"Everything here seems to be built to the proportions of dragons," Thelvyn explained. "Look at those stairs, the doorways, the height of the ceiling. I'm inclined to believe that those strange dragons are the true masters of this world."
"But Alessa didn't say anything about dragons being native to this place," Sir George said. "That's not something she could have simply overlooked. All she said was that this was a stronghold of the Fire Wizards."
"Yes, she did, didn't she?" Thelvyn agreed thoughtfully. "Now, why do you suppose she neglected to mention something like that? We'll have a little talk with Alessa Vyledaar when we return to our own world. But for now, let's locate the collar and get out of here."
"The collar is straight ahead," Kharendaen said, staring intently toward a wide corridor that led directly inward from the gate. "I sense its magic, and I can remember the distinct presence of the powers of the collar from the times when I have seen it in Windreach."
"I'm almost surprised that the collar is still here, considering how the circumstances have changed," Thelvyn said, having sensed the magical presence she described. "Follow me. We still have no idea who else might still be lurking about this place."
"Not traitor Fire Wizards, at least," Sir George commented.
No attempt had been made to hide or safeguard the Collar of the Dragons in any way. Thelvyn followed the sense of its remarkable magic straight into the heart of the fortress, hurrying past many dimly lit chambers of great size. From what he could see, there seemed no doubt this was indeed a fortress or stronghold and nothing more. While everything was built to the scale of dragons, there were few furnishings, with no carpets on the cold stone floor and no tapestries or other decorations hung on the bare walls. Even the dour forts of the dwarves were more hospitable. Thelvyn smiled to himself, thinking that even the Fire Wizards of the Flaem showed better taste.
His search came to an abrupt end as the wide corridor led to the doors of the largest chamber he had seen yet, near the very center of the fortress. Thelvyn slowed to approach the doorway cautiously, then stopped just outside the chamber to look around. This chamber was truly vast in its proportions, the ceiling so high that he could have flown around it in a tight circle. Thelvyn guessed that this was a place where magic was learned and practiced, for great shelves of books lined the walls, and there were couches and reading stands much like those he had seen used by the dragons of Shadowmere. Objects he knew to be associated with magic also stood on the shelves and on stands, and on the walls hung weapons and samples of rare plants and the preserved bodies of strange creatures, the odd
trophies of explorations or perhaps conquests.
In the center of the room stood a simple stand of dark stone, nothing more than a long cylinder of smooth marble supported on a heavy wooden frame. Perched atop the stand was the Collar of the Dragons. Thelvyn had never seen the collar nor even heard it described in clear detail, but he knew immediately that this was the object of his quest. The collar was made of large golden plates hinged together so that it could change shape with the movements of a dragon's neck. A row of large, hollow triangular plates along the top were shaped to fit over the ridges of a dragon's crest. The plates of the collar were adorned with a wealth of jewels.
Thelvyn refrained from rushing forward to claim the collar just yet. He had become aware that one of the alien dragons was crouching close to the wall beyond the doorway to his right, ready to spring out as he stepped through- He pretended not to notice, seeming to keep his attention focused on the collar. He waited for a long, tense moment, letting his enemy become apprehensive with uncertainty. Then he darted forward in a sudden, unexpected move, catching the alien dragon by the neck and dragging him down.
Thelvyn almost lost the battle as quickly as he had seized the initial advantage. Having little experience fighting in his dragon form, he was unaware that he should have seized his opponent's neck with his jaws and left his hands free to pin the arms of the other dragon, preventing him from thrashing and pulling free. The alien dragon was about to twist away when Kharendaen rushed forward and hauled back on his tail, pulling him off balance so that Thelvyn could get a better hold. Sir George jumped down from his saddle so that Kharendaen could help subdue their enemy without worrying about his safety.
The alien dragon acted surprised to face two intruders, and he suddenly relented, lying passively on his back and panting heavily. Thelvyn kept his entire weight on his foe's chest to prevent him from using his breath weapon. While the first of the strange dragons they had fought had possessed armor like plates of ruby, this one appeared to be made of amber. He was also larger, fully as big as Thelvyn, who was rather large for a young gold. Nor did he seem to be a creature constructed and animated by magic; they could see that he was definitely a male, and a golem would not have had a sex.
"Talk to us," Thelvyn insisted in a firm voice. "You've obviously had dealings with my world, so I suspect that you must know the language of either the dragons or the Flaem."
"I know your speech," the alien dragon said, speaking the language of the dragons with an odd accent. "I know thee as [he Dragonlord who was and the Dragonking who will never be. But I may say nothing to thee."
"That's a very ancient form of the dragon language," Kharendaen said quietly, looking perplexed.
"The gemstone dragons have held no propinquity with thy coarse breed for a long age of my world or thine," their prisoner continued.
"Gemstone Dragons?" Thelvyn repeated. "Are you the masters of this place and not the servants of the Flaem?"
"In truth, are we known as the Masters," the gemstone dragon declared fiercely, seemingly offended by the suggestion that it was a servant of the Flaem. "We serve none but the Overlord. All others here are slaves."
"He's trying to delay us," Kharendaen warned. "He has summoned others to his aid. We dare not waste time on words, as important as it may be to know the answers to these mysteries."
"Nor shall I reveal to thee what thou desires most to know," the alien dragon added, glaring angrily at them. "Although such knowledge will serve thee not, for thou and thy companions will never depart from this place."
Indeed, they had already delayed too long. Thelvyn was taken by complete surprise when a fireball suddenly exploded against his shoulder and the back of his wide neck. His armor spared him any real damage, but it hurt enough to distract him, and the force of the impact knocked him off balance. In the confusion, his captive was able to struggle free. The amber dragon jumped clear and then turned back quickly to attack, leaping forward with its jaws spread wide to gain a fatal hold on Thelvyn's exposed neck. Kharendaen hurtled herself to his defense, darting her head and neck beneath the amber dragon's own neck and then thrusting herself upward with her powerful hind legs to toss her larger opponent heavily onto its back.
Kharendaen pressed her attack before Thelvyn could react, driven by a dragon's boundless fury at seeing her mate harmed. She leapt on the fallen amber dragon while it was still struggling to its feet, striking it so hard in the chest that it was hurled backward. A second fireball exploded against the stone floor where she had stood only a moment before, but she seemed not to notice as she flung herself forward to the attack once more. The amber dragon struck the floor hard, and Kharendaen was on it in an instant, landing on its chest with her entire weight, stunning it. Taking advantage of the amber's momentary helplessness, she lunged forward with her muzzle to gain a death hold on its neck.