'Thank you,' he said between mouthfuls. By the time the elf returned with a platter of game bird, some aged hard cheese and half a loaf of fresh grain bread, Jim lay fast asleep on the pallet on the floor of the apartment. The elf quietly put down the platter and left him in peace.

Jim awoke and devoured the rest of the food that had been left for him. After that he exited the little apartment and found the closest garderobe, in which he relieved himself and then hurried down to a deep pool where he quickly bathed. He was politely ignored by those elves also busy making their morning ablutions. As much as he admired women in their many configurations, from the willowy thin to the robustly voluptuous, he fond himself admiring elven women's forms more for their beauty in an abstract fashion than with any l.u.s.t. They were as beautiful as any human woman could hope to be, but there was an alien quality which robbed him of any carnal impulse in their direction. The elven men were also beautiful, in their fashion, and he admired their lithe strength. Rarely did anyone make Jim Dasher feel unfit, but every elf he saw bathing looked like an embodiment of youthful vigour, while he still felt ill-used and fatigued from his travels.

He donned his still-dirty clothing, having judged it imprudent to wash them and either wait until they dried or wear wet garb to the Queen's Court. Once he was dressed, he hurried back up to the pavilion where Aglaranna and Tomas waited.

'Good morning, Jim Dasher,' said the Queen.

He bowed and said, 'Good morning, Your Majesty'

'Did you rest well?'

'Yes,' he replied. 'I am in your debt for my welcome respite, my lady.'

'We have conferred with our advisors on the news you brought us,' said the Queen. 'And to understand what needs to be done, you must be made aware of things few within our race know, and no one, not even our oldest friends like Pug, have been told.'

Jim raised an eyebrow at that. He had a.s.sumed that given the boyhood friendship between Pug and Tomas, Pug would be the most likely human to be told any elven lore. Still, he said nothing and waited.

Tomas spoke, 'In ancient times there was a great war between the G.o.ds. Those called Dragon Lords by humans, whom we call Valheru in the elven language...' He paused, as if uncomfortable speaking of these things. '... the Dragon Lords took a hand. In the end, they were cast out of this realm, dispersed to other universes.'

This piqued Jim's interest. A great deal of the intelligence gathered by the Conclave over the last few years consisted of references to other planes of reality. A lot of it was incomprehensible to Jim, well, most of it, actually, but he had reviewed enough of the intelligence pa.s.sing through his hands on its way to Pug or Nakor or Miranda to have some sense of it: there were other places that could only be imagined by a few beings and he wasn't one of them, but he took it on faith that they existed. Too much had happened already for him to doubt it.

Tomas continued, 'But before the last of that great struggle, one of the Dragon Lords stood apart, the one whose armour I wear when I go into battle.'

Jim had never seen Tomas don the legendary white and gold dragon armour, but he had heard of it and imagined it to be an impressive sight. Even wearing a simple robe and sandals Tomas was one of the most impressive beings he had ever met.

'He alone defied the Dragon Host,' Tomas continued, 'and his last act before the madness known as the Chaos Wars overwhelmed this world was to free all those who had been held in thrall to the Valheru.

'Most of those you know as "elves" came to reside here, in the first court of the first king and queen, before the rise of men on this world. We call ourselves "eledhel" or "people of the light". But some did not. There are those you call the Dark Brotherhood, the "moredhel", or people of darkness. There were others, some who have since come to join us, those fleeing privation in the north, beyond the Teeth of the World, or those from across the sea.

'But one... tribe, if you will, were set apart and they embraced a mission. They are called "anoredhel", or "people of the sun". They have never been subject to the Queen's rule or that of any other ruler here in Elvandar, but we have... an accommodation with them. They are... unique and their responsibility is vast.'

'Then they are in need of your aid, Majesty,' said Jim Dasher.

'How?' asked the Queen.

Jim recounted Kaspar's observation about them being a dying people. When he finished, Tomas and the Queen both looked troubled. Finally, Aglaranna said, 'For reasons you may never understand, we may not meddle in the affairs of the anoredhel. Yet we would not see them perish, for more reasons than I can tell you.' She looked at her husband and said, 'What counsel you?'

'My wife and queen, I think there is only one answer. I must go to the Peaks of the Quor and speak to their leader.'

'Castdanur,' Jim supplied. 'That's what he's called.'

'That is not a name, Jim Dasher,' said Tomas. 'It's a t.i.tle. He protects the world against the Darkness.'

Unable to stop himself, Jim blurted, 'He's been lax on the job, then.' He instantly regretted what he said. 'I'm sorry, my lady, my lord. I am... still very tired and my better judgment is apparently missing.'

Tomas didn't smile, but his expression wasn't scolding. 'It's quite understandable.' He stood up. 'My lady, I take my leave with your permission.'

'Be swift, my husband, and return quickly'

Jim was struck by the bond between these two, forged before he had been born yet as fresh as new lovers just discovering their pa.s.sion. He indulged himself for a moment to think of Michele and wonder if it was possible for any human man and woman to discover the depth of feeling he had just glimpsed.

