"Mother of G.o.d . . ." the peasant was finally able to whisper. G'Meni already had the face mere inches from Emil's own.

"You will be Viktor Falsche, my loutish friend, and you will be as he was . . . until he died."

He pressed the underside of the mask against Emil's countenance.

There was a m.u.f.fled scream that quickly faded. G'Meni paid little mind to the reaction save to note that it was part of the normal chain of events for the process. That pleased him; the mask had been waiting for so long that, reflex actions aside, he had still been a bit afraid that it had lost some of its potency. Should have known . . . Viktor Falsche was always so lively.

The false face stretched and remolded, shaping so as to conform to the contours of the host and yet still retain the features with which it had been instilled. The alchemist watched the process take place with pride in his heart. The masks were as much his children as they were the baron's.

At last, the rippling and twisting of the features quieted, leaving in their wake what seemed an entirely different man. G'Meni noted that even unconscious, the figure chained to the platform shifted to a more defiant, arrogant position, as if ready to fight even in the land of dreams.

"It has melded well," he informed the guards. "Inform the baron that all will proceed on schedule. He shall have his special anniversary masque tomorrow and there he shall reaffirm his position with a replaying of his greatest triumph . . .the humiliation and death of Viktor Falsche, rival and pretender."

"Yes, Master G'Meni." The identical soldiers departed, save for the first who had entered.

It took G'Meni a moment to notice the presence of the remaining guard, so absorbed was he in examining the fine, almost invisible line revealing where the mask ended. "What is it? I am extremely busy!"

The soldier indicated the p.r.o.ne form. "Is it safe to leave you alone with this one? I remember Falsche. I remember how---"

"You remember nothing. Your general recalls, and that memory is of years past. Forget it. If this were truly Falsche and not simply a shadow mask of him, I would perhaps worry, but there is no reason to fear. This puppet is mine to lead, mine to direct. He will play his role and then he will die. is that too much to understand?"

"No." Despite the response, there was still a hint of unease in the face. Even the eyes looked less sleepy.

G'Meni waved him away. "Your concern is noted. You may depart now."

The soldier saluted, then disappeared through the doorway.

When he was finally alone, the squat alchemist delved once more into his Work. There was so much to do. The guards no doubt believed that once the face was in place, the rest was simple, but that was not how G'Meni saw it. He was a perfectionist, an artisan, when it came to the process, and that meant that he had to put the ensorcelled figure through a series of tests in order to ascertain just what level of possession had been attained. This Viktor Falsche had to be perfect, save for the flaw that would lead to his downfall tomorrow.

"You shall need a washing, too." He sniffed, looking over the figure. That would be the first test. A full head-to-toe cleansing would require extensive physical activity, which would inform G'Meni as to the strength of the link between the mask and the host. "Then, I have a special series of experiments designed just for you."

He paused then, noting something amiss just before the left ear. A crease. There should have been no creases, but there it was. "This will never do, you know! We cannot have you losing face before the climax!"

Chuckling at his own jest, the robed figure turned away to search for the adhesive he had created for just such emergencies. It was not as permanent as the liquid that was applied to the faces of Straas's drone soldiers, but it would hold for the length of the morrow's ball.

"No, indeed." He chuckled again, still very much amused at his humor. "We want you just perfect tomorrow when you face Baron Mandrol and the Lady Lilaith DuPrise."

As he finished speaking, a chill coursed through him, nearly causing him to drop the container he had just picked up. Not knowing why he did so, G'Meni whirled around and stared at the figure on the platform.

The prisoner had not moved. He still lay as the alchemist had seen him last, sleeping the slumber of the deeply entranced.

Master G'Meni's mouth curled slightly upward into a rueful smile. "Only you could do that to me after ten years of death, Falsche! Hmmph! I wonder how you will affect the Lady DuPrise."

He turned back to the table and the container and began measuring out a proper amount of the adhesive. Too much would be almost as detrimental as too little.

Behind him, the eyelids of the figure slowly opened, stared momentarily at the alchemist's hunched back, and then slowly closed again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.

Richard A. Knaak is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Legend of Huma, WoW: Stormrage, and nearly fifty other novels and numerous short stories, including works in such series as Warcraft, Diablo, Dragonlance, Age of Conan, and his own Dragonrealm. He has scripted a number of Warcraft manga with Tokyopop, such as the top-selling Sunwell trilogy, and has also written background material for games. His works have been published worldwide in many languages.

