"That makes a great deal of sense. The Bluestone is the last of the Five Talismans-they will go to every length to ensure that it remains in their hands. The entire army of Talonian, on the plains before us, maneuvers only to divert attention from the real object."
"And what word of the blue dragons?"
'They departed inland several days ago. Even if they do not fly at top speed, they will reach the central plain within the next three days. Unless Silvanos has the stone by then, his army is doomed." Darlantan looked to the north, as if he sought a sign of those serpents against the horizon. Then he turned back to the elf.
"Where is this ogre camp?"
"Not far from here, though it will be difficult for my warriors to reach. The camp is on an island in a lake, secured within the crater of a high peak. Now, of course, the place is surrounded by snow and ice. I imagine they think it will take any attack a long time to develop."
"But you will try this attack?"
"Yes. I have gathered the tribes in the mountains and shall ask all the braves to join me. Can Silvanos prepare to face Talonian and the dragons in time?"
"I will carry word to him. He has been contemplating dividing his force, seeking shelter in the southern forests- but I'm certain that, with this hope before him, he will stand firm. How long will it take?"
"Our attack will be made the day after tomorrow-it will take tfiat long to gather the warriors, to climb the outer mountain. It will take another day, perhaps a day and a hjrff, to carry the stone to the plains."
"It may be that we can reduce that latter delay. I depart at once, for I know that Silvanos will be elated by this news."
"Will we have time?" Kagonos asked.
"Only the gods know. If the blues come too soon, I shall try to hold them at bay until the stone arrives-but it will have to be soon, for I cannot stop them all."
'Then we should go quickly from here and meet again on the field of victory. Thank you for coming to the summons of the Ram's Horn."
"I could do nothing else-but hold a moment. There is another thing you should know."
Kagonos waited.
"Silvanos wants you, wants all your tribe, to join him in the south after the war is won. He would raise you to the status of a house, and bring you into his new nation." Cbe Kagoncsri
The Elderwild shrugged. "He can ask-but I shall not go"
"That is as it should be." Darlantan was pleased. "Now, go to the dragongem-and may this accursed business be put behind us! Do you know-even the gods themselves have paid a price in this war?"
"What do you mean?"
"Three children of Paladine-Solinari, Lunitari, and Nuitari-stole the power of magic, that the dragongems might be made. Those gods have been punished for their theft, in a manner that will soon be made apparent to all."
"What punishment is of avail against a god?"
"Look to the night sky, after the last battle-whether the result be for good or ill. There you will see the proof, outlined against the stars."
Darlantan explained with a slow nod. Long tendrils of silvery whiskers curled outward from his jaw, and now that fringe flickered slightly in the growing wind. That same breeze brought the sounds of a distant pulsation.
"The drums have begun," Kagonos observed.
"In three days at the most, Talonian's ogres will be ready to attack. The blue dragons will be near, and the time of resolution falls upon us," agreed the elderly human. Though his body seemed frail, he stood firmly against the force of the wind, and in his yellow eyes glowed a glint of very youthful determination.
"Good luck, my friend," Kagonos offered, placing an affectionate hand on the man's shoulder. Already the human shape began to change, shifting and expanding into the form of the great serpent.
"And you," replied the dragon, with a serene dip of his head. "May victory soon be ours."
The Elderwild turned back to the slope and jammed his feet into the bindings of his skis while Darlantan spread his broad silver wings. In moments, they were flying- one through the air, the other over the snow-as they swept downward from the mountains, toward a battle that would shape the future of the world.
Chapter 2
Three wild elves leaned against the wind, climbing steadily along the knifelike crest of ridge. Sweeping onward in a graceful arc, the mountains rose ever more steeply toward the curve of barren, windswept summit. The tracks of the three climbers dwindled into the distance below, trailing all the way down the ridgeline to the forested foundation of the massif.
A week earlier, Kagonos had climbed the other side of this mountain to discover the ogre camp within. Today, the Pathfinder chose this route for the second exploratory climb to the top. He remained aware of the mountain as a whole, though from this angle on the shoulder he could neither detect the full sweep of the circular summit, nor see the snow and ice-filled caldron within. A singular, crumbling notch broke that encircling crest at one point, allowing a tiny stream to flow through a narrow gorge, giving outlet to the lake within the mountain's crater.
Instead of looking over the great slope before him, Kagonos allowed his eyes to sweep outward, inevitably drawn to the descending sweep of the mountains and the dusty plains beyond.
In the lead of the climbing trio, the Pathfinder paused to catch his breath while he looked under his shoulder at his brothers, who climbed steadily behind and below him.
Dall looked back, his dark face split by a fierce grin of elation, the circles of his war paint exaggerating the smile into a fierce leer. Behind Dall, Kyrill frowned with intense concentration. Like their elder brother, the two wild elves wore leather breeches and thick, deerskin cloaks to protect them from the biting wind. Still, their hands and heads were bare, except for the whorls of black paint with which the Elderwild warriors had marked their skin.
The other warriors of the tribe waited, concealed beneath an overhanging cliff in the valley at the mountain's foot while the Pathfinder, aided by his two younger brothers, sought this second route to the summit. Kagonos pushed forward with urgency, knowing that two of them would have to descend with the summons to attack before the rest of the braves ventured onto the slopes.
After a pause while each elf caught his breath, Kagonos again rose and turned his face toward the crest. One foot after the other, he started upward, following a line that angled toward the right, where the Elderwild had seen a shadow along the mountain's surface. True to his suspicions, he located a narrow ravine there and led Dall and Kyrill into the scant shelter offered by its cracked and lagged walls. Here they were protected from the wind and more secure from observation by any ogres that might be posted on the heights above. Even though Kagonos had 5-een no such scouts on his first climb, the Pathfinder wasn t inclined to take any chances. "Why don't we just sneak in through the stream outlet?" Dall asked as he joined his brother beside a snow- streaked boulder. Once more the three climbers halted to catch their breath, Kyrill sweeping the snow off a rock and sitting down, while Dall and Kagonos leaned easily against the rough walls of the narrow ravine.
"That's the obvious route-so it's the only one we can't take," Kagonos replied. "It's essential to approach an enemy from a direction he does not expect you to come."
"Besides," said Kyrill with a sly grin, propping one fopc on a craggy rock as he leaned against the ravine wall, "the view's a lot better from up here!"