Tomas said to Jim Dasher, 'Where would you like to go?'

Jim longed to say, back to Krondor and a quiet supper with Michele, but instead said, 'I would return with you to see how Kaspar and my other companions fare.'

Tomas nodded. 'Then prepare yourself for a journey unlike any you've experienced so far. Stay here a while and come when I call for you.'

Jim bowed his a.s.sent. While he waited Calis approached. 'Jim Dasher,' he said, holding out his hand to be shaken. Calis was unique, being the son of the Elf Queen and her not-quite-human consort. He had also lived among the humans the most, having served an earlier Prince of Krondor and having formed a legendary company within the Prince's army, the Crimson Eagles. That banner still held a place of honour in the great hall, though the company itself had long since been disbanded.

'Do you miss it?' asked Jim.

'Miss what?'

'The noise, the crowds, the chaos?'

Calis smiled and again Jim was reminded that he was the most like a human of any abiding in Elvandar. 'Occasionally, but here I am at peace.'

'I can imagine,' said Jim, glancing around to where the Queen's Court continued with the business of the day. 'It is soothing here.'

'Time flows differently. One of my father's oldest friends, Martin Longbow, lived as a robust man into his late nineties, and he claimed it was the time spent here that gave him health and vigour.' Calis shrugged. 'In any event, if it gets to be too big an itch, there are always tasks to do for the Conclave.'

'How are your boys?'

'Well,' said Calis. He had adopted twin sons when he married a woman from across the sea. His position in the community made him the most able to help them adapt to a life in Elvandar. 'They are out learning to hunt.'

'Learning?' said Jim. 'They've lived here for what, thirty, forty years?'

'They're still young,' said Calis with a grin.

'Barely more than children,' Jim conceded dryly.

Calis and Jim exchanged news of the commonplace variety, Calis admitting he had developed a fondness for football while living at the palace, and asking how things fared in the guild league.

Jim enquired as to how things stood along the Far Coast, for as he was painfully aware, the relationship between the King's court in Rillanon and the Western Realm was growing strained; Calis might not live in human society any more, but he was attuned to it and spent a fair amount of time around Crydee Castle.

'The young duke, Lester, is a lot like his great-greatgrandfather, Martin. A good hunter.'

'Good?'

Calis nodded once. 'Very good.'

'Elf good?'

Calis grinned. 'Not that good.'

Jim said, 'Were it only that simple that the qualities of rulers could be summed up with something as basic as tracking skills.'

'Politics?'

'Always. The Western lords are growing fractious and debate in the Congress of Lords has risen to the level of open insults and threats of duels.'

Calis shook his head in regret. 'Great men once ruled the Kingdom.'

'The conDoin name is still one to be honoured, but I fear we've not had a strong hand at the helm of the ship of state since King Borric's day.'

'I knew him, you know,' said Calis.

'Really?'

'Not well. I was much closer to his younger brother, Nicholas.'

'I've heard stories of the two of you.'

Calis sighed. 'It was a long time ago, yet sometimes it feels like yesterday. I miss Nicholas. He died a hero's death, but he died alone.' He looked over his shoulder, as if he could somehow see through the boles of trees and leaf-covered branches to where his wife laboured or his sons hunted. 'It's a bad thing to die alone, Jim Dasher.'

'I have no plan to do that, Calis,' said Jim.

Calis said, 'There's someone in your life?'

'If I have anything to say about it,' Jim answered with a widening grin.

Tomas reappeared and nothing in Jim's speculations came close to preparing him for his reaction. Tomas was resplendent in golden armour, and a white tabard and shield, both emblazoned with a golden dragon. His helm was fashioned to appear as if a dragon lay on top of his head, wings down on either side to form the cheek-guards. It also had a nose-guard to protect his face. The effect was to make his eyes even more vivid, and the already-powerful figure was now even more so in this extraordinary garb. He was a figure to inspire awe and terror in a foe.

Tomas said, 'Are you ready?'

'As ready as I can ever be,' Jim replied softly.

Calis nodded and gripped his shoulder. 'It's good to see you again, Jim Dasher. You may not be much of a hunter, but you are among the best storytellers I have met. You must come again for a visit and soon, when the reasons for your visit are less dire.'

'I look forward to that day,' said Jim honestly.

'Come with me,' Tomas said, leading him quickly away.

Despite his size, Tomas was as nimble as any elf, and Jim was hard pressed to keep up without stepping off a pathway into thin air. At last he reached the ground safely and caught up to Tomas on the edge of a great clearing. 'Prepare yourself,' was all Tomas said, then he shouted something in an alien tongue, repeating a phrase three times. Then he fell silent.

'Now what?' Jim asked.

'We wait,' Tomas answered.

Minutes went by, and soon an air of expectancy grew. Elves all around them paused lingering to see what came next. Jim had no idea, but long ago had learned there were times when it was best to simply shut up and do as he was told.

