Dragonlance 15 - Dragons Of A Fallen Sun (83 page)

at Glaucous, pointed at his breast.

"Your spell is broken! The illusion ended! You can no longer

hide your body on the plane of enchantment while your soul

walks about in another form. Let them see you, Cyan Bloodbane.

Let the elves see their 'savior.' "

A flash of light flared from the breast of the elf known as Glau-

cous. He cried out in pain, grappled for the magical amulet, but

the silver rope that held it around his neck was broken, and with

it broke the spell the amulet had cast.

The elves beheld an astonishing sight. The form of Glaucous

grew and expanded so that for the span of a heartbeat his elven

body was immense, hideous, contorted. The elf sprouted green

wings. Green scales slid over the mouth that was twisted in

hatred. Green scales rippled across the rapidly elongating nose.

Fangs thrust up from the lengthening jaws, impeding the flow of

vile curses that were spewing from his mouth, transforming the

words into poisonous fumes. His arms became legs that ended in

jabbing claws. His legs were now hind legs, strong and musc r.

His great tail coiled, prepared to lash out with the deadly power

of a whip or a striking snake.

"Cyan!" the elves cried in terror. "Cyan, Cyan!"

No one moved. No one could move. The dragonfear para-

lyzed their limbs, froze hands and hearts, seized them and shook

them like a wolf shakes a rabbit to break its spine.

Yet Cyan Bloodbane was not yet truly among them. His soul

and body were still joining, still coming together. He was in mid-

transformation, vu];nerable, and he knew it. He required seconds

only to become one, but he had to have those few precious seconds.

He used the dragonfear to buy himself the time he needed,

rendering the elves helpless, sending some of them wild with

fear and despair. General Konnal, dazed by the overwhelming

horror of the destruction he had brought down upon his own

people, was like a man struck by a thunderbolt. He made a feeble

attempt to draw his sword, but his right hand refused to obey his

command.

Cyan ignored the general. He would deal with that wretch

later. The dragon concentrated his fury and his ire upon the one,

true danger-the creature who had unmasked him. The creature

who had somehow managed to break the powerful spell of the

amulet, an amulet that permitted body and soul to live apart, an

amulet given to the dragon as a gift from his former master, the

infamous wizard Raistlin Majere.

Mina shivered with the dragonfear. Not even her faith could

guard her against it. She was unarmed, helpless. Cyan breathed

his poisonous fumes, fumes that were weak, just as his crushing

jaws were still weak. The lethal gas would immobilize this puny

mortal, and then his jaws would be strong enough to tear the

human's heart from her breast and rip her head from her body.

Silvan was also consumed with dragonfear-fear and aston-

ishment, horror and a terrifying realization: Cyan Bloodbane, the

dragon who had been the curse of the grandfather, was now the

curse of the grandson. Silvan shuddered to think what he might

have done at Glaucous's bidding if Mina had not opened his eyes

to the truth.

Mina! He turned to find her, saw her stagger, clasp her throat,

and fall backward to lie senseless on the ground in front of the

dragon, whose slavering jaws were opening wide.

Fear for Mina, stronger and more powerful than the dragon:'

fear, ran through Silvan's veins. Drawing his sword, he leaped to

stand over her, placing his body between her and the striking

dragon.

Cyan had not wanted this Caladon to die so swiftly. He had

looked forward to years of tormenting him as he had tormented

his grandfather. Such a disappointment, but it could not be

helped. Cyan breathed his poisoned gas on the elf.

Silvan coughed and gagged. The fumes sickened him, he felt

himself drowning in them. Weakening, he yet managed a single

wild sword swipe at the hideous head.

The blade sank into the soft flesh beneath the jaw, doing little

true damage but causing the dragon pain. Cyan reared his head,

the sword still embedded in the jaw, jerking the blade from

Silvan's limp hand. A shake of the dragon's head sent blood spat-

tering and the sword flying across the field

The dragon was whole. He was powerful. He was furious. His

hatred for the elves bubbled in his gut. He intended to unleash his

poison upon them, watch them die in writhing, choking agony.

Cyan spread his wings and bounded into the air.

"Look upon me!" the dragon roared. "Look upon me, Sil-

vanesti! Look upon my might and my power, and look upon your

own doom!"

General Konnal saw suddenly the full extent of Glaucous's

deception. He had been duped by the dragon. He had been as

much Cyan Bloodbane's pawn as the man Konnal had de-

spised, Lorac Caladon. In those last moments, Konnal saw the

truth. The shield was not protecting them. It was killing them.

Horror-stricken at the thought of the terrible fate he had un-

wittingly brought down upon his people, Konnal stared up at

the green dragon that had been his bane. He opened his~outh

to give the order to attack, but at that moment, his heart; filled

with fury and guilt, burst in his chest. He pitched forward on

his face.

Kiryn ran to his uncle, but Konnal was dead.

The dragon soared higher, circling, beating the air with his

great wings, letting the dragonfear settle over the elves like a

thick, blinding fog.

Silvan, his vision dimming, sank to the ground beside Mina

He tried, even as he fell dying, to shield her body with his own.

"Mina!" he whispered, the last words he would ever speak "I

love you!"

He collapsed. Darkness closed over him.

Mina heard his words. Her amber eyes opened. She looked to

see Silvan lying beside her. His own eyes were closed. He was not

breathing. She looked about and saw the dragon above the bat-

tlefield, preparing to launch his attack. The elves were helpless,

paralzyed by the dragonfear that twisted inside them, squeezing

their hearts until they could not breathe or move or think of any-

thing except the coming pain and horror. The elven archers stood

staring up at death, their arrows nocked and ready to fire, but

their shaking hands were limp on the bow strings, barely able to -

hold the weapons.

Their general lay dead on the ground.

