorse, but has visited the Dragonrealm before? That would explain some of the tales I've heard from time past."

"If he was here before, then someone succeeded in exiling him," the enchantress reminded her host. "He wouldn't have left on his own."

"No, he wouldn't have." The Gryphon stroked the underside of his beak with the back of his hand. "Hmm . . . it appears that I must consult the libraries anew. Days wasted on research that now holds no significance . . ."

"But what about the Bedlams? Can you help them?"

He looked at her as if she had just asked him if he slept on a perch in a cage. Yssa, entirely unnerved by his fierce gaze, nearly fell back over a chair. "Of course I'll do what I can, human! Do you think I'd leave my friends trapped like that? The Bedlams are one of the few chances we've got of stopping this carnage before it spreads too far! Think, woman!"

At first Yssa resented his att.i.tude toward her, but as she studied his movements, she saw that the Gryphon was extremely upset. The spellcasters were obviously very dear friends of the monarch. Good! He'll do what he can for them, then! She had been afraid that he might relegate the family's predicament to a lesser priority.

"I'll go now. I think I know what to ask for, but it may still take days to decipher the blasted answer." He ignored her look of puzzlement, adding, "My mate'll see to it that your needs are met while you wait for me to return-"

The anxiety-ridden enchantress could not believe what she had just heard. "Wait? Are you suggesting I simply wait? Do nothing? I can help you search for an answer!"

The lionbird shook his head vehemently. "It would take me many hours just to explain how the Libraries of Penacles work. Even I don't fully understand them, human, and I've had years and years to study them. Even the Dragon Kings who ruled this city never completely uncovered the secrets of the books . . . a fortunate thing that. If this is to be done as swiftly as possible, it must be done by me alone, I'm afraid."

"But-" Yssa gave up. If she was any judge of character, the king of Penacles was not the type to change his mind. It did not sound like the first time he had made this decision. "All right. I won't argue with you about the books. I want the Bedlams freed as soon as possible. My-the Green Dragon desperately needs help and they seem to be the only ones willing to give it."

"I won't go into that with you, spellcaster, because while I know that it's not completely true, it mostly is. Some help has been sent and more is on its way. I know it's insufficient, but that's all that can be done at this point." The Gryphon led her back toward the hall. "Troia will see to your needs. After your adventures, you have to be exhausted."

She was, but Yssa hardly thought it was the time to relax. She wanted to help, if not with the Gryphon's work then with something else. Letting others take chances was not the enchantress's way. Her father called her reckless, but Yssa simply thought of herself as determined and capable.

What was there left for her to do, though? Darkhorse had already visited with her father and since she knew how much he respected the shadow steed's might, it was likely that the two were already working on some sort of plan of action.

All this planning and running around and yet there still seems to be nothing for me to do! People keep sending me away from where I'm really needed! If she could not help the Gryphon or the Bedlams, then she would return to where she would be of some use. She would return to her father. He would certainly be in need of her aid.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but I've got somewhere else I have to be." Before the Gryphon could contradict her, Yssa summoned power and vanished from the palace.

She rematerialized by the side of the Serkadian River, far from her intended destination. The events at the Manor had sapped her strength more than Yssa had imagined. Despite the very early morning sun, the enchantress felt as if it were still the dead of night. She had rested at the home of the Bedlams, but that had not been enough.