His most recent releases include Shade --- a brand-new Dragonrealm novel featuring the tragic sorcerer --- Wolfheart --- the latest in the bestselling World of Warcraft series, and the third collection in his Legends of the Dragonrealm series. He is presently at work on several other projects, among them Dawn of the Aspects for World of Warcraft and a new Dragonrealm saga concerning The Turning War, which fans can find out more about on his website.

Currently splitting his time between Chicago and Arkansas, he can be reached through his website: http://www.richardaknaak.com. While he is unable to respond to every e-mail, he does read them. Join his mailing list for e-announcements of upcoming releases and appearances. He is also on Facebook and Twitter.

ABOUT THE ARTIST.

Ciruelo Cabral was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on July 20, 1963. His formal art training was limited to a few courses in drawing and advertising design, after which, at the age of eighteen, he immediately found work in an ad agency as an ill.u.s.trator and at twenty one he became a freelance ill.u.s.trator and started a career as a fantasy artist.

In 1987 Ciruelo traveled to Europe and settled in Sitges, Barcelona, Spain. He then embarked on a search for publishers for his "worlds of fantasy", eventually finding them in Spain, England, the United States and Germany, and through this means he reached a broad audience. Among his US clients is George Lucas, for whom he ill.u.s.trated the book covers of the trilogy "Chronicles of the Shadow War".

He has also created a number of rock alb.u.m covers, Steve Vai's The 7 Song and The Elusive Light and Sound being two of them. Other clients include Wizards of the Coast (Magic cards), TSR, Berkley, Tor, Warner, Ballantine, Heavy Metal magazine, Playboy magazine, etc. He also worked with Alejandro Jodorowsky on a comic story published in France in 2006.

In 1990 Ciruelo ill.u.s.trated The Book of the Dragon to be published by the Spanish publisher Timun Mas. Foreign rights to this magnificent book were sold to Paper Tiger, London, in 1992, who had also published his first artbook: Ciruelo, in 1990. In 1997 the book Luz, the Art of Ciruelo came out. This third book features over 160 full color ill.u.s.trations, a number of pencil sketches and ink drawings laid out in 128 pages. In 2000 his fourth art book Magia, the Ciruelo Sketchbook was published. In 2006 a special little book came out, Travels Notebook, with drawings and texts by Ciruelo. In 2008 his book Fairies and Dragons was published, containing many ill.u.s.trations accompanied by a story written by himself. In 2010 Dreams Notebook followed the line of Travels Notebook. In 2012 his art book Infinito Interior was published featuring over 80 paintings.

He lives with his wife Daniela and their kids, Angelo and Lys in Sitges, a quaint and magical town near Barcelona, on the sh.o.r.es of the Mediterranean Sea.

Also by Richard A. Knaak.

The Dragonrealm.

Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol. I.

(featuring the novels Firedrake, Ice Dragon, & Wolfhelm) Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol. II.

(featuring the novels Shadow Steed, The Shrouded Realm, & Children of the Drake, plus the novella "Skins") Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol. III.

(featuring the novels The Crystal Dragon & The Dragon Crown, plus the novellas "Past Dance", "Storm Lord", & "The Still Lands") Shade.

The Turning War:.

*Vol. I - Dragon Masters *Vol. II a The Gryphon Mage.

*Vol. III a The Horned Blade The World of Warcraft.

Day of the Dragon Night of the Dragon Stormrage Wolfheart The War of the Ancients:.

Vol. I a The Well of Eternity Vol. II a The Demon Soul Vol. III a The Sundering.

Dawn of the Aspects Diablo Legacy of Blood Kingdom of Shadow.

Moon of the Spider The Sin War: Vol. I a Birthright Vol. II a Scales of the Serpent Vol. III a The Veiled Prophet Dragonlance The Legend of Huma Kaz the Minotaur Land of the Minotaurs.

Reavers of the Blood Sea The Citadel The Minotaur Wars: Vol. I a Night of Blood.

Vol. II a Tides of Blood Vol. III a Empire of Blood The Ogre t.i.tans: Vol. I a The Black Talon Vol. II a The Fire Rose.

Vol. III a The Gargoyle King The Age of Conan Vol. I a The G.o.d in the Moon Vol. II a The Eye of Charon.

Vol. III a The Silent Enemy The Knight in Shadow Vol. I a Dragon Mound *Vol. II a Wake of the Wyrm.

*Vol. III a The Twilight Throne Individual t.i.tles The Ja.n.u.s Mask Frostwing.

King of the Grey Dutchman Shattered Light: Ruby Flames.

Beastmaster: Myth.