The moments pa.s.sed slowly, and just as Jim was starting to feel his patience wane, a distant sound of flapping wings could be heard. At first Jim thought it was some large bird an eagle or vulture perhaps but the rhythm was off, the beats were too slow and the sound was growing too loud, too quickly.

Suddenly a vast shadow appeared on the ground as a ma.s.sive shape loomed overhead. Jim looked upwards and felt his throat constrict, for the first time in his life feeling close to panic. The creature that was landing and from his point of view it appeared to Jim it was going to land right on top of Tomas and himself was a dragon. Not only was it a dragon, it was a dragon the size of a small ship!

Like most citizens of the Kingdom, Jim had heard stories of dragons all his life, but he had never believed anyone who had told him that they had seen one.

Now Jim could scarcely credit his own senses. Softly he said, 'No one will ever believe me.'

Tomas turned and smiled, the smile removing some of the awe he induced in Jim in his guise as a Dragon Lord. 'Those who know the truth will, and that's all that matters.'

A voice thundered from deep within the throat of the creature. It spoke a language Jim did not understand, and he spoke seven fluently and could puzzle out a dozen more. Tomas answered in the Common Tongue. 'I seek a boon, old friend.'

The creature was ruby in colour, with highlights sparkling in the sun of, silver, gold, crimson, and even a flash of blue. The creature had a huge crest that began between its eyes and rose up and back, descending to just above the base of the neck, the colour shifting among reds, orange, and gold, looking like iridescent flame, with silver streaks along the base, and stood tall like a c.o.c.ks...o...b.. The dragon regarded them with eyes as black as onyx.

'Speak your boon, Dragon Rider,' it said.

'To the Peaks of the Quor must we speed, to distant Baranor, for the sake and safety of all our peoples, eledhel and dragon-kin alike.'

The dragon lowered its ma.s.sive head, which was easily as big as a farmer's wagon. 'Long have you been dragon friend, you who were once our master. Your word is bond and I shall carry you.'

'And my companion,' said Tomas.

Jim felt the colour drain from his cheeks. 'What?'

'There is no need to fear,' said Tomas to Jim. 'I have magic that will ensure your safety, and this is the fastest way to reach Kaspar and his men.'

'Wait!' argued Jim. 'I have this device. It will take us to Sorcerer's Island. Miranda can take us-'

Tomas smiled even more broadly and said, 'Trust me when I say, this is a better way to make an entrance.'

Jim sighed. 'Very well. If you say so.'

'I do. Follow me and step where I step; For all his size, Ryath is sensitive.'

Pushing aside an almost irrational urge to giggle, Jim followed Tomas, watching where he placed his feet, and grabbed hold as the white-clad warrior climbed up the side of the dragon's face. Tomas walked down the length of the dragon's long neck holding lightly to the large crest and when he reached the base, he sat down, wrapping his legs easily around the creature's neck, which was about the size of the barrel of a good-sized warhorse just before it met the neck. 'Sit behind me,' Tomas told him.

When he was firmly seated, Jim said, 'I'm ready.'

'Hold tight,' said Tomas, and suddenly the ground seemed to leap away below them as the dragon sprang upwards with a terrifyingly loud beat of its wings, the force of which cracked through the air like the thunderous boom of ma.s.sive drums.

The ground fell away below and Jim for the first time in his life felt dizzy from the height. Then the dragon levelled off its flight and turned towards the south-east and started to accelerate.

Jim forced himself to breathe and then realized he was holding onto Tomas's waist like a baby clutching his mother. He a.s.sumed the powerful warrior wasn't discomfited for he didn't seem to notice.

Jim looked down and saw the forest below and realized they were moving at an incredible rate. He could not even begin to judge how fast they flew over the treetops many times the speed of the fastest horse he had ever ridden but suddenly they were out of the elven forests and into the foothills of what could only be the Grey Tower Mountains.

Higher and higher they rose and faster and faster they flew. Jim was too overcome with awe and amazement to speak, and even if he could, didn't know if Tomas could hear him.

The air turned cold, but not bitter, and given how high above the peaks they sped, Jim a.s.sumed magic was at play this high up he should be freezing to death and unable to breathe. Still they pressed on and even faster they went, until the ground below was almost a blur of features. Then they were above a large expanse of blue water, and Jim's eyes widened as he realized they had swept out over the Bitter Sea! They had crossed the largest range of mountains in the Western Realm and over the Free Cities of Natal in minutes!

The dragon spread his wings out and soared and then levelled out its flight again, as if it had reached the limit of its speed. But even so, the velocity was staggering. Jim saw an island appear on the horizon, pa.s.s below, and vanish behind before he could recognize it as the island Kingdom of Queg. Then Krondor was below and onward they flew.

Jim's mind reeled as he tried to comprehend details in the fleeing landscape below, and his senses were confounded as the sun lowered behind them. They were flying east and soon night appeared on the horizon as they raced into darkness. Never had night fallen so fast for Jim, and he marvelled at the magnificence of a city appearing below, a thousand torch-lights flickering on the ground. The large moon rose over the eastern edge of the world, and seemed to hurdle into the sky, the small moon trailing after it like a pup following his mother.