Mina bent over Silvanoshei. Kissing him, she whispered, "You

must not die! I need you!"

He began to breathe, but he did not move.

"The archers, Silvanoshei!" she cried. "Tell them to fire! You

are their king! They will obey you."

She shook him. "Silvanoshei!"

He stirred, groaned. His eyes flickered, but Mina was running

out of time.

She leaped to her feet. "Archers!" she shouted in flawless Sil-

vanesti elven. "Sagasto! Fire! Fire!"

Her clarion call penetrated the dragonfear of a single archer.

He did not know who spoke. He heard only the one word that

seemed to have been pounded into his brain with the force of an

iron spike. He lifted his bow and aimed at the dragon.

"Sagasto!" Mina cried. "Slay him! He betrayed you!"

Another archer heard her words and obeyed, and then an-

other and another after that. They let fly their arrows and, as they

did so, they overcame the dragonfear within themselves. The

elves saw only an enemy now, one who was mortal, and they

reached swiftly to nock their arrows. The first shafts fired from

fingers that still trembled flew none too straight, but their target

was so immense that even the worst shot must hit its mark,

though perhaps not the mark at which it had been aimed. Two

arrows tore holes in the dragon's wings. One stuck in his lashing

tail. One struck the green scales on his chest and bounced off, fell

harmlessly to the ground.

Once the dragonfear was overcome, the elves would not be af-

fected by it again. Now the archers aimed for the vulnerable parts

of the dragon's body, aimed for the tender flesh the scales did not

cover, under the front legs, so near the heart. They aimed for the

joints where the wings attached to the dragon's main body. They

aimed for the dragon's eyes.

The other elves lifted their heads now. Dozens at first, then

hundreds shook off the dragonfear and grabbed up bow and

arrow, spear and lance, and joined the battle. Cries of horror

changed to fierce exultation. At last, they were able to face in

combat the foe who had brought despair and ruin and death to

their land and their people. The sky was dark with arrows and

with the dragon's falling blood.

Maddened by the pain, Cyan Bloodbane made a mistake. He

did not retreat from the fight. He could have withdrawn, even

now, grievously hurt as he was, and flown away to one of his

many lairs to nurse his wounds. But he could not believe that the

puny people who had been subject to his will for so long could

possibly do him mortal harm. One enormous breath of poison

would settle them. One breath would end it.

Cyan sucked in that breath and let it out. But the breath that

should have been a killing cloud came out a gasp. The poisonous

gas was little more than a mist that dissipated in the morning's

soft breeze. His next breath rattled in his chest. He felt the arrows

sink deep into his bowels. He felt their points perilously close to

his heart. He felt them puncture his lungs. Too late, he tried to

break off the battle. Too late, he sought to flee his tormentors. His

torn and broken wings would not hold the air. He could not

maintain his altitude.

Cyan rolled over on his back. He was falling, and he could not

stop his fall. Plummeting to the ground, he realized in a final

moment of bitter despair that his last wrenching moves had car-

ried him away from the battlefield, where his body crashing

down on top of the elves might have taken many of his enemies

with him. He was over the forest, above the trees.

With a last defiant roar of fury, Cyan Bloodbane fell onto the

trees of Silvanesti, the trees that he had twisted and tormented

during the dream. The trees were waiting to receive him. The

aspens and the oaks, the cypress and the pines stood firm, like

bold pikeman. They did not break beneath his weight but held

strong and true as their enemy smashed into them.The trees

punched through Cyan Bloodbane's scales, pierced his flesh, im-

paled him on their splintered limbs. The trees of Silvanesti took

their own full measure of revenge.

Silvanoshei opened his eyes to see Mina standing protectively

over him. He staggered to his feet, dazed and unsteady, but im-

proving with each passing moment. Mina was watching the

battle against the dragon. Her face held no expression, as she

watched the arrows meant to pierce her own body penetrate the

body of her foe.

Silvan barely noticed the battle. He could see and think only

of Mina.

"You brought me back from death," Silvan whispered, his

throat raw from the gas. "I was dying, dead. I felt my soul slip-

ping away. I saw my own body lying on the ground. I saw you

kiss me. You kissed me, and I could not leave you! And so I live!"

"The One God brought you back, Silvanoshei," said Mina

calmly. "The One God has a purpose for you yet in this life."

"No, you!" he insisted. "You gave me life! Because you love

me! My life is yours, now, Mina. My life and my heart."

Mina smiled, but she was intent on the fight. "Look there, Sil-

vanoshei," she said, pointing, "This day you have defeated your

most terrible enemy, Cyan Bloodbane, who put you on the

throne, thinking you as weak as your grandfather. You have

proved him wrong."

"We owe our victory to you, Mina," Silvan said, exultant. "You

gave the order to fire. I heard your voice through the darkness."

"We have not achieved victory yet," she said, and her gaze

was farseeing, abstracted. "Not yet. The battle has not ended.

Your people remain in mortal danger. Cyan Bloodbane will die,

but the shield he placed over you remains."

Silvan could barely hear her voice over the cheers of his

people and the furious howls of the mortally wounded dragon.

Putting his arm around her slender waist, he drew her near to

him, to hear her words better.

"Tell me again, Mina," he said. "Tell me again what you told

me earlier about the shield."

"I tell you nothing more than what Cyan Bloodbane to)d

you," Mina replied. "He used the elves' fear of the world against

them. They imagine the shield protects them, but in reality it is

killing them. The magic of the shield draws upon the life-force of

the elves to maintain its life. So long as it remains in place, your

people will slowly die until at last there will be no one left for the

shield to protect. Thus did Cyan Bloodbane mean to destroy

everyone of you, laughing all the while because your people

imagined themselves to be safe and protected when, in reality,